Alejandro Perez, Jr. (AP) is a multi-disciplinary artist and arts educator and consultant whose primary focus is to empower people through the process of holistic learning.  

 

He has developed a kinesthetic, melody/mantra based “See it. Say it. Do it.” approach to educating the whole person called The Melody Memory Method. The Melody Memory Method integrates visual, oral/aural (call and response) and kinesthetic tools that make learning more tangible and accessible, as well as more expressive and enjoyable for the learner.  It has been applied at The Village Child Development Center, through workshops, assemblies and residencies with Will Richey and Journeyman Ink, with at-risk teens for Big Thought’s “Creative Solutions” Summer Theater and Visual Arts Program and for Irving ISD’s Middle School Enrichment Program.

 

A seasoned artist of African-American and Puerto Rican descent, Alejandro is a percussionist, choreographer, gymnastics instructor, and Contra-Mestre of Capoeira Angola (de Sao Bento Grande), a multi-disciplinary African-Brazilian marital art.  He is the lead musician and a key mentor for DaVerse Lounge, an under 21 open mic for youth across North Texas, and MC for the house band, Melody Memory.   

 

A published poet, Alejandro’s work has been featured in the “Dallas Love Project Book”, published by 29 pieces. He was a part of an ensemble presentation at TEDxSMU on DaVerse Lounge: The Power of Voice, and has performed at the National Facing Race Conference, the Embrey Human Rights Program’s inaugural, “Triumph of the Spirit Award Ceremony” and the National Performance Network’s 25th Anniversary Meeting in Dallas.  The Reciprocity Arts Café at the Dallas Museum of Art and the Nuyorican Poets Café in New York City are two of the other stand out venues he has shared his talents with over the last two decades.  

 

He has taught workshops at the University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, Texas A & M, Mountain View College and for the Baker Idea Institute at the Dallas Children’s Theater.  As a recording artist he has worked with Erykah Badu, Poet Kalamu Ya Salam, and has shared performance space with Haki Madhabuti, Bob Marley’s band, The Wailers, Souljah and many others. 

 

Alejandro is a practicing life coach for young adults and teens and an experienced early education and kindergarten instructor, having taught at East Dallas Community School/Bilingual Montessori and at Africa Care Academy (ACA), in Dallas, where he was named the 2002 ACA Teacher of the Year.