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Maryland MD BSO Sets the Stage for Learning

In Baltimore Maryland, beginning in 2007, BSO Music Director Marin Alsop said I’m pleased that the Baltimore Symphony agrees with my philosophy on mentoring and we’re proud to announce a brand a new conducting initiative. We’re collaborating with Peabody Conservatory and the League of American Orchestras in creating a brand new position for a talented young conductor. It’ll be a two year program where the young conductor will conduct the Baltimore Symphony, attend Peabody Conservatory and get real hands on experience. We’ve already selected the first recipient of the award, Joe Young, and so…you’ll see him around the concert hall and you’ll probably even see him on the podium now and then

I want to enable people to feel really connected to composers. That’s one of the reasons I’ve invited so many living composers here, we’re going to speak to them. We have a series called composers in conversation which will be on Wednesday evening and also I want people to feel connected to Beethoven. So I’m really obsessed with these forensic shows, I don’t know if anybody else is. I decided the best way to get to know Beethoven would be to do a forensic autopsy on him and so I’ve invited scientists from Johns Hopkins to join me and we’re going to sort of dissect him, I hate to say that, but dissect Beethoven in front of the audience for two evenings. We’ll have the whole orchestra there, We’re going to play his music, we’re going to analyze what elements lead to his hearing loss, what kind of mental state and just generally what conditions lead to his greatness

Part of my vision is to try to take advantage of all the new technologies we have available to us. Fortunately we’ve already embarked on a brand new recording initiative making records for Naxos and for Sony records. We’re starting a series of pod casts for iTunes and we’re also featured on XM radio

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Marin Alsop on conducting

I’ve always wanted to be a conductor, I’ve wanted to be a conductor since I was nine years old, and, my mother and father are both professional musicians. I had to be a musician there was really no choice about that but when my father took me to see Lenard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic when I was I guess nine years old. As soon a I saw him I thought, oh – this is what I want to do, so I never changed my mind from then and I fell in love with him, I fell in love with the idea of conducting. It was a dream I harbored for all those years and it took a while to figure out how to be a conductor actually

And you know as a violin you play one line you know and I mean and it’s really critical but it’s just one line contributing to music that has, you know-one hundred things going on at once and I think for me the idea of being responsible for the architecture, you know-the whole experience the emotional journey the quality of sound the vision the piecing and everything, thats what appealed to me always and I think I was always one of those kids, even if I was bad at a sport was always the captain of the team and I think this idea of galvanizing people and hopefully inspiring them to come together and do their best as a team was something that always appealed to me and thats really what conducting is all about. I think that it’s really important that we feature along side very established well known artists, young talented emerging artists because of course, like with the composers that I’m featuring this year, they were once aspiring composers. Now they’re really the leading composers of the day and the artists that we feature will also be the leading artists of tomorrow and it’s nice I think for our audience and for our musicians to sort of get in on the ground floor as their elevator is rising so to speak

This is definitely the highlight of my career so far having a wonderful time with the musicians of the Baltimore Symphony, we’re going to create something brand new some kind of excitement. We’re trying to bring classical music to everybody, bring it back to where it used to be where it was part of everybody’s lives..it was accessible, it was fun, it was interesting, engaging and we feel that we’re just part of the community, we’re owned by the greater Baltimore community and so we want to be available to everybody so people can access the symphony to what ever degree they want

for more information or how to support the Maryland MD Baltimore Symphony Orchestra please visit

www.bsomusic.org

www.bsokids.com

MARYLAND MD is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area

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Washington DC Kennedy Center Sets the Stage for Learning

A video tour for kids

In Washington DC Associate Conductor Emil de Cou on tour said the Kennedy Center is a living memorial to John F Kennedy. When I say Memorial I mean the Kennedy Center is more than just a building. It’s a place for dance, plays, where concerts happen everyday. When people come for a performance they help bring the memorial to life.

I hear you can come see us perform at the concert hall. Let me show you around

This is the Kennedy Center Plaza. It’s filled with art work, reflecting pools and fountains, and on the day you’re going to visit us school buses too!

There’s a whole lot more to see inside …lets go!

The first thing you should know about the Kennedy Center is that it’s a real big place. This is the Hall of Nations. It got its name from all the international flags hanging above my head. See how many you can pick out. Over there is the stage door. That’s where the musicians and I go to work but it’s off limits to most people

That’s the Grand Foyer lets go check it out. What’s a foyer you ask, just a fancy name for a lobby. This is the grand foyer because it’s the entry way to the Kennedy Centers three largest performing halls- the Eisenhower Theater, the Opera House and the Concert Hall. This foyer is so long that the Washington Monument can lie on its side and there would still be room for a herd of cows. But enough about the grand foyer, lets go inside the concert hall, that’s my favorite part.

Oh yeah, when you come here with your school, the teacher will meet an usher and they will show you to your seat. But when you come here with your family the usher will take your ticket and put it right here in this box.

This is the concert hall, it’s an amazing place isn’t it? Over 2400 people can watch a performance from here, that’s like thirty five buses filled with kids and 45 baseball teams plus another sixty families of four. No matter what seat you get on any of the concert halls four levels, you’ll have a great view of the performers on stage. Lets walk down to the stage and I’ll point out some more interesting features

The scene on concert day will be different from what you see now. The musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra will be in those empty chairs on stage and you, along with a couple thousand other people will be part of our audience.

Behind those walls over there is the conductors dressing room and the musicians lounge but that whole area back there is off limits to the public. The stage I’m sitting on is made of wood like those hi-tech panels that are hanging above me and the floor beneath all the seats and the seat backs. The wood through out the concert hall helps the music travel to each seat as the musicians play their instruments, the sound they create bounces off the wood and is sent toward the listener.

Other materials could have been chosen like carpet or metal. Carpet, however, absorbs to much sound and metal makes the sound bounce to much. The natural properties of wood absorb a small amount of sound and send just the right amount toward the listener.

You probably noticed those pipes on the wall behind me. They’re part of a very large organ that is played at some of the concerts here.There are over four thousand pipes, some as small as your pinky, others as large as a telephone pole.

Whelp, that about wraps it up. I’m sorry I couldn’t show you everything but there are rules. On behalf of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center I look forward to seeing you at our concerts

Your not gone yet are you? If we hurry we can take a look at some of the places most people never get to see, so here we are now at the backstage area of the concert hall. Over there is where the musicians hang out and this over here is my dressing room, you can study, play piano or even take a nap.

O k, I think the coast is clear, this way ! Right before the concert begins I stand here ready to walk on stage, the door opens and I join the musicians on stage to thunderous applauses (we like that part) And here I am on the podium in front of thousands of concert goers, I bow to the audience then I turn to the musicians of the National Symphony Orchestra and we all share in the applause. It’s really fun, then I go to work. It’s really fun conducting that is, It’s important for me to show energy and excitement when I’m conducting the orchestra. They’ll know just how to play the music

Well I guess we better stop here and I hope you’ve enjoyed this behind the scenes look at the Kennedy Center and don’t tell anyone we’ve been sneaking around the concert hall. I’ll see you at the concert

for more information or to learn how you can help contact

The Education Department of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Washington DC

www.kennedy-center.org

WASHINGTON DC is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area

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Virginia Va Wolf Trap Sets The Stage For Learning

In Vienna Virginia, for over twenty-five years Wolf Trap has helped close the gap that has historically left children of primarily disadvantaged areas behind other children.

Miriam Flahnerty Willis Senior Director of Education, Wolf Trap Foundation said Wolf Trap Institute for early learning through the arts brings professional performing artists who are teaching artists into classrooms to work directly with teachers and our youngest children, children three four and five years old in preschool settings across the country

Each year Wolf Trap teaching artists work with early childhood educators to develop classroom learning experiences that provide their students with critical developmental skills and competencies they need for success in school and in life

Carol Bellamy an education manager for head start says children are different learners, children learn in different ways. Some children are kinesthetic learners, they like to move. Some children are auditory learners so those skills need to be fine tuned.

At a glance what looks like a simple arts activity is in reality a learning experience supporting multiple areas of development for the children

Krissie Marty a teaching artist said we did serialization, we did steady beat counting. The children… their pre-literacy skills included sequencing, recalling, comprehension, sub-phonetic awareness using their vocabulary

Learning through the arts, its a model for early childhood education that has made the Wolf Trap Institute for early learning for the arts, a leader for communities across the nation. More important the research shows it works for children

Douglas Klayman PHD President, Social Dynamics said the result of the research was very positive. We looked at six domains including inititive, social relations, creativity, movement in music, language and literacy and math and science. We found that the children who were part of the Wolf Trap Institute Program did better than the children in the comparison group

Changing teaching! Changing learning and changing lives! I know that no matter what happens within these children, because Wolf Trap is there in their classroom, that they’re forever changed for the better

Daryl Green National Spokes Person, Wolf Trap Foundation says investing in our young children is the best strategy for improving their odds for a brighter future. Your support will make the difference by providing our young children with the skills they need for a lifetime of learning

You can set the stage today for a child tomorrow

To learn how you can help, please contact

Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts

Vienna Virginia Va U.S.A.

www.wolftrap.org

VIRGINIA VA is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area

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World

All around me are familiar faces Worn out places, worn out faces

Bright and early for their daily races Going nowhere, going nowhere

Their tears are filling up their glasses No expression, no expression

Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I’m dying

Are the best I’ve ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It’s a very, very

Mad World

Mad World

Children waiting for the day they feel good Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday

And I feel the way that every child should Sit and listen, sit and listen

Went to school and I was very nervious No one knew me, no one knew me

Hello teacher tell me what’s my lesson Look right through me,

look right through me

and I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I’m dying

Are the best I’ve ever had

I find it hard to tell you

I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It’s a very, very…

Enlarging your world

Mad World

WORLD is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area

I was hired as a piano tuner-technician upon completion of my schooling at Westchester Universities All-Steinway School of Music and Bostons North Bennet Street School, AN EDUCATION IN CRAFTSMANSHIP, by William McCormick serveral years after he purchased Jordan Kitts Music.

Although I worked for “Kitts” for only three years my core skills were honed at Kitts as I “cut my teeth”, piano tuning back in the day. Kitts is where I was allowed to work and thrive under “Bill” McCormicks newly established leadership.

I will always remember Bills genuine concern the following morning after I had broken my nose in a parking lot mishap one rainy night early on at the beginning of my time at Jordan Kitts Music. In those days Bill and everyone at Kitts were world class.

Bill once said that to much love for the piano product can get you into trouble, but so can too much attention to the numbers, a left brain right brain tug of war. Perhaps this sort of thinking enabled him to collect the talent to lead the piano music industry to a loftier goal, the bar being raised just a notch higher.

A guiding light, Bill will be missed but remembered for the stamp he has left upon the music industry

WILLIAM McCORMICK REMEMBERED is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area

• Special thanks to Eldonamos family and friends for all the love and support!

PIANO TUNING MASTER A440 is a post from: Piano Tuning Master Piano Tuner Registered Master USA USA Established Registered Professional National Capital Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Virginia & Maryland Area