January 21, 2026 | 4:30-6:30pm
Online Workshop
Cost: FREE
Grades: 3-12
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION
In this interactive workshop, Bomani Armah will show teachers how to use aspects of hip-hop art and culture to create an engaging learning environment. Educators will learn rhyme-based strategies that build student writing and communication skills using the five steps of the writing process (pre-writing, drafting, revising, editing, and publishing). These strategies also enhance vocabulary while making connections between essay writing and songwriting. Applicable for grades 3-12!
PRESENTER BIO
Bomani Armah is a Hip Hop artist, writer, educator, and family man. Born in Washington D.C. and raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, Bomani’s goal is to “Honor the Ancestors, Prepare the Descendants and Love Right Now.” Bomani has released four Hip Hop albums, including “Bomani Armah is the Watermelon Man.” He is best known for his 2007 viral crunk hit “Read a Book,” which aired on BET’s 106th & Park. Bomani is a Kennedy Center for the Arts CETA teaching artist, the founder of the Frederick Douglass Writing Club for young writers, and the founder of the annual Watermelon Day festival at Sankofa Video & Books Cafe. Bomani is not a rapper but a poet with a Hip Hop style. Since 2016, Bomani Armah has operated Baba Got BARS as part of his company Armah Enterprises LLC. BARS (Bomani Armah wRiting System) uses the art form of rap (Hip Hop songwriting) to teach students of all ages and aptitudes. In 2023, Baba Got BARS started bringing on more teaching artists, including Malachi Byrd. Malachi Byrd is one of the first students of BARS and an accomplished rapper and poet on his own. Malachi now teaches professional development, workshops and residencies, as well as performances, using the Baba Got BARS curriculum.
*Relicensure hours available
Workshops are open to classroom teachers, arts educators, school administrators, university students, and community members
Learn more at: teal.usu.edu/arts-are-core
