griot |grē'ō; 'grēō|, noun - a member of a class of traveling poets, musicians, and storytellers who maintain a tradition of oral history in parts of West Africa.



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UGP Vision Paper (December 1, 2023)
As Phase 1 of our Urban Griot Playground (UGP) co-design pilot study drew to a close in May 2024, the Urban Griot Collaborative (UGC) Core Team published the Vision Paper to position our culturally-grounded, rhythm-based and embodied signature pedagogy in light of the ongoing literacy disproportionately affecting Black/Brown children. This living document is intended to create more cohesion across the focal areas of the ecology: Workshop Activities, Experiential Assets, and Digital Tools.

PUBLICATION DATE: May 20, 2024
PUBLICATION TYPE: UGP Lab Paper
DOCUMENT Link (request access)



Who We Are



Our Partners
Our work over the years has been funded, supported or furthered by a variety of fellowships and partnerships.



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COLLABORATIONS
Lab members also actively participate in teaching and research collaborations through affinity groups across CAMD, and the University at-large.



AFFINITY GROUPS
Education Explorations
This group seeks to explore the intersections between education, learning science, pedagogy and equity - finding synergies between our respective research expertise, interests, the development of courses, programs, projects, research, and events.

Music and Health
This group explores topics surrounding music and health. We examine work on effects of music perception and performance on mental health, including music-based interventions, music therapy, and music medicine.
RESEARCH INITIATIVES
Unlocking Literacy
In 2022, only 54% of our 4th graders in Boston, and 63% of 4th graders nationally, achieved basic reading proficiency on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). By engaging and co-designing with the communities most affected, this initiative aims to make change happen faster by leveraging AI.

CO-LAB COURSES
Each semester, the lab director offers courses through the Art+Design and Music departments, in which students work jointly on faculty-led, community-engaged research, design and/or media projects.
For Spring 2024, these courses are:

  • ARTG 6310 - Design for behavior and experience (Graduate-level Studio)