What an incredible moment it was, after months of planning for this
pilot summer program, to be There: standing in a circle in the CityArts
Gallery on Broad Street. There were more than twenty-five of us
(students, volunteers, teen mentors, staff) in our CMW summer t-shirts
ready to go!

We played in orchestra, learned a fiddle tune, spent some
quality time with the D Major scale and arpeggio, and got together to
dance and improvise with CityArts/Highlander students. Of course, we
took breaks for lunch, the playground, and made time for "Show 'n Play,"
where each student has a chance to perform for the group and earn
colorful beads for his/her name-tag. 

I can't wait to travel with this
group on our final day, July 31st, to share our work from the
summer. We're now confirmed to perform at the Steelyard, Park View
Nursing Home, and a Community Meal at the Matthewson Street Church
downtown.

Stay tuned for more news after we meet again next Friday!

* If you are wondering about the unusual spelling, the answer is either a) we wanted to savor all that is delicious and beautiful about summer, so we add some extra "mmm" or
b) we have a policy at CMW that each "pilot" project (of which the
summer program is one) must have at least one mistake. We wanted
everything else to go right, so we chose the t-shirts.

-Rachel Panitch, CMW staff

Chamber music. Is this an outdated term that turns people off from engaging with the art form?

From a 2007 article in The New York Times by Anne Midgette:

Margaret M. Lioi, the chief executive officer of the service
organization Chamber Music America, says that its definition of chamber
music is “music for small ensembles in which each player has a part,
generally without a conductor.”

Anyone want to help out by providing some suggestions for Margaret? Send me an email via the CMW website's Contact Us page.

-Heath Marlow, CMW staff

Most CMW staff are out of the office this summer. Here are a few updates on what people are doing:

Sebastian and Minna will attend Eric Rosenblith's International Musical Arts Institute in Maine, and Jessie will join them for one week.

With the help of a professional development grant from the Rhode Island Foundation, Jesse attended the Violin Craftsmanship Institute in Durham, NH and will spend several weeks at the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music.

Adrienne is spending the summer at Indiana University where she is studying with
the great cellist Janos Starker. "I've had my first lesson already
and it's thrilling and inspiring to be studying with such an
amazing artist. There is so much I can learn from him; I can't wait
for my next lesson."

Jori is spending a week in Baltimore with five amazing CMW students
(Ian, Alexis, Natasha, Luis, and Kirby) at the Liz Lerman Dance
Exchange International Teen Institute. Conceived of by the youth
artists in the Dance Exchange's Teen Exchange, the Institute will give
CMW students the opportunity to collaborate with the other teens to
develop a performance around the theme of "(be)longing(s)." The CMW
crew will join students from Jordan, South Africa, Canada, and other
parts of the US, and will return to Providence with new skills,
experiences, project ideas, and commissions to launch at home as
ambassadors of this experience.

Sara is spending time out West, "looking forward to lots of fresh air, free babysitting (thank you Grandma!) and consequently, more practice time."

From Rachel: "I'm helping with the Barton Street Neighborhood Association summer
program in Pawtucket, of course the CMW program, plus I'm planning for
the launching of my Fiddle & Dance Project. I've also been
playing a lot with the Bourbon Boys (August 9th on Block Island at the
Albion!), and am playing with Arlyn on July 14 in Burnside Park
from 12-1pm. And, I got to see Paris!" 

With Rachel, Arlyn is piloting CMW's first Summer Program on four Fridays in July. Read about it in the May 2009 edition of The Works, CMW's newsletter. Stay tuned to the blog for updates…

Heath is scheduling 09-10 season concerts for the PSQ and CMW Players and enjoying Cow Trax when possible.

From Jason: "I can't wait to teach this summer at Four Strings Academy. It's so remarkable to witness my students' progress during the school year. I am also looking forward to seeing my friends and having sight reading parties!"

Musical Minds is a NOVA documentary featuring Dr. Oliver Sacks and the research that he has done on why music affects the brain, and how music can treat some neurological disorders. It is freely available to stream from the PBS website–only between July 1 and 7.  Enjoy!

Music Haven blog (neighborhood string quartet residency in New Haven, CT)

Boston Public Quartet blog (neighborhood string quartet residency in in Boston, MA)

As graduates this month of CMW's Fellowship Program, Rachel
and Arlyn were asked to provide several memorable
moments or anecdotes that would shed light on their favorite experiences over
the past two years spent at Community MusicWorks. Their responses are
posted as a series on this blog throughout the month of June.

—-

How do you take the violin out of its case? What are the parts and strings on the violin? How do you hold the violin, and where do your arms and fingers go? How can you make a beautiful sound with the bow?

This semester, three of our program’s “little sibs” had the chance to learn about these important first steps towards being a violinist in CMW’s first Pre-Twinkle class. Amy, Beny, and Shakiru were the first participants in Pre-Twinkle and made their performance debut in the May 30 Performance Party.

There was so much to learn and explore, even without instruments! I had so much fun teaching our Pre-Twinklers how to read basic rhythms, shadow bow, and sing the “Treble Clef Song,” a handy rhyme that helps us remember the lines and spaces. In the fourth class, I handed them instruments for the first time. I was so excited by the enthusiastic spirit and focus demonstrated by the students and their parents on this day! Since then, Amy, Beny, and Shakiru have practiced and mastered many Pre-Twinkle goals, such as:

rest position/playing position
pizzicato on the open strings
bow hold
playing “Mississippi Hot Dog” on the open E
preliminary left hand motion

Each Tuesday, well before our scheduled time, I would spot the Pre-Twinklers peeking into my teaching room, eagerly waiting for our class to begin. They were passing time in the big space at the Met School, waiting with their families as their older siblings were in lessons, Music Lab, or Fiddle Lab. Later in the semester, I was pleased to find they were no longer waiting, but practicing on their own and experimenting with sounds!

-Arlyn Valencia, Fellow (07-09)

As graduates this month of CMW's Fellowship Program, Rachel
and Arlyn were asked to provide several memorable
moments or anecdotes that would shed light on their favorite experiences over
the past two years spent at Community MusicWorks. Their responses are
posted as a series on this blog throughout the month of June.

—-

Without realizing it at first, Fiddle Lab has been a testing ground for my next project. The trust and expectations we’ve built have been strong enough to get everyone not just playing, but singing and dancing regularly.

Here’s how I know the tunes are taking hold as a blossoming part of students’ musicianship:

• I hear snippets of them being played in the hallways before lessons and workshops.
• I challenged students to “prank fiddle call” me over April vacation and one day was greeted by the sound of two celli and a viola playing Roddy McCorley together on my voice mail.
• The tunes we’ve learned this year have been from Old-time, Celtic, French-Canadian and Cajun styles, and everyone has a different favorite tune.
• After the success of the Dancing Concert Trip, I went out on a limb and taught two introductory dances to the types of music we’re learning. Each week since, I’ve been asked “are we dancing today?”

-Rachel Panitch, Fellow (07-09)

Lyrics by Kirby Vasquez (Phase III)

ANTHEM

Of the people, By the people, For the people,
We are the future of the United States!
Power, freedom, understanding and now change,
Join hands to turn a new page.

Work together, build together, stand together,
We live the dream of our forefathers today.
As we walk, we make a pledge to march ahead
We prove what Doctor King once said.

For we now have a sense of pride above all,
We stand tall,
We stand tall…

Anthem tells the story of an original composition, a "new piece of music for the nation," commissioned by Community MusicWorks in November 2008 to commemorate the election of the first African-American president of the United States.

Part I

Part 2

Thanks for watching! Please share this film with family, friends, and colleagues. An uninterrupted version of the film is available online at Vimeo.

As graduates this month of CMW's Fellowship Program, Rachel and Arlyn were asked to provide several memorable
moments or anecdotes that would shed light on their favorite experiences over
the past two years spent at Community MusicWorks. Their responses are
posted as a series on this blog throughout the month of June.

—-

On a school visit, there isn’t often the chance to get to know the school environment on more than a very basic level. Before the CMW Fellows’ two-day residency at the Meeting Street School began last year however, we had the chance to tour the school, meet some of the teachers, and sit in on music classes with students of differing ages and abilities. It was a great window into the many ways students, many of whom face severe disabilities, engage with music. We bounced ideas for our Animal Program off of the music teacher and librarian, and they collaborated with us to involve puppets and scarves into our interactive presentations.

This year, Arlyn and I returned with Adrienne and Jason and once again, we were able to work closely with Wendy, the school’s librarian. In one part of the program, we played a section of a string quartet by Borodin, and she began by asking students whether that sounded more like the Dragon puppet or the Little Girl puppet. With more music and puppets, we soon had an elaborate story about the dragon who scared the girl, who ran away, but then realized he wanted to be friends, so they danced away together on a boat! All thanks to Alexander Borodin, Wendy, and the students at the Meeting Street School.

-Rachel Panitch, Fellow (07-09)