Track & Field Day might have been rained out, but SaulPaul’s concert went on as scheduled at Austin area Pecan Springs Elementary. The room was full of bright smiles and positive energy from kindergarten through 5th grade students to administrators, staff, and guests for the 2 hour block of entertainment, education, and community engagement.
SaulPaul used music as the medium to tell his story, which sparked questions and excitement from the students, whom he made active participants. He touched on topics like leadership, making healthy choices, family, peer pressure, decision making, succeeding in school, staying active, and much more. He has a gift for seamlessly transitioning each moment into bite-sized teaching points through performance, story-telling, and crowd participation.
At one point in the presentation, SaulPaul selected a student from the audience and invited him to share his talent on stage with the school. SaulPaul handed him the microphone and gave him a new nickname, “Professor X.” The student then wowed his peers and teachers with a freestyle as he rapped about the importance of positive decisions, going to school, finding one’s talents, and living one’s dreams. He demonstrated that not only was he listening to the presentation but he was using his creativity to change his school community.
The presentation was interactive and engaging. When the students questioned SaulPaul about his childhood and growing up without parents, SaulPaul was quick to share that they too could rise above their circumstances. SaulPaul closed his performance by saying, “we were all born on purpose, with a purpose.”
For the grand finale, SaulPaul created a song with the audience by taking in words from the youth and teachers, and used the words as teachable moments through his lyrics. The impact and influence was not limited to the students, however. Staff commented on how SaulPaul’s delivery was beyond effective in both sessions, and how they were also personally touched by his message. Guests, staff, and students were eager to get photos with SaulPaul and a signed copy of his book, Dream In 3D, and the visit ended the same way it started— with smiles and energy brighter than sunshine.
