Capturing the spirit and glamour of the French capital in 1928, George Gershwin’s musical composition “An American in Paris” describes a glittering city, filled with leisurely strolls and honking horns.

Students at Havana Magnet School recently got a glimpse of Gershwin’s Parisian experience through a performance by the celebrated Akropolis Reed Quintet. “It’s like a field trip at school. The students don’t even have to get on a bus,” said Havana Magnet’s principal Delshuana Jackson.

The Michigan based Akropolis Reed Quintet was selected to lead the Artist Series of Tallahassee’s 2018 Artist-in-Residence program which reaches thousands of students and adults, most of whom have limited access to live musical performances.

As part of the outreach program, the ensemble provided several educational music workshops in primary and secondary schools in Leon, Wakulla and Gadsden counties.

Jackson was eager to welcome the quintet to her school because she believes “we should educate the whole child. Tapping into their creativity, the arts help us to do that.” The Artist-in-Residence program has become an annual tradition at Havana Magnet. “We look forward to it every year and we’re very grateful for the Artists Series,” said Jackson.

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