Workshop by the Quartet of Happiness

PSQ performing Different Trains by Steve Reich

More photos by Jori in CMW's Flickr account.

For the past three years, staff  and friends of CMW have gotten pumped up for Providence's St. Pat's 5K. Last year, we carved out our identity in a crowd of thousands by running with violins and wearing bright red shirts with "Community MusicWorks" badges and musical symbols pinned all over. We also raised $1,478 for our Summer Camp!

Here we are, with the 5K approaching on Saturday morning, March 19, and we are shooting for a $2,000 goal this year. We would like to invite you to come join our team! If you can commit to raising at least the $29 race fee by asking friends or family to sponsor your run/walk, CMW will reimburse your registration fee.

If you are interested in participating, please contact me and I will provide you with all the information you need to sign up with our team. If you want to support our team with an online donation, please visit http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/cmw/2011. If we reach our $2,000 goal, that will cover transportation and food costs for the upcoming CMW Summer Camp.

Check out a video of our first Summer Camp in 2009 here.

Thanks for your support! I hope to hear from some of you about joining our team!

Wooohooo!!
Carole Bestvater, Fellow

In February, during the public school vacation week, Eric Booth spent two days at CMW. Drawing on Eric's vast experience as artist, entrepreneur, and consultant to many of this country's most signficant arts organziation, they were two remarkable and provocative days. Here are a just a few of the many ideas that Eric shared that we are continuing to think about.

– "80% of what you teach is who you are" (and focusing on this for yourself is the way to find your sustainability). This idea also resonates with CMW's affinity for the mentoring or "co-creator" model over the empty vessel or "banking model" of education.

– "Pull back to your core values and experiment boldly from that place." Or, as Jori wrote in her summary notes, "go back to where art lives in relation to peoples' lives." This idea is so significant in a world where art, classical music in particular, can be seen as something that does not have relevancy in our current culture. In attempting to engage someone else, what, as the first step, will make this artistic experience personally relevant?

– "The most important role of the teaching artist is that of witness." Someone to say "yes, that's it!" and confirm the quality of an idea. To say to a student, "I have noticed." Research shows that giving bland praise ("good job!") is ineffectual, whereas giving specific praise ("I really like how you colored that phrase.") is meaningful. And with parents of students, any little specific observation about their child is high currency.

-Heath Marlow, CMW staff

Day One: In order to explain CMW's organizational culture, Liz shares CMW's evolutionary periods (e.g. Quartetozoic, Fellowozoic) with Eric and the entire group.

We're thrilled to announce that CMW recently received a grant of $225,000 (over three years) from the Surdna Foundation to "engage in intensive instruction and ensemble work with teens during after-school hours" and to "recruit professional musicians each year for a two-year residency to learn CMW’s model by teaching and performing alongside permanent staff."

This grant supports the Surdna Foundation's mission pf fostering "sustainable communities in the United States–communities guided by principles of social justice and distinguished by healthy environments, strong local economies, and thriving cultures."

Thank you Surdna Foundation!

-Heath Marlow, CMW staff

In December, the PSQ performed Samuel Barber's String Quartet, Opus 11 at Brown University's Cogut Center for the Humanities. The performance included the Quartet's final movement (featured in video below) that Barber retracted shortly after the premiere in 1936. For this performance, the PSQ used copies of the composer's original score with special permission of G. Schirmer, Inc. and the Curtis Institute of Music. Our thanks go to Jesse for creating this opportunity through his connection to Samuel Barber scholar Barbara Heyman. Learn more here and here.

PSQ with Mystic Rails composer Forrest Larson

“Valse a Vielle” composed by Robert Thebaut, performed by Angie D, Aiden S, August P, Alexandra R, Liam H, Kirby V, Malachy H, Karl O, Linda D, Jen C

“May Song” a folk song, performed by David D, Levi G, Genesis P, Liam R, Angelica Y, violins

On January 24, nine of this year's Abreu Fellows (including CMW Fellowship Program graduate Adrienne Taylor) took the train down from Boston to spend the day at CMW. The reason for their visit was an abbreviated version of our ongoing series of Institutes for Musicianship and Public Service. Sebastian and Chloe had already been up to Boston to meet with the Abreu Fellows at NEC during the fall semester, and it was wonderful to have a chance to host them in Providence, including showing them around our neighborhood.

Overall, the day was devoted to sharing the story of how CMW has developed its model over fourteen years through the lens of being embbedded in a specific urban community, namely Providence's West Side.

There were also breakout sessions to delve into specific topic areas (building a board, nurturing and managing staff, working with parents).

Please visit Abreu Fellow Marie Montilla's blog for more detail about the day.

-Heath Marlow, CMW staff