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On Location: Two Musicians (by Benjamin Foulois Creative & Performing Arts Academy, Morningside, MD)

125 views · Published 9 July 2018 · 5:13 · Indexed 10 November 2026

Channel: Kennedy Center Education Digital Learning · 2018 · Education

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Whether it be as a performer, a student, an audience, or community as a whole; the impact of music on our lives has as much diversity in significance as the music itself. We invite you to understand this impact through the eyes of two of Maryland’s favorites, Rock artist Dave Tieff and Jazz musician Marcus Johnson, within our student-filmed documentary entitled, “A Tale of Two Musicians”. Interwoven throughout each musician’s journey is a tale of giving back to the community, personal success, a message for hope against all odds and, ultimately, finding ones’ purpose through the power of song.

Dave Tieff, Baltimore native and rock musician, has battled obesity, drug addiction, family turmoil and alcoholism to forge an unforgettable path in music. Overcoming his addictions, Dave has channeled his past into providing the world with a message of greater good through his efforts as a humanitarian and through the power of song.

Marcus Johnson, a Maryland Jazz legend, has spent the last few decades delivering the world a unique blend of Jazz rooted in the beats of Go-Go, Rock, Pop, and Funk. Beyond his musical talent, Marcus delivers an empowering message to urban youth that anything is possible as long as you set your mind, surround yourself with strong people and do what you love.

Music plays a strong part in communities around the world and is defined by our surroundings. In the DC/Baltimore area, strong influence through the Go-Go beat and the lingering sound of Rock and Roll allowed the two musicians in this documentary to deliver their passion beyond the notes on the page. Music defines the soul and for these two musicians; their lives.

Morningside, Maryland is most known as the home of the Air Force’s Andrews Air Force Base and the President’s private plane - Air Force One. Just over the Anacostia River, this Prince George’s County community has a rich and vibrant arts and cultural history. Benjamin Foulois Creative and Performing Arts Academy, which opened its doors in the fall of 2009, is one of three Prince George’s County Public Schools dedicated to the appreciation, cultivation and pursuit of the arts for elementary and secondary students.

From 2008-2010, nineteen schools from across the United States created videos as part of the On Location program. A "media studio on wheels" visited each school for two weeks and provided students the gear and training to tell the story of the arts in their community.

From go-go music in Washington DC, to gullah woodburning in Beaufort, South Carolina, to modern dance in Berkley, Michigan, the arts of a community can be as different as it's geography.

The Kennedy Center traveled the country to help students tell the story of the arts in their community, and the result is a video collection reflecting a rich diversity of local artists and art forms across the United States.

The videos in this series were scripted, produced and edited by students using professional equipment, under the supervision of Kennedy Center teaching artists.

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