Oakland middle school band plays in Pixar s Soul
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Oakland’s connection to Pixar’s ‘Soul’
Oakland Middle School Band Helps Bring Pixar’s ‘Soul’ to Life With … Zack Pitt-Smith, the music director at Edna Brewer Middle School and Kazeem Elebute, Oakland Tech student, discuss their roles. It all started at Yoshi s in Jack London Square
OAKLAND, Calif. - Pixar s newest film, Soul, features the life of a middle school band teacher looking for his big break.
And one Oakland middle school s jazz band got its big break too, playing in this historic film.
Some members of the Edna Brewer Middle School Jazz Band played Things Ain t What They Used to Be in the film after a chance dining experience by Pixar producer Dana Murray who was eating at Yoshi s in Jack London Square.
Edna Brewer Middle School Students Have A Special Role In Pixar s Soul
Bay City News Service
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OAKLAND (BCN)
The Christmas Day release of the new Pixar/Disney animated feature film Soul on Disney+ marked the film debut of young, local talent a group of 17 students from Oakland United School District. Soul is about a middle school music teacher, played by Jamie Foxx, so it s only appropriate the film has a scene featuring real middle school musicians.
Edna Brewer Middle School music director Zack Pitt-Smith explained how his students were discovered by Pixar, which is headquartered in nearby Emeryville.
Pixar s Soul premiere to feature Oakland middle school band
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Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx) is the protagonist in Soul. TNS
Pixar s latest film Soul premieres on Christmas, and to celebrate they ve enlisted an all-star cast for a virtual red carpet premiere on Dec. 26, with some very special musical guests: the Edna Brewer Middle School jazz band.
In Soul, the main character Joe is a middle school band director chasing grander musical dreams. While researching the film, Pixar visited several Bay Area businesses, ranging from barbershops to tailors. For musical inspiration, they spent time at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland to make sure the teaching scenes rang true. Now the band is getting their moment to shine, with a performance of Things Ain t What They Used to Be.
City of Oakland facing budget crisis, Mayor announces furloughs for city employees
By KathleenKirkwood, Kathleen Kirkwood and Keith Burbank
Published article
OAKLAND, CA - JANUARY 19: Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf looks on during an assembly at Edna Brewer Middle School about the U.S. Constitution on January 19, 2018 in Oakland, California. Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf discussed the U.S. Constitution with midd
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OAKLAND, Calif. - Facing a looming budget shortfall of $62 million, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf this week announced measures to stave off fiscal crisis that include 10-day furloughs and delayed pay raises for senior staffers.
More cuts will follow, she said Thursday in a grim letter to city employees describing the pandemic s impact on Oakland s tax revenues.
We have to prioritize human life, said Mark Airgood, a special education teacher at Edna Brewer Middle School in Oakland and a site representative for the Oakland Education Association, the teachers union.
School district leaders submitted a plan to the Alameda County Office of Education Nov. 20 to allow the district to reopen at some point. The plan was made public Dec. 1.
District spokesman John Sasaki said the date for reopening is more of a hypothetical date because one had to be given to submit a reopening plan. The pandemic looked less severe several weeks ago than it does now, he said.