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

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. 

Youth Salon pics

1. Raising awareness about Global Climate Change
2. Warming up backstage
3. Warming up 2
4. "Blues with Tricks" (inspired by Kyle's workshop)
5. "Song of the Wind (Power)"
6. Karl documenting "Trash Talk and CMW Rhyme"
7. Paul leading "Trash Talk"
8. Natasha practicing

Imaging Art + Social Change (reactions)

Conference attendees (and anyone else, for that matter), please feel free to post a comment or share a reaction on the topic of imagining art and social change.

Josh and Luis promote the Youth Salon

Click here to see Josh and Luis promote the Youth Salon on YouTube.

Conference video

Soon we'll have plenty of audio and visual treats to share from last weekend's Imagining Art + Social Change conference, but for now, here is an 8-minute video recap that was (incredibly) edited in time to be viewed at Saturday's closing session!