Recorder Program: The Recorder is the precursor to the family of Woodwinds and Brass. We have designed this course as an introduction that provides the basic skills needed to play an instrument. Consider the use of the recorder for teaching reading, as preparation for the orchestral winds. Learning fingering creates dexterity. Learning to read music teaches focus and discipline. Playing and performing songs creates a level of self-confidence second to none. Our program also looks at the different styles of music that are played with the Recorder, from Baroque to World Music. We have found students in all grades to be enthusiastic players, and we have found that certain pieces in the repertoire are quite challenging.
Recommended for Grades 6-7

Concert Band: Our Band workshops are designed to review as well as to introduce elements of good instrumental playing. We will stress practice, respect for each other and for the instrument as well as the importance of listening. We will encourage clear communication between our cooperating teachers and ourselves.

As suggested in the NYC Blueprint for the Arts we will maintain a focus on the skills of good musicianship. Students will develop correct breathing habits. Warms ups will be practiced and students will learn to read musical notes. This will be translated into instrumental fingering. Our Band Instructor will demonstrate how instrumental technique is coordinated with reading music. Part of the demonstration will be to guide students through the method of diaphragmatic breathing to produce an acceptable tone.

Now we will move onto technical practice, basic meters and developing technique on each student's instrument. Students will continue to learn note values and to sight-read. Students will understand tone quality, rhythm and pulse. We will begin to play music with varied rhythmic accents. We will continue to stress technique and introduce new concepts. how does the music feel?

To give students a firm foundation for performing in a concert band we will continue to use group warm ups and exercises. We will practice as an ensemble teaching the group to be able to discern between sound and execution. New vocabulary words will be introduced and students will be able to identify terms and symbols of written indications. As part of our lesson plan. Students will understand that most of these terms were derived from the Italian language during the seventeenth century.

Students will continue to rehearse in preparation for a school wide concert. All participants will be asked to provide a self-assessment. We will discuss what careers are available for them to pursue. Performing in school concert bands helps start them on the path of a professional musician. We can organize your school band. This includes auditioning students, ordering musical instruments, and related materials (i.e.: reeds, strings, sheet music, manuscript paper, music stands, etc.)
Recommended for Grades 6-12

Strings Program: For this series of workshops we begin by introducing the features of the violin and how it came to be. Long ago man was hunting for animals with a bow and arrow. As he pulled his bowstring back he made a sound. He spent a lot of time that day pulling his bowstring back and listening to the sound it made. Perhaps he shared his discovery with other hunters and young children, men and children of different sizes with different size bows. Some notes high and some notes low. The Violin became known as a stringed instrument.

The violin is played with a special stick called the bow. This is a long slender stick that has hairs stretched tightly from one end to the other. To begin our lessons on the violin it is necessary to master the handling of the bow. Students will begin with Bow exercises, holding bows in the air in the correct direction and with proper rhythm.

Students will move on to proper posture and proper right hand movement. The mastery of this is necessary in order to produce better sound. Through positive reinforcement and demonstration students can begin to play the rhythm of a song with a bow. The left hand will be trained to press the strings as the right hand moves the bow back and forth across the strings.

As with any musical discipline, respect, concentration, responsibility and practice will lead to a sense of accomplishment. Students will work toward maintaining tone quality, pitch, tempo and expression. When listening to music they should readily be able to identify the violin and understand its unique place in the orchestra.

The viola, cello and bass can be added the second year. Utilizing all the stringed instruments in all sizes allows us the flexibility to create an ensemble that is truly representative of the entire strings family.
Recommended for Grades 6-8

Ukulele/Guitar Lab: Ukulele fever may again be infiltrating the American culture. To date, over nine million Ukuleles have been sold. The Guitar was created for enjoyment, to ease loneliness and as a courting instrument. Today, every child dreams of being a rock star!

The Ukulele is a unique and cheerful 4 stringed instrument and is a wonderful introduction to out strings program. Learning to play the guitar has its own special form of expression and social communication. Students study at their own pace and follow their own creative instincts. Our lessons are designed to have the students playing and singing right away while building one new skill at a time.

Before beginning to play it's important to know what to call the parts of your instrument and how each part works. Students are shown the correct way to sit and the correct way to hold the instrument. A reminder to keep fingernails short so it will be easier to press the strings down is added as a quick tip.

Students begin to learn by watching a demonstration and learning the names for the four or six strings. Easy exercises are introduced and the strumming begins.

Blending is achieved by firmly strumming each string so that it makes one long sound.

Practice with beats and counting helps with the action. Each week another chord is introduced and new position fingering is explained. The first beat is called the downbeat. As the student progresses the muscles will stretch and they will be ready to learn theory. It's amazing how quickly they learn to play.
Recommended for Grades 6-12

Keyboard, Hands On: The keyboard has strings, which are hit, but we do not usually see the strings. This program is designed for the student to discover the relationship between sound and symbol.

These workshops are set up to engage the child in the actual music making process. We will include the instructing of actual music making skills, rhythm, reading and musical form. Part of the process will be to develop routines for the distribution, care of, collection and storage of the instruments. Students will be made aware of proper posture and hand positioning.

Depending on the length of the residency and the age level of the students we will determine which skills and concepts need to be experienced and strengthen. Included in this course will be an introduction to listening skills to sense rhythm and beat. We will focus on piano concertos and discuss the role of the piano in an orchestral setting.

Learning is reinforced by repetition. Our teaching artists are expert in varying drill techniques. Students will understand that music is there to guide them and with practice they will find it possible to play the piano.
Recommended for Grades 6-12

Vocal Workshops and Choir: Whether students are in Kindergarten or grade 8 we design learning experiences that will engage and challenge each student. Our course of study is based on the NYC Blueprint for the Arts and takes into consideration the Benchmarks for each level of vocal music.

Through singing, students learn to interpret knowledge and emotions in a variety of experiences. They learn to become effective communicators. Listening and discussing music becomes part of the workshop context. The students are given an opportunity to explore different musical styles. With our approach to singing, students will continue to develop motor skills and be able to demonstrate vocal control.

One of our goals is to have student's function positively as individuals and also within groups. We will encourage behavior appropriate for performances and audience participation. We will introduce rehearsal techniques and vocal styles. Depending on the grade level and the duration of the residency students will participate in singing exercises, notation and meter, procedures for breathing and correct posture. Students will be given the opportunity arrange a melody, participate in a musical theater piece and improvise and create a composition. Where appropriate we will introduce and integrate other core disciplines and cultures.

Our vocal coaches are adept at recognizing accomplishments and administering fair evaluations. Each lesson plan is set up to ensure student learning. All of our teaching artists are currently working in the field and can discuss the various cultural venues, media and technology available to our students. They can also discuss career options.
Recommended for Grades 6-12

Musical Theater: Our Drama workshops are both subject based and out come based as defined in the NYC Blueprint for the Arts. Students will learn their craft through classes in technique, movement and speech. Our curriculum will provide intensives in Practice in Acting, Music Theater, Play Writing, Stage Design, Technical Production (scenery, lighting and sound) and History of Drama. Any or all of these methods and approaches will be determined by the specific needs of the school, the length of the residency and the ages and grades of the participating students. Performance is an essential part of the training and is approached in a sequential manner giving students a sense of purpose in the theater.

Students will be given the opportunity to develop their performance skills by learning characterization, acting techniques, improvisation, voice and diction and how to write a story or play. Students will also learn the language of the theater, blocking, and the rules of the stage.

During this residency students will be given the opportunity to adapt and interpret a stage production. They will work with the theater director/teacher for planning, directing and staging a production. They will interpret plot, theme, conflict and resolution. Another consideration is learning how to critique and appreciate what is seen in a theatrical setting. When evaluating a performance the student will be asked to discuss and describe his feelings and observations orally and in writing.

As the arts have developed throughout history, they have overlapped. We will encourage students to explore and introduce other art forms: music and song,

Dance and movement, stage and set design and the use of lighting. Students will be encouraged to use these related art forms in an artistic and imaginative way.

Our teaching artists are individuals that function as performing artists or they assist in specialized aspect of a program related to the arts. These artists in residence have professional and technical skills and offer unusual talents in the areas in which they provide the service. As students work with these experts they gain experience and greater skill and an opportunity to think about what they have learned. This experience and collaboration with real life professionals broaden their horizons and connections to the larger world.
Recommended for Grades 6-12

Mosaic/Mural: Have you ever seen a wall with small tiles or stones set side by side to create a picture? Mosaics are pictures created by using pieces of material laid next to each other to form a pattern. Mosaic tiles are used for floors, walls and other surfaces as functional and creative ways of decorating. The differences between the mosaic and the mural are primarily the materials used. During the FDR years many artists were commissioned to create murals. One such mural can be found in the Woodhaven Queens Post Office. This was part of the WPA project. Some of the oldest mosaics were pictures designed for the homes or public buildings in Greece and Rome over 2000 years ago. Student will create a mosaic/mural aligned with the Social Studies curriculum for the 7th and 8th grade, from America's Beginnings through World Leadership 1945 to the present.

Our professional artists that specialize in creating mosaic/murals will provide the expertise for an in school residency that will work with your teachers and students to set the goals, the materials, the presentation and the graphic project necessary to meet the guidelines that fulfills the Exit Project requirements.
Recommended for all grades depending on the size and theme of the piece.

Bookmaking: Our Bookmaking workshops are designed as both a technical craft and as a creative art form. The process of putting a book together allows students to organize, clarify and sequence thoughts-skills useful in any field. Hand made books allow the student creator to express his or her message through a myriad of possibilities. The materials, messages, techniques and goals of the works created will depend on the length of the residency and the grade and age of the student participants.

Making a book is a process. It will serve to increase a student's awareness of the effectiveness of color and design as a means of communication. A discussion and demonstration of the necessary techniques, tools, materials and safety rules will be ongoing throughout this residency. Students will learn marking and scoring, the differences between hard and soft edges, hole punching, threading, application of glue, papermaking and the care and preservation of their finished book.

Students will discuss the importance of the written word and begin to understand the need for the integration of lettering with design.  The control of basic techniques and the principles and elements of design will be studied from the earliest Chinese books to the current day format. Placement of shapes, layout, the power of color and design and subject matter will be the expected learning. We will emphasis decoding and comprehension.

Our program will build background knowledge, preview vocabulary and introduce new subjects. We can work thematically and/or supplement an ongoing topic. Bookmaking offers cross-disciplinary applications.  In language arts students may write short stories or poems and bind the works. In social studies students may choose to write about Women's rights or make connections between historical periods.  These books can be displayed and shared among grade levels.

Our teaching artists are experts in the art of Bookmaking. They understand how to arrange the written word, how to express experiences, ideas and emotions in an imaginative and powerful way. The connection between our artists and students serve as an excellent resource of information and collaboration with a real life professional. All of our teaching artists are currently performing or working in their related field.
Recommended for grades 6-7

Dance: Our Dance residencies focus on student work and improved outcomes for student learning. Dance is practiced in unique forms in all cultures. We use a variety of sources to find dance ideas. Our workshops and curriculum reflect the diverse multicultural nature of our NYC student population. We have also developed programs for master classes and for students with special needs. Our format is designed to include the co-teaching or coaching model of service. Our expert resources provide content rich Dance education for all students.

The language of Dance is universal and movement is inherent in all students. Depending on the length and age level of the students we are working with, we will design our strategies around the basic elements of non verbal movement, improvised movement, movements to mood and color, movement to music and movement through obstacles. We will emphasis self control; motor control, interpreting and creative movement. As the sequences develop we will introduce dance forms, composition and the various techniques applied to choreography.

As students build skills and confidence they will become aware of their own abilities. Students will be encouraged to demonstrate their knowledge of Dance through live performance. They will have the opportunity to participate in various dance forms: Ballet, Creative Movement, Modern Dance, Jazz and Folk. They will be introduced to the role of dancer. Discussion of good nutrition and body care to prevent injury will be stressed.

Our programs are regularly monitored by our Field Supervisor to ensure quality and to evaluate the program elements. Our teaching artists are all professional dancers and are currently appearing at different venues all over the city. The culminating activity for all participating students will be a recital. Their participation in dance classes establishes an on going practice of observation, self-reflection and effective personal action.
Recommended for grades 6-12

Social Studies through Music: In our global society music reflects sounds from many different cultures. Music has a history that has evolved through a blending of different styles. This program allows your students to make connections to other times, places and people. Music has always been an important part of the lives of all people and cultures. Our scope and sequence has been aligned to the Social Studies curriculum for grades 6, 7 and 8. We trace the history of music from the earliest medieval works to today's composing and performing. Time lines are created and connections are reinforced. Students explore the diversity and creativity of musical traditions, they become musical explorers.
Recommended for grades 6-8

Music/Math & Design: The program's main focus is to show students how "every design starts out on paper."  The students become the design team.  Working primarily with designing percussion instruments, we break down the design process into its various components.  Various concepts such as area, perimeter, volume, surface area, pitch, and density are explored in their relationship to designing instruments.  We bring in various drums from all over the world, play them, analyze their properties and work 'backwards' to imagine what it would have looked like on paper, before it became a real product.  This reinforces the experience of how ideas are generated, and refined for practical purposes.  Furthermore, by looking at costs, profit, product market, and green (environmentally friendly) design, students gain insight into how real-life products may also be produced.  

Since the primary goal involves percussion instruments, a secondary goal of the course, depending on the length of the course, is to explain the mathematics behind counting beats, measures, time-signatures, and to also introduce students to musical pitch and their mathematical relationships.
Recommended for Grades 6-8

Making Connections: These interdisciplinary workshops are all designed to connect and implement a course of action based on the learning standards outlined for Middle School students in the Arts, Social Studies and Math. Each plan is coordinated as part of a unit of study. Each unit is a building block in the scope and sequence for each subject. Our goal is to present opportunities for students to use creative problem solving strategies and critical thinking skills. These components can also effectively meet the graphics component guidelines for the successful completion of the Grade 8 Exit Project. Cooperatively, we will select the type of visual representation and collect and record information. Students will design and construct a product that fulfills the Exit Project requirements.
Recommended for Grades 6-8