Transforming lives one day at a time :: The online journal of Community MusicWorks

Math and Social Justice?

Turns out it's not just the string quartets of the world that are committed to social justice...



From the RadicalMath.org website: We encourage our students to ask the question: "What are the problems that my community is facing, and how can I use math to understand and help solve them?"

How cool is that?

Regent Avenue event photos

1. Elmar Oliveira and Robert Koenig in rehearsal
2. pre-concert reception in Irene Lawrence's studio
3. Elmar, after his second encore
4. Elmar with Tucker, Andrew, and Karl (the three local violin makers who collaborated to create and donate CMW's Tenth Year Violin)
5. "Dinner on the Decks"
6. Todd Carranza's kitchen by 9 pm
7. Thank you Jephry Floral!

Free For All Saturday

On Saturday, Fellows Arlyn, Rachel, and Laura dazzled dozens of young'uns and old'uns alike at RISD Museum's Free For All Saturday, with a show about animals on the Museum's day celebrating...

Rachel: the planet Mars, right?
Spontaneous chorus of youth: NO, EARTH!

The performances ranged from a fiddle tune about jumping sheep that had us jumping out of our seats, to a piece about a famous "Swan" played on the cello by Laura, to a Mancini tune (think, composer of the Pink Panther tune) of the Baby Elephant Walk (see video below), to a new arrangement by Arlyn, of Alan Ridout's "Ferdinand the Bull" piece, originally composed for solo violin. In this theatrical version, Ferdinand, played by Laura, couldn't get enough of those springtime tulips.

-Sebastian Ruth, Providence String Quartet

College Visions

CMW has three high school seniors who are participating in College Visions this year. CV is a fantastic program created by West End neighbor Simon Moore that "provides low-income and first-generation college-bound youth in Rhode Island with the individualized advising and resources needed to enroll in college."

Now that they have put up a website, it's an opportunity to share their information with you. Keep up the great work!

Blues with Tricks video

Kudos from a former CMW parent:

You all make me feel so humble when I am at an event.

This Youth Salon was AWESOME.

My students were in awe over the audience, the spirit of community in the place that they were to perform, and just the energy.

It made me so proud.

Carol Rodland Recital

On Monday evening, while CMW staff and students enjoyed a well-deserved vacation week following Friday's Youth Salon, violist Carol Rodland and pianist Priya Mayadas performed a recital in Cambridge, MA to benefit Community MusicWorks. What a great performance it was! You can catch Carol and Priya in action at New England Conservatory's Jordan Hall this Sunday evening, performing the full program.

From an audience member:

I very much enjoyed the concert on Monday evening; I was somewhat fatigued and lacking in enthusiasm following a strenuous week and that concert, the enthusiastic and excellent performers brought me back to an appreciation of this season and life and the arts. I thought that the pianist was particularly outstanding - her enthusiasm - her ability to work with the violist and her dedication were all evident and transmitted to me and I think to the audience and to the other performers. I had never heard solo viola, much less four violas together. Carol Rodland played beautifully and, like her accompanist, conveyed her enthusiasm to me and others. She will be missed here when goes to Rochester. I hope you will tell the musicians - including the other three violists, how much I enjoyed the concert - that it restored the spirits of an old man.