Yo-Yo Ma (Photo by Todd Rosenberg)

Have you ever chatted with someone about the importance of the arts in our schools? Would you like the chance to discuss it with Yo-Yo Ma?

Yo-Yo Ma will deliver the 26th Annual Nancy Hanks Lecture on Arts and Public Policy on April 8 at 6:30 p.m. EDT and, for the first time, Americans for the Arts will stream the event live from the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (courtesy of Google), so you can watch regardless of whether or not you made it to National Arts Advocacy Day in Washington, DC.

Drawing on his training as a musician and what he has learned traveling the world for more than 30 years as a touring performer, Ma will discuss where in nature, society, and human interactions we can find the greatest creativity, and what we can all do to help students grow up to be contributing and committed citizens.

And, if you have a burning question that arises during the lecture, you can ask Yo-Yo the next day. On April 9, Yo-Yo will take a break from his Arts Advocacy Day visits with members of Congress to participate in a Google Hangout video chat about arts education with Matt Sorum (Rock and Roll Hall of Fame drummer for Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, Co-Founder of Adopt the Arts in California); Damian Woetzel (Former Principal Dancer at New York City Ballet and the director of the Aspen Institute Arts Program); Lisa Phillips (Author of The Artistic Edge and CEO of Canada’s Academy of Stage and Studio Arts); and, Bob Lynch (President & CEO of Americans for the Arts).

We’ll be collecting questions before the Hangout via Twitter and email. You can either tweet using #AskYoYo or send an email to [email protected] with #AskYoYo in the subject line and your question in the body. We’ll take questions anytime from now until the Hangout. 

During the Hangout, our panelists will discuss why they believe arts education is important and Bob Lynch will ask questions collected via Twitter and email for our panelists. To watch just visit our YouTube page on April 9 at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

And just in case you weren’t aware that Yo-Yo Ma’s arts education chops are just as fierce as his bowing skills, here are a few highlights of his work in arts education:

• He formed the Silk Road Project with other musicians from around the world, and the project’s education programs are affiliated with Harvard University, exploring connections between the arts and academics.

• He was appointed by President Obama to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, where he is actively involved in the Turnaround Arts initiative. Turnaround Arts provides a number of resources and strategies to enhance arts education in eight schools from across the country over a two-year period.

So bring on the arts education questions with #AskYoYo!

You can also participate in Arts Advocacy Day from home on April 8 & 9 by using #AAD2013 in your tweets. Feel free to cheer on arts advocates descending on Capitol Hill or tweet at your members of Congress to support the arts!