How Did We Get Here?

In the late 90s, world-renowned concert pianist Alan Gampel asked his tour manager to book free performances for him at public schools. Captivated by the consistently curious and eager students Alan decided all children should be able to spend time with, and learn from, great artists. Even before YouTube Alan realized the power of compelling video to engage and teach; and in 2000 he founded joy2learn to increase arts-based learning in public education using video.

In addition to Alan, joy2learn's video presentation collection now features these legendary artists:

Gregory Hines - Dance
Elizabeth Murray - Painter
Wynton Marsalis - Musician
Hector Elizondo - Actor
Richard Serra - Sculptor
Frank Gehry - Architect

These artists, delighted to participate and share their journey with children and educators, are eager to engage with the viewer and do so via discussions and demonstrations of their craft.

These video learning modules are designed to serve as a primary resource for the study of multiple subject areas, from the arts to history, literacy, math, science and more. While introducing students to great American artists, the presentations also bolster comprehension and retention of information across disciplines.

Beyond Video

To help weave the arts into all academic subjects joy2learn partners with educators to develop lesson plans for social studies, science, math and the visual arts using its video lessons as a foundation.

Joy2learn’s newest offering is an online professional development course, Bringing Joy to Learning through Creativity, for educators in any discipline.
This six-week, facilitated course uses the video presentations as a foundation for creative exploration and is designed to help educators incorporate creativity into their own teaching methods and nurture the creativity of their students. One of the most satisfying outcomes are all the educators who are surprised by how creative they actually are!

Recognition

joy2learn has received national recognition for its pioneering work in the use of technology in education. It was featured in a documentary by the George Lucas Foundation that was presented to the U.S. Congress as an early demonstration of how technology could transform education.

Sharemylesson.com, the American Federation of Teachers’ website, features Joy2Learn’s lesson plans and the site for the Kennedy Center’s ArtistEdge has included Joy2Learn videos in its arts resources for educators.

joy2learn has received financial support from the U.S. Department of Education, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Carnegie Corporation, AT&T Foundation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation and others.