The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg (FMDG) Music School (The Fil) lives its mission daily: to empower individuals of all ages to pursue their interest, and study of music, while addressing the challenges posed by vision loss. | |
In the cold month of December, FMDG Music School students warmed the hearts of New Yorkers! The adult chorus continued its longstanding caroling tradition at The Met Cloisters and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Over 500 people enjoyed a wide variety of holidays songs by our energetic adult chorus, accompanied by our talented faculty on keyboard, saxophone and concertina! | |
The dark days of the year end were dispelled by the glowing performances during the children and adult winter recitals. The recitals showcased all of our students: voice, piano, percussion, flute, sax, trumpet, violin, and guitar. The recitals also served as auditions for The Fil at the Met concert. More on that below!
| |
The energy of a new year inspired two of our young adult students to participate in the Center of West Park (NYC) Inclusion Concert in January. Maya Graves (voice) and Logan Riman (piano) presented stellar performances and made us proud!
| January ushered in a new semester filled with lots of individual lessons as well as drum circles, theory, braille music, and composition classes, tap dance, voice labs, and a Latin ensemble. The Comprehensive Music Program for Young People (CMPYP) has already experienced two high-energy enrichment sessions: | |
Jazz pianist and FMDG alumnus Matthew Whitaker performed and spoke with students about his life as a professional artist, and answered questions about music technology, his process as a composer and arranger, how he practices various instruments daily, and more! | |  |
|
A trio of trumpets called "Something, Something, Trumpet" entranced, entertained, and shocked our students with the music that can be produced with trumpets!
Everyone had an opportunity to be part of the process of creating new music for trumpets.
| | |
|
AND, during these long winter months, The Fil is offering a ten-week online class to inspire our students about the theme of The Fil at the Met concert, "Celebrating Influential Women in the Arts". Each hour-long class is taught by a different faculty member or guest and focuses on diverse musicians and composers from Broadway composer Jeanine Tesori to bassist, singer, and songwriter Esperanza Spalding.
| |
Nineteenth Annual Performathon | |
|
You've heard of walkathons and readathons, but have you ever heard of a performathon?!
For the 19th year, students of The Fil will sing and play their instruments, and seek out supporters to sponsor their performances - that's a performathon!
Get ready to sponsor your favorite musicians in this annual
all-school, student-driven fundraising event on
Saturday, March 15 from 1:00 - 4:00 PM
at the 92nd Street Y in NYC.
The goal is to raise $20,000!
Join in the fun!
To attend in person RSVP to music@fmdgmusicschool.org,
or watch the event live on the FMDG Music School’s YouTube channel.
| |
|
The excitement is building for the annual 'Fil at The Met' concert!
Students and faculty are eagerly preparing for the signature concert of the year which will be held on Saturday, April 26 at 6:00 PM in the Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC.
Each year a theme is chosen for the concert, and students, faculty and staff collaborate to choose music and artwork based on the theme. This year's theme is "Celebrating Influential Women in the Arts". We're excited about the pairing of the music with artwork from the Met's collection which is made accessible through verbal descriptions and closed captioning
Mark your calendars! This event is free with museum admission and will be live streamed on The Met's YouTube Channel.
| |
|
The Fil is lucky to attract world-class musicians to it's faculty! Among our faculty are musicians trained at prestigious music programs and conservatories, who perform regularly in NYC and worldwide, and boast multiple recordings of their work. They could be teaching anywhere they choose, and they choose to be at FMDG!
Read about our faculty members here, and check out the websites of just a small sample of our very talented faculty:
| |
Building on a Solid Foundation | |
|
The FMDG Music School is proud to have a solid financial base, thanks to a generous endowment, cash reserves, and the enormous work of Executive Director Leslie Jones to secure funding through grants and donations. We're proud to announce that at the end of 2024 FMDG Music School was awarded its largest ever grants from the New York State Council on the Arts and The Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation.
Ongoing financial support is critical to continuing our mission, and providing music education at an affordable cost. We invite you to visit the "Donate" page of our website to learn about the many ways to support FMDG Music School.
What is one of the most helpful ways of supporting The Fil? Make a recurring gift! It's easy to set up a recurring donation and it helps us budget more accurately. Simply click on the button below and choose the frequency of your gift.
| By making a recurring donation you will build upon a solid foundation to ensure that FMDG Music School can continue to foster music education, access, and inclusion for people of all ages with vision loss. Thank YOU! | |
|
Did you know that a minority of people with disabilities in the United States are employed, but that the majority of the graduates of our youth program are employed or enrolled in schools of higher education?
It's no coincidence! Music education provides everyone with transferrable skills and work habits to form productive, thoughtful and engaged citizens.
| |
|
We sincerely appreciate your support and friendship -
Thank you for being a Friend of the Fil!
Visit our website at fmdgmusicschool.org
| | | | |
