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Education
Since 2006, Metropolis has encouraged creativity and self-expression through teaching composition to NYC students in our education program, Youth Works.
How do you launch a new ensemble that makes an impact? What does it take to produce innovative concert experiences that garners praise and attention? Join conductor and founder Andrew Cyr, composer Ryan Francis, and harpist Bridget Kibbey to hear the story of Metropolis Ensemble in the “Setting the Stage” workshop series from Manhattan School of Music’s Center for Music Entrepreneurship. Two identical workshops will be held with Andrew, Ryan, and Bridget. All MSM students and alumni are welcome.
Wednesday, February 9 (1-3pm) Miller Recital Hall - 601 West 122nd Street Friday, February 11 (11-1pm) Mikosky Recital Hall - 601 West 122nd Street
“Setting the Stage” is one of CME’s programs that invites an exciting array of presenters from the music industry to lead single-session workshops on topics including new media, the art of fundraising, launching a concert series, producing recordings, and creating press kits. Each of the Center’s programs give young musicians real-world experience and guidance with the fundamental tools they need for a career in music today.
Eleven-year-old Zachary Detrick might barely stand as tall as a cello, but his imagination soars as high as a New York City skyscraper.
“Zachary and I have been working together for about two months now, and I’m constantly surprised by his imagination and facility.”
With the start of the new year, we want to pause a moment to reflect on the four years since Metropolis Ensemble’s founding in 2006.
Metropolis Ensemble welcomes its 2009-10 Youth Works fellow, Brad Balliett. Over the next year, Brad will work with elementary students at PS11 in Manhattan to teach them about composition and music appreciation… which culminates in a concert featuring the students’ work. Brad is an accomplished composer, avid bassonnist, and active teaching artist. In addition to his work at PS11, he is part of Carnegie Hall’s The Academy, in residency at PS315 in Brooklyn.
Youth Works is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the van Otterloo Foundation.
Metropolis Ensemble welcomes its 2008-09 Youth Works composer, Ray Lustig. Over the next year, Ray will work with elementary students at PS11 in Manhattan to teach them about composition and music appreciation… which culminates in a concert featuring the students’ work. Ray is a doctoral student at Julliard; his orchestral composition Unstuck won last year’s prestigious Rudolf Nissim Prize from the ASCAP Foundation. Here are a few samples of his recent work:
Youth Works is made possible thanks to a generous grant from the van Otterloo Foundation.
During the second semester of Youth Works, Metropolis Ensemble’s 40-week education program teaching music composition and creativity to 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders at PS 11 School, Cristina Spinei has been concentrating our weekly lessons on rhythm. After learning about different rhythms and making our own percussion instruments, she thought it would be fun for the class to have a recording session.
Students performed rhythms that they composed and notated on instruments which they built themselves the week before. They constructed drums, shakers, and mallets out of everyday objects to better understand the various performance possibilities with percussion. One student even turned an ordinary drum into a maraca and added rubber bands to make it a “guitar.” Everyone loved hearing their own music and performance on CD. At the end of the percussion solos, you will hear excerpts of The Sound Recyclers performing at their first “recording session.”
Stay tuned for news about our year-end concert project this June at Youth Works, where Cristina will create an arrangement of the students’ compositions to be premiered in a concert by the Metropolis Ensemble and offered to the entire PS 11 school community.
The Metropolis Ensemble would like to thank the van Otterloo Foundation for generously supporting our education initiatives, Youth Works and Wet Ink.
To say that Cristina Spinei’s experience teaching for Metropolis Ensemble’s Youth Works has been successful would be an understatement. Now halfway through this year’s program at Public School 11 in Manhattan, Cristina wrote a report to capture some of the amazing progress her students are making.
Teaching at P.S. 11 for one semester has been exciting, challenging, and extremely rewarding. My students are imaginative and open to learning about music that they have had little exposure to. On the first day of class, I asked everyone to name a few composers. The responses I got were “Britney Spears, Jay-Z, Jennifer Lopez, 50 Cent, and Mozart.” There was a lot of concern among the students that the music we were learning about would be written by “old dead guys” and would sound “old-fashioned.” After the first month of lessons, the students were able to identify the music of Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Mozart, Vivaldi, and Wynton Marsalis.
From Brazilian percussion to Disney’s Fantasia, Cristina has found some inventive and exciting ways to bring music and those “old dead guys” to life! At the end of the school year, Metropolis Ensemble will present a concert showcasing the students’ work with Cristina.
Metropolis Ensemble welcomes its 2007-08 Youth Works composer, Cristina Spinei. A Julliard masters student, Cristina will guide students at Manhattan’s PS11 in our exciting composition class, culminating in a concert that showcases the students’ work. Meet Cristina…