North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
Teens in Tune in NYC
Getting kids to practice their instrument, whether violin or voice, can be challenging, but when they are part of a music ensemble, they often feel more motivated to practice. If your teen or tween is at a middle or high school without the right musical group, we've found music opportunities that will make all those private lessons pay off. Many music schools offer teen ensembles, but we've found a cool one that perfoms contemporary chamber music and two others that offer free musical fun. Read on to find out more about our cool music picks for your tween or teen.
OUR LATEST VIDEOS
New Music
Kaufman Center
129 West 67th St
Manhattan
For teens who are too cool for classical music, The Kaufman Center’s Face the Music ensemble offers an interesting alternative. The teen new music ensemble, the only contemporary chamber orchestra for teens and pre-teens in the United States, performs works by new music composers.
The group, open to players at an intermediate playing level (or higher) who can read music, currently has 40 musicians in 6th through 12th grade. Many of the musicians are students and alumni of the Special Music School, Kaufman Center’s K-8 public school for musically gifted children, and the Kaufman Center’s Lucy Moses School. High school students from other schools in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens fill out the remainder.
The musicians play a mix of classical and rock instruments: strings, winds, brass, percussion, and electric guitar, electric bass and drums. They spend about two hours per week in rehearsal. Performances have included National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” Merkin Concert Hall, Le Poisson Rouge, WQXR/WNYC’s The Greene Space, Queens Museum of Art, El Museo del Barrio and BAMCafé.
To schedule an audition for the 2011-12 academic year, contact Jenny Undercofler, Face the Music’s director, at 212-501-3393 or jundercofler@kaufman-center.org.
Classic Sound
InterSchool Orchestras of New York
1556 Third Ave, Suite 601
Manhattan
The InterSchool Orchestras of New York (ISO) has seven ensembles: a symphonic band plus six orchestras. Six ensembles charge a sliding scale tuition. But the top orchestra, ISO Symphony, is free. The Symphony, open to highly advanced musicians, is composed mostly of high school students, though some very advanced middle school musicians have made the cut.
The ISO Symphony rehearses for two hours a week in the Julia Richmond school. The fifty-one Symphony members are also trained in teaching music, and offer free lessons to younger kids.
ISO Symphony students are coached by members of the New York Philharmonic and the London Symphony and they perform at Avery Fisher Hall and Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center and Symphony Space.
ISO holds a Symphony Concerto Competition for members each winter: the winner performs as soloist with the Symphony at the annual spring concert.
Auditions for all ensembles are held annually in June, September and January. Students must play a classical piece of their choosing.
Free Voice
Trinity Church
Broadway at Wall Street
Manhattan
Trinity Church Choir has a Youth Chorus for ages 5-18, with tween and teen Senior Choristers, ages 11-18. The free program, open to anyone in the New York metropolitan area, teaches sight singing, music theory, and history. Performance opportunities include two annual concerts, occasional Sunday services, and special events throughout the city. Though the choir is run out of the church, it is not a religious program and kids are welcome from any or no faith tradition.
The 35 member chorus, which includes students from nearby Stuyvesant High School and Millennium High School, was featured in the film Doubt. They sing everything from sacred choral music to the latest hits from Glee. Their recent repertoire includes Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and Don't Stop Believing. Kids meet after school for rehearsals and instruction once a week in small groups.
Admission is by audition, with no preparation required. No prior musical training is required, either. According to its literature, “We’re looking for mature students with an interest in singing and the commitment to attend weekly rehearsals. The choirmaster will evaluate each student’s conduct, singing ability, and reading skills.”
For more information or to make an appointment for an audition, call 212-602-9633 or email choristers@trinitywallstreet.org.
And to see some talented student musicians, check out the Third Street's String 'Stravaganza with special guest Mark O'Connor, Saturday, February 5th, 10am at St. Mark's Church-in-the-Bowery (10th St & 2nd Ave). One hundred and fifty string students will wow you.
And for the younger set, check out 6 Places to Hear Classical Music with Your Kids in New York City this Winter.
Photo: Face the Music Ensemble. Credit: bwangphoto.com
