Baba Bomani, aka the Watermelon Man, has been using hip-hop, poetry and multi-media disciplines to teach fun and informative workshops with all ages from kindergarteners to graduate students for well over 15 years. Here you can find his Hip-Hop music for kids as well as teaching materials showing students the Writing Process through Hip-Hop! Click the album cover on the left to listen to the album or click here.
Teach the Writing Process through Hip Hop
Teach the ABC’s Rap
What BARS Does
Residencies/ Workshops
We create hip-hop songs and music videos that teach valuable social, emotional and educational lessons to students from grades k-12. These are supplemented with lesson plans, worksheets and instructional videos to create truly art integrated lesson.
Assemblies/ Performances
We offer live performances, assemblies, workshops, and residencies for students grades k-12. These multi-media presentations are thoroughly scaffolded lesson plans disguised as Rap concerts. We call it putting medicine in with the sweet potatoes.
Professional Development
We offer professional development and curriculum design for schools, entire school systems, colleges and universities. These fun and informative sessions give educators tools they can use immediately to use Hip Hop music and culture as a teaching tool.
Why You’ll Love BARS
For almost twenty years Baba Bomani has used the art of Hip-Hop songwriting (MC’ing, rapping) to teach valuable ELA skills and guide students as they create rhymes that summarize and help them memories every subject. Baba Bomani begins engaging students in his high energy and interactive assembly performances that highlight the Writing Process and historical figures like Frederick Douglass. This introduces the students to songs and dances that coincide with the exercises and graphic organizers that he uses in residencies and workshops and makes available to teachers with professional development and the BARS Teachers Guide.
“This sounds like what would happen if Outkast produced Sesame Street”
Shani, Homeschooler
“Bomani was OUTSTANDING, today! The kids loved him, the second graders all lined up to take his autograph!”
Claudia, PTA,
Rolling Knolls Elementary
“Positive, Motivating, Challenging. Bomani gave students the power of language.”
Jennifer, Teacher Scholars K-8
“Rapping is the art and engineering of language divided by math” – Baba Bomani
- Kennedy Center Teaching Artist
- Arts for Learning Maryland Teaching Artist
- Maryland State Art Council Teaching Artist
- Young Audiences of New Jersey and Eastern Pennsylvania Teaching Artist
- United Arts of Raleigh-Durham Teaching Artist
- Arlington County Virginia Teaching Artist
- Delaware Public Library Touring Artist
- Founder of the Frederick Douglass Writing Club
50000
Students
240
Schools
23
States
100%
Satisfied customers
Baba Bomani’s Blog
- GRAFFITI TAG YOUR NAME (sample video lesson)Hey BARS fam, Check out this quick demo of one of the lessons you get when you download the Baba Got BARS Album! Write your name in Graffiti on the page marked “Graffiti Tag Your Name”. As an example IContinue reading “GRAFFITI TAG YOUR NAME (sample video lesson)”
- Students Get Help Writing LyricsAs part of a local partnership team consisting of Chautauqua Institution, Jamestown Public Schools and the Chautauqua Lake Central School District and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Partners in Education Program, Baba Bomani, a Washington, D.C.,Continue reading “Students Get Help Writing Lyrics”
- HIDDEN HISTORY: East Texas students improve writing skills through dancing and rappingby: Isaac Ramirez Posted: Feb 8, 2020 TYLER, Texas (KETK) – Tyler ISD students are learning about Black History Month while improving their reading and writing skills. Young Audiences Arts For Learning Northeast Texas introduced Grammy-nominated rapper and songwriter SaulPaul and artist BabaContinue reading “HIDDEN HISTORY: East Texas students improve writing skills through dancing and rapping”
- My First United Arts Assembly at Bugg ElementaryHere is a video of the first verse of my song My Name is Baba Bomani that I am referring to earlier in this email, being performed at my first opportunity with United Arts of Raleigh-Durham. Bugg Elementary is aContinue reading “My First United Arts Assembly at Bugg Elementary”
- Baba Bomani at Route 9 LibraryI just wanted you to get a good look at the incredible writing space i was blessed to work in this summer with the Route 9 Library. I didn’t get any photos or video of the class, but I willContinue reading “Baba Bomani at Route 9 Library”
- Delaware Libraries Host Hip-Hop Literacy ProgramBy SOPHIA SCHMIDT • JUL 17, 2018 Public libraries across the state are hosting programs that get kids reading—and rapping— as part of the Summer Library Challenge.ListenListening…1:05Listen to the story here. Roughly twenty kids learned about vowels, syllables and rhyming at the Kirkwood libraryContinue reading “Delaware Libraries Host Hip-Hop Literacy Program”
- FDWC Weekly 8 “Name Your Country”Write an eight bar rhyme about what you would name a country if you could. Give us a reason for the name and a description of the country. The name of my country would be Aquemini For my children, it’sContinue reading “FDWC Weekly 8 “Name Your Country””
- Why We’re Considering Home Schooling our Biracial SonBy Tracy Jan Reporter November 10, 2017 at 6:00 a.m. EST …During our visit to a class about the life of abolitionist and onetime slave Frederick Douglass, teacher Bomani Armah engaged students in a discussion about why Douglass did not know hisContinue reading “Why We’re Considering Home Schooling our Biracial Son”
- Kennedy Center Hip-Hop teaching artist engages through CETA partnershipBriann Dunn, APSU Published 10:27 a.m. CT Oct. 14, 2019 John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts teaching artist, Bomani Armah, stood at the front of Kenwood Middle School’s library on Oct. 3 with more than 60 students staringContinue reading “Kennedy Center Hip-Hop teaching artist engages through CETA partnership”
Baba Got BARS 