Parking Protocol for CYM Wexford Families

Parking protocol for Wexford School Families

The Wexford parking lot can seem like a mind-teasing puzzle on a busy day, but we have a solution: CYM’s handy-dandy parking protocol! Please follow it to maximize the number of vehicles that will fit. Please do not park in the entrace and exit driveways!

Parking Protocol

Please choose the space that is closest to Route 19 and back into your spot!

Keep the kiddos safe!

Please remember to back into your space. There are often young students exiting or walking across the lot, and back-in-parking makes it much easier to see them.

THANK YOU!

 

 

Carnegie Science Center- Guitar: The Instrument that Rocked the World

Catch it while you can!

 

 

Anyone who studies music of any kind can enjoy  “GUITAR: The Instrument That Rocked The World”, a traveling exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center of Pittsburgh. It wraps up Sunday Sept. 30, so time is running short. This is an all-ages exhibit, with a giant guitar for tots to pluck on, tech-y demonstrations of how a guitar works and explanation of the evolution of the modern instrument. There are a few more live performances, as well.

 

Here’s the link: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/exhibits/guitar/

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Tanya Satteson

Tanya Satteson

Who’s Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Tanya Satteson

 

A new school year will mean fresh faces at the Center for Young Musicians! We are excited to announce that new teachers for piano, cello and guitar will be joining the CYM family, bringing unique experiences and solid training in music education. And as always, we happily look forward to greeting new students and their families.

To help everyone get to know each other a little better, we’ll be posting short bios on all the CYM teachers and staff. Three cheers for Tanya Satteson, a Violin Teacher at CYM since 2007.

 

Tanya Satteson is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music where she earned her Master's Degree in Violin Performance, and was awarded the Dean's Award for Academic Achievement. Tanya completed her post-secondary studies with Scott St. John, Gwen Hoebig, and Paul Kantor. She completed her Suzuki pedagogical training with Kimberly Meier-Sims, director of the Sato Center for Suzuki Studies at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Tanya attended numerous summer festivals including the Banff Centre for the Arts and the Music Bridge Program where she worked with many distinguished teachers.

 

Tanya worked as a full- and part-time member of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra for four seasons, and was a member of the Cleveland Pops Orchestra for two seasons. She has appeared as soloist with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, University of Manitoba Symphony Orchestra, and the National Repertory Orchestra.  Tanya has won the Women's Musical Club Competition of Winnipeg, the University of Manitoba Concerto Competition, the Lawrence Genser  Performance Competition, and the Young Artists Performance Competition. She has been awarded a first place standing and scholarship at the National Finals of the Canadian Music Competition three times.

 

In 2006, she was appointed assistant concertmaster of the National Repertory Orchestra and was also awarded a generous grant from the Canada Arts Council.  In 2008 she performed with the Winnipeg Chamber Music Society. She served as a clinician for the Academy of Strings spring workshop in Tennessee in 2008 and 2009. In the fall of 2008, Tanya joined the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra on their North American tour. The group performed at six locations including Vancouver’s Orpheum Theater and Toronto’s Roy Thomson Hall.

 

In 2010, Tanya returned to her hometown of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada to serve as a clinician at the University of Manitoba’s Preparatory Studies Division Suzuki workshop.  Tanya has enjoyed working as an early childhood music and violin faculty member at the Center for Young Musicians since 2007.  She and her husband Jason reside in Cranberry Township, and are expecting their first child this fall.

 

This year, Ms. Tanya is taking a break from her many years leading Toddlers, Twinklers, Literacy and other group classes to focus on bringing her own young musician into the world. She will continue to teach a busy load of private technique classes to violin students.

 

 

Q & A with CYM

CYM: Favorite piece of music to play and/or favorite composer?
Ms. Tanya: The unaccompanied Bach Violin Sonatas and Partitas.

CYM:  Do you play other instruments other than the instrument you teach/study?
Ms. Tanya: A little piano. I also played marimba, timpani, and snare drum in band at school. We had a great teacher, and a really good percussion ensemble that actually competed and stuff, and i had a lot of fun with it. I can actually also play a basic rock beat on the drum set which i learned while playing "hit me with your best shot" with our Grade 8 band -- haha.
I learned it on an assortment of kitchen pots and pans, set up in drum set formation in my parent's kitchen (much to my mom's chagrin).

CYM: When/where/how do you listen to music for fun?

Ms. Tanya: I honestly don't listen to music much. I think i am over-saturated after a day of practicing, singing, listening, and teaching, and I actually often even drive home in silence. I listen to my current repertoire on my iPod while i run or walk sometimes. I do like listening to the radio in the car some days...and I might occasionally be caught singing along. Never at red lights, though :).

CYM: If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be (and what would you eat)?
Ms. Tanya: Well, I'm not really into famous people much. I would honestly probably cash in my ticket to have lunch with my best friend from Canada. We would have a picnic together, and I'd probably make some kind of allergen-free concoction that I could eat, and fruit salad for dessert.

CYM: Favorite childhood book?
Ms. Tanya: I loved Harriet the Spy as a kid. I even spent part of second grade walking around with a little red notebook trying to be just like her. And I went through a phase with Nancy Drew.

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Ashley Buckley

Ashley Buckley

Who’s Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Ashley Buckley

A new school year will mean new faces at the Center for Young Musicians! We are excited to announce that new teachers for piano, cello and guitar will be joining the CYM family, bringing unique experiences and solid training in music education. And as always, we happily look forward to greeting new students and their families.

To help everyone get to know each other a little better, we’ll be posting short bios on all the CYM teachers and staff. Read on to get cozy with Ashley Buckley, a Violin Teacher at CYM since 2011.

Ashley Buckley, violinist, earned her Bachelors of Music degree with distinguished honors at the Cleveland Institute of Music, and her Masters of Music degree at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music. During her studies at Carnegie Mellon, she was a member of the Dorothy J. Starling Foundation String Quartet, which was featured in performances at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (Washington) and Severance Hall (Cleveland). As a member of the Parnassus String Quartet, she was featured in performances in the Grand County Concert Series in Fraser, Colorado. Ms. Buckley has studied chamber music with members of the Cleveland Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Alexander String Quartet and Cavani String Quartet.

 

Currently, Ms. Buckley resides in Pittsburgh and is an active performer and teacher in the area. Ms. Buckley is a founding member of the Freya String Quartet, artists of Symbiotic Collusion. The Freya String Quartet actively performs, collaborates with other artists, gives masterclasses, and does educational outreach all throughout the tri-state area. Ms. Buckley is also a founding member of Pittsburgh’s Living Room Chamber Music Project, a local group of musicians dedicated to bringing chamber music back to its place of original intent; the living room! Additional recent performance engagements of Ms. Buckley’s include those with the Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra and the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. Ms. Buckley has performed live shows with popular artists Josh Groban, Barry Manilow, and the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She has recorded with local artists Ben Hardt, Joy Ike, Isaac Merz, and Tim Ruff. A strong proponent of music as a means for cross-cultural dialogue, Ms. Buckley has worked with Global Volunteers and Cultures in Harmony on projects in Ghana and Turkey.

 

Ms. Buckley is registered through Violin Book 2 with the Suzuki Association of the Americas.

 

 

At CYM this year, Ms. Ashley teaches private violin lessons, Literacy, Classical and Legends group classes, and Early Childhood Music classes.

 

Q & A with CYM:

 

CYM: Favorite piece of music to play and/or favorite composer?

Ms. Ashley: My favorite composer is Brahms! I love playing all four of his symphonies, especially the 1^st and 2^nd. I also love to play his violin sonatas. My favorite is Sonata No 1 in G major. Secretly I wish I played the cello, so I could play one of my all-time favorite pieces; Brahms’ Sonata No. 2 in F major for cello and piano!

 

CYM: Do you play other instruments other than the instrument you teach/study?

Ms. Ashley: I do not officially play any instruments aside from what I teach, but I do have a habit of collecting instruments, and I have lofty goals for my musical future! I’ve collected a few native drums from places I’ve traveled, and I also recently acquired a mandolin. While I love playing the violin, I also have dreams of being a cellist some day! Did I mention the cello is my favorite instrument?

 

CYM: When/where/how do you listen to music for fun?

Ms. Ashley: I am constantly on the go for teaching and performing, so I most frequently listen to music in my car! I usually sing along, whether or not there are words. My current playlist includes the Beethoven String Quartets (I am a huge fan of the Takacs Quartet!), Natalie Cole, Jeff Buckley (no relation!), Jake Shimabukuru, Madeleine Peyroux, Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, and Rusted Root.

 

CYM: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Ms. Ashley: I LOOOVVVE folk music, and did a fair amount of Irish fiddling and Irish dancing when I was younger, winning medals in both. I won USA’s National Fleadh and was a National Irish Fiddling champion (junior division) when I was ten. As a result, I got to go to Ireland to compete. I was no match for the native Irish fiddlers, but I had a great time traveling to Ireland! Fiddling didn’t turn out to be my forte, but I still love all kinds of folk music. My older brother is a professional, touring Irish fiddler, so now I live vicariously through him!

 

CYM: What has music given you?

Ms. Ashley: Music has been one of the most important things in my life. I have been surrounded by music since I was a baby, being the youngest of three. My older brother and sister were Suzuki students before I was born, so music has been in my life from the very very beginning. Needless to say, I would attribute most of my favorite things in life to music. Not just classical music, but all styles. Of course, I love playing music, and I love listening to music. My violin has developed into my second voice, and sometimes feels like my first! In addition to that, though, my involvement with music as a young child introduced me to people and places that I would not have been exposed to otherwise. My violin has given me the opportunity to travel worldwide (Ireland, Poland, Hungary, Austria, Ghana, Turkey, and more). It has allowed me to share a common language with people I have met that I could not otherwise speak to, whether when I was young, attending music camps with German, Japanese, or Russian students with little English, or whether I was in Turkey performing concerts with musicians that did not speak English at all. To me, music is beauty, expression and communication, but also so much more. My closest friendships have budded through my involvement in music. I have met and gotten to know people with vastly different life experiences, which has helped me grow as a person. I have gotten to see parts of the world I would not have traveled to if not for my violin. Now, in my every day life, I get to make music with my closest friends on a daily basis. I get to communicate and interact with children and young adults through this medium that I love. Music continues to be the driving force in my life, and I love that I get to share it with the people around me every single day.

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Kim Capozzi

Kim Capozzi

Who’s Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Kim Capozzi

 

A new school year will mean fresh faces at the Center for Young Musicians! We are excited to announce that new teachers for piano, cello and guitar will be joining the CYM family, bringing unique experiences and solid training in music education. And as always, we happily look forward to greeting new students and their families.

To help everyone get to know each other a little better, we’ll be posting short bios on all the CYM teachers and staff. Last but not least is Kim Capozzi, who has been around CYM as a parent for a while and joined the admissions staff earlier this year.

Kim Capozzi grew up in the Pittsburgh area and graduated from Penn State University with a journalism degree. After working as a news reporter for a daily newspaper in Pittsburgh and military affairs publications in Washington, D.C., she began a career as a freelance writer and editor. She occasionally contributes to parenting magazines and websites.

Kim is married to Chris and mom to Ben and Matthew, both students at CYM. They reside in Cranberry Township.

Ms. Kim started at CYM in February 2012 and is delighted to be putting her writing and communications skills to work supporting this special school. Her contributions include assisting in public relations projects, writing TakeNote blog entries and selecting seasonal plotted plants for outside the Wexford school. Ask her anything, and if she can’t help you, she’ll find someone who can.

 

Q&A with CYM

 

CYM: If you could have lunch with anyone, who would it be (and what would you eat)?  

Ms. Kim: Amy Sherman-Palladino (creator of “Gilmore Girls” and “Bunheads”, two of the best shows ever on TV) and we would have strong coffee and cookies.

 

CYM: What is your favorite childhood book?

Ms. Kim: Any of the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

 

CYM: What is the most memorable music performance that you saw/heard?  

Ms. Kim: Jazz vocalist Julie Dexter at Blues Alley in Georgetown, Washington, D.C., on a date with my husband. It was like she was singing directly to us!

 

CYM: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Ms. Kim: I have driven a U.S. Army main battle tank and other armored military vehicles, shot the gun of one, and taken rides several times in military helicopters.

 

CYM: What has music given you?    

Ms. Kim: As a mom to two music students, music has given me something extraordinary to share with my kids. I’m not a musician, so it’s neutral territory for us that we all approach with equal amounts of curiosity. Many times, my children are teaching me!

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Mark Marston

Mark Marston
 

Who’s Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Mark Marston

A new school year will mean new faces at the Center for Young Musicians! We are excited to announce that new teachers for piano, cello and guitar will be joining the CYM family, bringing unique experiences and solid training in music education. And as always, we happily look forward to greeting new students and their families.

To help everyone get to know each other a little better, we’ll be posting short bios on all the CYM teachers and staff.   Mark Marston, one of CYM’s longest running faculty members, first began teaching at the school after its opening in the mid-90s then returned in April 2003.

Guitarist Mark Marston received his Master’s and Bachelor of Music degrees from Duquesne University, where he studied classical guitar with Thomas Kikta and Dr. Aaron Shearer. While studying at Duquesne, Mark was the graduate assistant for both the Guitar and Music Technology Departments. He has received Suzuki teacher training though book 9 from Frank Longay, William Kossler, and David Madsen.

 

Prior to teaching at CYM, he had directed the Suzuki guitar and parent education programs at Sherwood Conservatory of Music in Chicago, and was part of the international team that prepared the music for books 5-9 in the Suzuki Guitar School for Warner Brothers. His articles have been published in Chicago Guitar and The American Suzuki Journal. Mark has served on the board of directors for guitar societies in Chicago and Pittsburgh.

 

While at Duquesne, Mark also studied sacred music and works regularly as a church musician at several parishes in the Pittsburgh area. He also performs programs specializing in sacred music, including many of his own arrangements. In recent years, Mark has performed and taught workshops in Arkansas, California, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, West Virginia and Texas. He has been on the faculty of the Greater Pittsburgh Suzuki Institute for the past nine years. He has performed with the Pittsburgh Opera orchestra, Prime Stage Theatre, and regularly performs in the Pittsburgh area as a soloist and in a variety of chamber music groups.

 

This year at CYM, Mr. Mark teaches Guitar Group and private guitar lessons.

 

Q&A with CYM

 

CYM: Favorite piece of music to play and/or favorite composer?

Mr. Mark: Current favorite would be John Dowland, and his Fantasia from the Varietie of Lute Lessons.

 

CYM: Do you play other instruments other than the instrument you teach?

Mr. Mark: I play piano, electric guitar, bass, and lute (none as well as I play classical guitar).

 

CYM: Where and how do you listen to music for fun?

Mr. Mark: Usually on my SACD/DVD-Audio player that I have set up next to my exercise bike.

 

CYM: Most memorable music performance?

Mr. Mark: Paul McCartney's concert, the first event ever at Consol Energy Center.

 

CYM: Where do you live, and with whom do you share your home?

Mr. Mark: Live in Trafford, PA with my wife of 6 years, 16 year-old stepdaughter, and our cat.

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Karen Schnatterly

Karen Schnatterly

Who’s Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Karen Schnatterly

 

A new school year will mean fresh faces at the Center for Young Musicians! We are excited to announce that new teachers for piano, cello and guitar will be joining the CYM family, bringing unique experiences and solid training in music education. And as always, we happily look forward to greeting new students and their families.

To help everyone get to know each other a little better, we’ll be posting short bios on all the CYM teachers and staff. Let’s have a round of applause for Karen Schnatterly, a CYM Administrator for nearly 10 years!

Karen Schnatterly grew up in Pittsburgh and attended Point Park University for Journalism. She lived and worked in Dallas, TX and San Diego, CA before returning to Pittsburgh. She began working at the Center for Young Musicians in May 2003.

Karen currently resides in the Pittsburgh area with her husband and two children. Her son and daughter started at CYM in the Early Childhood Music program and have played piano and violin for many years since then.

From keeping those adorable Folkmanis puppets in stock to unraveling complicated payment questions, Ms. Karen handles all things related to CYM’s retail and billing operations, as well as many, many, many other administrative tasks. As a music parent and long-time member of the CYM family, she also is a great source of information on our school’s policies, philosophy and approach to music education. We simply couldn't do it without her.

Q & A with CYM

CYM: Favorite piece of music to play and/or favorite composer?  

Ms. Karen:  Mozart.

 

CYM: Most memorable music performance you’ve experienced?

Ms. Karen: Gil Shaham at the NY Philharmonic, 1^st row front and center , I was utterly frozen in awe.

 

CYM: What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?

Ms. Karen: I played a mean game of basketball back in the day.

 

CYM: What has music given you?

Ms. Karen:  It has expanded my ability to think in color.

 

CYM: Favorite treat to eat?

Ms. Karen: Trail mix with lots of variety.

 

A Note from Our Founder...

Alica McGinnis

Alicia McGinnis, Co-founder

Three wonderful Locations, each with its own personality!

Welcome to the 2012-13 school year, our 19^th year of Making Music, Making Friends! Looking ahead at the years to come, we enthusiastically welcome the expansion of CYM’s vision in all three of our sites.  

Our new Sewickley site at 437 Beaver Street continues to delight all of us with its cheerful, “go-for-it” atmosphere.  Our colorful storefront announces that we are there to add lasting value to the community. We welcome many visitors and old friends there each week.

We, along with our colleagues at Winchester Thurston School in Shadyside, look forward to expanding our offerings this year at our city site as we now have added additional faculty members, particularly in guitar and piano instruction.  We love being a part of the urban families’ experience.

Finally, our old home in Wexford keeps on welcoming more young families, and sustaining long-term students.  We just sent off another class of graduates to college, having had the privilege of being with those young people for as many as 14 years.  Two of our graduates are attending music school this fall.  Our long-term goal of expanding the facility in Wexford remains our immediate challenge.

A new organizational structure for managing CYM's Mission—

In order to meet the challenges of running three sites we have designated two new positions at the Vice President level of our organization.  We now recognize a Vice President of Academic Affairs and a Vice President of Student Affairs.

I wish to thank Leah Givelber for serving as CYM’s President for the past three school years.  We have made tremendous progress as an educational facility under her leadership.  We continue to attract very talented and dedicated teachers as a result of her work with the faculty.  Leah will take the role of Vice President of Academic Affairs effective September 1, 2012.  

I also wish to thank Autumn Kunselman for serving as Director of Student Affairs for the last year.  She has thoroughly developed the admissions process and has added great creativity to the students’ experience.  She will take the role of Vice President of Student Affairs also effective September 1, 2012.

I will resume in the role of President, managing the vision and resources of CYM. 

On to another year of music making—

I wish everyone a joyful and productive year at CYM, and look forward to seeing you soon.

Alicia McGinnis, co-founder