Posts Tagged 'Music in Community'

SuperBrass!!!

Published May 1, 2013 General , Music in Community 2 Comments
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Hey brass players, if you haven’t heard of the SUPERBRASS you really should check this group out!

The SUPERBRASS is a collective of some of the finest and most experienced professional brass and percussion players working on the demanding and vibrant London music scene. Members of SUPERBRASS are drawn from the ranks of the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the John Wilson Orchestra and the BBC Big Band and many more top orchestras and ensembles. Additionally members of SUPERBRASS are highly regarded educators and professors of music at the top London Music Colleges.

Kickstarter projects for Continue reading ‘SuperBrass!!!’

From Trash to Treasure – Landfill Harmonic

Published April 24, 2013 General , Music in Community Leave a Comment
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Landfill Harmonic

Landfill Harmonic

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure“. It’s likely that you have heard, or even used this saying at some point. As easy as it is to use this phrase, seldom does it take on such a literal meaning like the story of the Recycled Orchestra. The orchestra is comprised of impoverished children from Cateura, Paraguay who have dedicated themselves to making music on instruments made out of only bits and pieces of trash. These instruments, gracefully constructed by director Favio Chavez and luthier Nicolas “Cola” Gomez, were made from objects found in the landfill close by. A film/documentary, Landfill Harmonic, will feature the orchestra.

Under the direction of Chavez, the orchestra has Continue reading ‘From Trash to Treasure – Landfill Harmonic’

Music in Community – Bea Ward

Published December 5, 2012 General , Music in Community 1 Comment
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Welcome back to our Music in Community series! For those of you who have just tuned in, this series focuses on the great things people are doing for their community through music. You can check out the other stories in the Music in Community series from teachers and musicians around the world here. Today we are featuring the Inwood Kids Community Orchestra (IKCO). The orchestra is based in New York and was started two years ago by Bea Ward. The ensemble provides playing opportunities for children in Manhattan.  Bea founded the orchestra to provide playing opportunities for her daughter and it has since successfully grown to include more children from the community. Many school and community groups require dues to be paid, making it difficult for some to join. The great thing about the IKCO is that they are FREE to join!   Bea’s story is quite similar to our first first Music in Community feature with Candace Love. You can read Bea’s story below:

My name is Bea Ward & I organized a free orchestra for kids in upper Manhattan. We are Inwood Kids Community Orchestra. I, personally can’t play any instruments or read music, but I am an incredible music appreciator & pretty good at organizing.

Inwood Kids Community Orchestra

Inwood Kids Community Orchestra

Continue reading ‘Music in Community – Bea Ward’

Music in Community – BandWorks!

Published October 12, 2012 Music in Community 5 Comments
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Have you ever wanted to play in a rock band? For some, the buzz of electric guitars, sonically sublime vocals, and the energetic roar of the crowd are enticing enough to want to give it a try. As you all know, not all of this is as easy as it seems. It takes some serious study time to get to the level of the greats like Queen and Led Zeppelin.  After hours of study and private lessons, you will still need to round up some like-minded individuals to perform with, not to mention booking venues. If this sounds like a lot of work, well… it is! Where do you begin?

BandWorks

Today’s Music in Community feature, BandWorks, has the solution. Bandworks, a company based out of the California East Bay, was co-founded by Steve Gibson and Jeremy Steinkoler with a mission to bring people of all levels together to play music.

I think the most compelling aspect of BandWorks is the community experience we offer for kids and adults.  We’re all looking to play music together, and BandWorks provides the supportive environment for it, and really builds community among musicians. – Jeremy Steinkoler

The program started as Continue reading ‘Music in Community – BandWorks!’

Music in Community – Voice Studio Sommer Garner

Published September 19, 2012 Music in Community 1 Comment
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Welcome back to the Music in Community Series! For those of you who just started following along, this series focuses on music teachers and groups  who are doing great things for their community.  If you haven’t already done so, please read our previous entries where we featured Candace Love, a music teacher who started a FREE music school, and the KICS and Appachianote Bands from Egypt and Italy.

Today we are featuring an outstanding voice teacher; Sommer Garner. Her wonderful group of students went above and beyond what was asked of them; putting forth a tremendous effort to help their community and those in need. Sommer and her students continue to strive for perfection as you will see in her story below.

Sommer and Student

Sommer Garner with a student 

I am always looking for new opportunities to give my students a chance to perform in public. I believe that the more they get out there in front of people, and the more they can experience different venues and audiences, the more comfortable they will become in their performances, and the more they will grow as artists. As they are doing this, they are also learning how much they have to give by sharing their talents, and how much of an impact they can make by doing so. Continue reading ‘Music in Community – Voice Studio Sommer Garner’

Music in Community – Band Feature

Published August 31, 2012 Music in Community 6 Comments
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Welcome back to the Music in Community series! Today we are excited to take you on a trip to Egypt and Italy!

Despite political unrest in Egypt, the Silver Khartoum International Community School Band (KICS) joined the music students of the New Cairo British International School to perform in the Nile River Music Festival. The combined bands from KICS and NCBIS played four concerts in Cairo: one at the Cairo Opera House, another at El Sawy Culture Wheel, one at Helwan University’s Faculty of Music in Zamalek; and finally, one at New Cairo British International School for the general public, parents, fellow students and faculty.

KICSB and NCBIS Bands

Here is what Robert had to say about the festival and the band’s experiences in Egypt:

The Nile River Music Festival that occurred in Cairo, Egypt March 29 -April 2, 2012 was a festival of Music combined with great Continue reading ‘Music in Community – Band Feature’

Music in Community – Candace Love

Published August 10, 2012 Music in Community 3 Comments
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By Brendan Lai-Tong

Sheet Music Plus is excited to showcase the first entry in our new and recurring blog series, Music in Community! Through this series we will highlight ways that you, our Sheet Music Plus customers, have positively influenced your communities through music.

Our first story comes from Candace Love as she speaks to the challenges and rewards of starting up and successfully running a free music school. Yes, you read that correctly, FREE: Continue reading ‘Music in Community – Candace Love’

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