Our students work on Beethoven 7

June 9th – Festival Concert

Please join on us!

When: Saturday, June 9th 2:00 pm

Where: Greater Exodus Baptist Church – 704 North Broad Street (free parking behind the church on Ridge Avenue)

The time has finally arrived, our year end concert! It is incredibly hard to believe that our students only started playing in October. You will be absolutely amazed by how they sound. We’ve spent a lot of time this year on cultivating community within our program, this concert will feature all ensemble playing. Our first and second graders will perform in a violin ensemble and our older students will perform in Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Brass Ensemble, and String Ensemble. We will be featuring performances by our faculty and choir in a full program 80 member collaboration! Come see the effect that a year of music and extremely hard work has had on this group of phenomenal children.

 From Our Student Gloria:

 ”Hello my name is Gloria and I play the cello and Tune Up Philly teaches us how to play instruments but this program also teaches us how to be respectful to one another and to ourselves and our teacher. It also teaches us how to be mature and set example for the young ones. This program is changing kids grades as well as mine because the way our teachers gets us to think about music we also think about our school work. Kids grades in the program are really improving, including mine. Also, because this program is opening so many doors and opportunities for me and the kids in this program. Most kids don’t get to do this! ” – Gloria (pictured below mentoring Alexis)

 

 

 

Our recent trip to The Kimmel Center

A group of our students visited The Kimmel Center last week to hear Joshua Bell rehearse with The Academy of St.Martin in the Feilds.

A look at El Sistema in Brazil

It’s been awhile since my last post, I apologize…but I was in Brazil. 

I was lucky enough to accompany a group of American teachers down to a program in Campos de Goytacazes (about 4 hours from Rio and a GIANT “thank you” to Dan Trahey of OrchKids for organizing this trip and letting me come along). Orquestrando a Vida was started 15 years ago, and today involves 1100 children. I was able to observe their program structure, five different orchestras, instrumental classes, and the most incredible peer to peer mentoring I have ever seen. We coached the students through their orchestra music, and put on a chamber music concert.

I taught the wind class for many hours each day and was blown away by the dedication of the teenage students. The principal oboe is one of the most talented young wind players I have heard in a long time, and not only does he not have a teacher, he teaches all the other oboe players. When I say I worked with them for hours, I mean hours, and they stayed on task the entire time with energy and focus I have not experienced in children before. It would only be a matter of hours for the lessons I was giving the older students to trickle down all the way to the beginners in the program.

It is an amazing thing they are doing in Campos, and beautiful to see the trajectory of all of the hard work we are engaging in at the bottom level right now. I am so moved by the love and dedication that the Brazilian students show to each other, and it is certainly something we will continue to aspire to here in Philadelphia. I feel like my whole perception of what is and what can be El Sistema has shifted, and I am reminded to work tirelessly on building community and that we must empower our students at every turn. Of course we cannot easily transfer the values of one culture onto another and some days seem harder than others, but as they say in Portuguese: Tocar e Lutar! To Play and To Struggle!

Orquestrando a Vida’s blog: http://academiadeorquestrasecoros.blogspot.com.br/2012/04/orquestrando-vida-recebe-musicista.html

We’re going to the Kimmel!

TUP Students were greeted to another packed house for their Spring concert. (video and pictures pending) As a result of their hard work and focus, they have been invited to perform on Easter Sunday April 8th at the Kimmel Center! This opportunity provided through the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra and Reverend Dr. Herbert H. Lusk, II, Pastor speaks volumes to the dedication and support of these two organizations. As our students have been so committed to their instrument, I have taken up a project to learn the basics of all of our instruments. As a Guitarist and piano noodler, I must say the string instruments are closest to home. The challenge of attempting brass instruments and woodwinds will allow me to share in their goals, and encourage creative approaches to learning.

I guess it’s time for a real violin lesson…

Student Spotlight: Tamir Mills

Tamir is in our third grade violin class. He is rapidly advancing on the violin, and always comes to class ready to participate and play! His violin teacher reports that he is making great progress and I can’t wait to hear him on the concert.

But more importantly than that, Tamir is one of our kindest students.

He always says hello to all the teachers, has a kind word for everyone, and is incredibly thoughtful towards his classmates. He is always enthusiastic. According to his grandmother he insisted on coming to Tune Up Philly on a day that he hadn’t come to school, he brought his music teachers valentines, and played with amazing gusto on a concert downtown with the Musicopia String Orchestra.  He is a joy to have in the program, and one of the best peer examples we have to show our other students!

 

Spring Concert – March 3rd

It’s hard to believe it, but our spring concert is right around the corner. The students will perform a selection of classical pieces, traditional folk songs, and arrangements of two classic gospel songs. They sound AMAZING!

Please join us!

March 3rd, 2PM

The Greater Exodus Baptist Church, 704 North Broad Street