THE FILOMEN M. D'AGOSTINO GREENBERG MUSIC SCHOOL NEWSLETTER

End of Year Recitals: 

Adults and CMPYP

Our youth and adults shone brightly in end of year recitals. What we have learned is there always needs to be a designated person to record these events. Sound quality or video angles from mobile phones don’t always capture the performances appropriately! Going forward we will correct this by hiring a professional or having an avid volunteer videographer to assist! Please enjoy the link of our highlights video.

Tap Dance Showcase

In January 2022, we began a terrific partnership with 92NY Harkness Dance Center. Following on the heels of virtual classes in dance appreciation-movement, FMDG Music School executive staff noted a keen interest in a stronger participation in the world of dance. Through the direction of Allison Manning, Director, School of Dance at the 92NY Harkness Dance Center, The Fil implemented two levels of tap dance to begin—youngsters and teens. Max Pollak, tap dance/body percussionist/musician extraordinaire, led these classes to a joyous conclusion at the May showcase. Our students were fabulous! We will be introducing tap dance to adults in the fall.

National Anthem in Central Park

Thank you to Francesco Magisano, one of our graduates who still sings with the adult vocal ensemble, for leveraging his position as Director, NYC Metro Region & Tri Achilles, with Achilles International, by inviting a CMPYP trio to sing the national anthem at the start of the Achilles International Hope & Possibility 4M Race, June 26, 2022. His comment was that he was “fulfilling a dream of partnering two of his favorite organizations for the betterment of individuals everywhere with vision loss.” Alto Maya Graves assisted her peers, Iolanta Mamatkazina, soprano, and Vinnie Wang, second soprano, by recording each part separately, syncing together all the parts, and transmitting them electronically so the trio could practice after FMDG Music School closed between spring and summer semesters! We sent this link to everyone but here is a repeat in case you missed it the first time!

We are thrilled to reveal our new website to everyone! After a six-month period of intense work, we propelled a soft launch on July 13^th and are now tweaking and fine-tuning alt-text and other aspects to ready for a hard launch after Labor Day. With so much happening at The Fil, we knew that it was time to tout our accomplishments to the world. Many of you may recall, the need to scramble in November 2018 to design a logo and build a website in quick succession so that we could begin our independence with a new look, new feel, and rebirth. We succeeded and we owe deep gratitude to Amanda Wheeler and Chris Kuo for making that happen. We have now passed a milestone and are moving forward with panache! 

CTA Foundation Special Grant

A shout-out to CTA Foundation (Consumer Technology Association), an organization that has spent a decade leveraging technology to enable people of all ages and abilities to live, work, and play in a connected and independent manner.  As part of their tenth anniversary celebration, we were invited as one of ten past grantees to submit a video and summary of our work. Based on donor votes, the top nonprofit would receive a $10,000 grant and the other nine would receive $1000 each. I am honored to announce that FMDG Music School won the $10,000 award, which was unveiled at a virtual celebration on July 14.

Hao Wen Deng won first place in the Freshman Division of the 2022 National Braille Challenge which took place in Los Angeles. He also received the special award for Excellence in Spelling. We know his braille reading skills will help him read the complex music scores he is studying. 

Our plans of expansion, starting fall semester 2023, include bringing tap dance to our adult population. One solution of encouraging adult students to return to in-person learning is the offering of a new Friday afternoon package of classes in addition to individual lessons (similar to CMPYP). We plan to offer: Tap Dance; Drum Circle and Latin ensemble; Voice Lab; group ukulele instruction; and a music appreciation class. Students love the challenge of group learning, social interaction, and performing together. Currently we have a twenty-five-member vocal ensemble and two pop/rock/jazz groups.