On Saturday, December 6th, Tony nominated actress Alyson Reed (Cabaret, A Chorus Line), better known to HSM fans as the loveable drama teacher “Ms. Darbus,” along with Disney and AMC Theaters, hosted a private screening of High School Musical 3 for the youth of Peace4Kids.
Peace4Kids is an organization close to the heart of both Alyson and the Black Eyed Peas, who all want to help foster and at-risk children and teens. In fact, the Peas donated a $400,000 recording studio to Boys & Girls Club in Watts to benefit children in need in Los Angeles.
We met amazing kids who have already been through (and are still going through) very tough struggles in their lives; luckily, the organization provides them a positive environment where they are given opportunities to learn about the arts (music, film, theater, culinary arts, technology, etc.). One of the veterans of the program, George White, was excited to tell us about the new Peapod Music Academy that started with the help of apl.de.ap and the Black Eyed Peas’ Peapod Foundation. The kids are working together to film, produce and edit the first two singles–”We Be Workin” and “Pinay”–off of apl’s upcoming solo album, “Peapods.” The kids are filming their efforts throughout the music video making process (set location, lighting, sound, etc.) to be included in a documentary about the start of Peapod Music Academy.
The youth at Peace4Kids are the start to what the Black Eyed Peas hopes to make a national music program. Stay tuned for the premiere of the music videos–the first is set to release in February 2009. To learn more about the Peapod Music and Arts Program, visit www.peapodacademy.com.
Pretty exciting stuff for a program that started with a small “Peace Garden” to provide a safe environment for a few elementary school kids.
To learn more about the Peace4Kids program and how you can get involved, visit www.peace4kids.org.
