Blog

Lift Every Voice: Singing and Living with Purpose

CAP, in partnership with Jacksonville University and PNC Bank, hosted Lift Every Voice: Singing and Living with Purpose on October 7-8. This two-day collective impact festival, held at Jacksonville University, featured a panel discussion and community concert, bringing together Jacksonville leaders and community stakeholders to strengthen public awareness of arts education and build long-term support for the arts. Both events were free and open to the public. 

On Friday, October 7, at 9 a.m. a panel discussion designed to spark conversations between industry thought leaders provided expert insights about the fundamental values of the arts and their impact on youth and the community. The panel, moderated by Jeanette McCune, Director of School and Community Programs at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, included: 

-Gwen Moten, White House Appointed American Cultural Specialist
-Numa Saisselin, President, Florida Theatre
-Dr. Timothy Snyder, Dean, Linda Berry Stein College of Fine Arts & Humanities, Jacksonville University
-Aundra Wallace, President, JAXUSA Partnership
-Darryl Willie, Chair, Duval County School Board 

“We are so lucky to have assembled such a distinguished panel of speakers for this important conversation,” said Dr. Lucy Chen, CAP’s Vice President of Advocacy & Community Engagement. “This discussion will tackle ideas and questions about the importance of arts education from K-12 to higher education, resources and partnerships, and the arts as an economic engine for the city. Our panelists will share their unique perspectives on building a robust arts ecosystem for Jacksonville.” 

On Saturday, October 8, at 5 p.m., internationally renowned musician and performer Gwen Moten, with singers from Duval County Public Schools, Edward Waters University, Jacksonville University and the University of North Florida, provided an unforgettable performance in a community concert titled From Birmingham to Botswana. 

Lift Every Voice: Singing and Living With Purpose tackled ideas and questions about the importance of arts ed., resources and partnerships, and the arts as an economic engine for the city.  Share on X

Gwen Moten specializes in using personal narrative and song to describe her experiences during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s. She uniquely explores the relationships of historical social movements and correlates them with her international travels in apartheid-era South Africa and East Berlin under the Iron Curtain. 

“I am so very excited to share with the Jacksonville community my life and my world in the arts,” said Gwen Moten. “Salvador Dali once said, ‘A true artist is not one who is inspired, but one who inspires others.’ It has always been my desire to encourage others to see themselves as creative galvanizing forces that can make a positive difference in the world.” 

Lift Every Voice: Singing & Living With Purpose

Photos are also available on Facebook.


Editors note: This post was originally published on Oct. 3, 2022, and has been updated for accuracy.

October 3, 2022

For media inquiries, please contact media@capkids.org.

Thank you to the Dianne and Charles Rice Family Foundation, The Cummer Museum of Art and Gardens and the Kids Hope Alliance for enabling CAP to ignite the creative spirits of hundreds of CAP families today!! ✨ #TheArtsAddUp  #CAPkidsjax  #artsed #kidshopealliance
CAP IS HIRING a part time Teaching Artist in Theatre! As a CAP Teaching Artist, you’ll have the power to profoundly impact young lives by unlocking their passion for the arts. Through your creativity and mentorship, you’ll guide students on an inspirational journey, nurturing their artistic potential and instilling a lifelong love for the performing or visual arts. 

CAP is in immediate need of a Teaching Artist in Theatre, but applicants with other focus areas are welcome to apply for other opportunities.  If you are driven by the challenge of shaping innovative and impactful arts education programs for children in your community, then we invite you to apply. Visit capkids.org/get-involved/work-at-cap/ now!
The Cathedral Arts Project (CAP) fosters growth in listening and behavioral skills through music. These programs leverage music to build neural pathways, enhancing cognitive functions like attention and memory, while simultaneously developing emotional self-regulation and social skills like cooperation. Learn more at capkids.org ✨
Participation in the arts creates extraordinary change in the lives of children that sets them up to succeed in school and in life. Research shows clear links between arts involvement and positive outcomes in academics, creative and critical thinking, personal behavior and social and civic participation. These benefits reinforce the essential value of the arts to enrich not only individual children and young adults, but also their communities. Click our link in bio for more information about the impact of #artsed on CAPkidsjax! 🎨🎵🎭👯
They took home the win on Sunday!  Thanks to the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Jaguars Foundation, gameday tickets are available to nonprofits at discounted rates. Purchase your tickets here and all proceeds benefit #CAPkidsjax! Join us at the December 14 game against the New York Jets by purchasing general admission tickets or tickets with a club pass at our link in bio! 🏈🎉

Jags vs. Jets
Sunday, December 14 |  1 PM

#GOJAGS #TheArtsAddUp
CAP’s mission to empower every child’s creative spirit begins with our staff. At our team meeting this week, CAP Board Certified Music Therapist, Brittany Harmon, M.M., MT-BC, ignited the creative spirits of the CAP staff with an engaging team building activity using rhythm and song! 🎶 
#Artsed #TheArtsAddUp #CAPkidsjax #MusicTherapy
Whether in an individual setting or as part of a group, arts education improves a child’s confidence. Music in particular helps provide children with improved classroom skills, including critical thinking, creative problem-solving, teamwork and effective communication. Visit our link in bio for program info✨ #theartsaddup #capkidsjax
Create with CAP! School starts next week and we're looking forward to programs beginning soon. Some courses are already open for enrollment, so visit our link in bio to see this year's available courses! #CAPkidsjax #TheArtsAddUp 🎨🎶👯🎭
Children develop the technical skills to prepare for the future through instruction in the arts. Along the way, the arts develop their unique strengths – like self-confidence, self-respect, empathy, perseverance and creative thinking! 

Visit our link in bio for more information about our program offerings. 🎭👯🎵🎨#TheArtsAddUp #Artsed #capkidsjax
Musical theatre isn’t just fun and games. As this #CAPkid explains, it’s ‘way more work and it’s way more important.’ Theatre education allows students to gain essential skills like creative thinking, perseverance, teamwork and self-discipline, building the confidence and character they need to excel. Just don’t forget to read your lines please, read your lines! 🎭🥰#theartsaddup #capkidsjax
Arts education creates tomorrow's leaders. It enhances the creative capacity of young people and empowers them to analyze, innovate, create and lead. For more information about our programs visit capkids.org. #TheArtsAddUp #CAPkidsjax @duvalcountyschools

JOIN THE CAP MAILING LIST