Spring Pop-Up Classes!

CYM's Bring-A-Friend Week is April 21-26

CYM Workshop: The Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble

The Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble in action!

CYM is hosting the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble

in a workshop on April 19 at 4 pm at 437 Beaver Street, Sewickley PA 

A gamelan is a traditional musical ensemble from Indonesia, typically from the islands of Java and Bali, featuring a    variety of instruments such as metallophones, xylophones, drums and gongs, bamboo flutes, and bowed and plucked strings.  The University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble has an active performing schedule on campus, and has partnered with ensembles such as the Erie Philharmonic.  Participants in this workshop will not only get to hear this ensemble perform live, but will also have a chance to learn about and perform on the instruments, themselves!

For more information about the University of Pittsburgh Gamelan Ensemble please check out their website here.

CYM families, you have two options for ticketing at this event:

‚ OPTION 1: I would like to use my workshop and activities fee to cover my child’s ticket. You may     charge my credit card on file with CYM for #               extra tickets at $25 each.  

‚ OPTION 2: I would like to purchase tickets to this workshop.  Please charge my credit card on file   with CYM for  #  ____ extra tickets.   $25 for individual, $55 for a family.  

Sign up for this workshop by turning in the Gamelan Workshop forms, available in Wexford and Sewickley, or by sending an email to info@youngmusicians.org with your Name, names of your children using their Workshop and Activities fee, and the total number of tickets for your family.

Deadline to sign up for the Gamelan workshop is April 12

Twinkler Transition 2014

 

"Twinkling is my favorite thing!" says Ms. Rochelle and company.

We love time of year. Spring is springing and our Twinkler students start their journey of discovery to choose their path of music study when they graduate from ECM and Twinklers!

Twinkler families, you've been Twinkling for a year now, your little one is getting into the groove. You're ready for the next step. With the help of Ms. Rochelle and Ms. Ashley, you'll decide to join either the Classical Program or the American Legends Program, and choose an instrument to study beginning in the Fall of 2014. 

We know this is a really big, but really fun decision, and you'll need some information before you start deciding. We've made you a handy-dandy "Twinkler Transition" guide to our program offerings- you have the hard copy forms in your Enrollment envelope, but here they are again (in case they fell behind the dishwasher).

Ready? Go!

Know the Facts. Here's a comparative list to help you get familiar with Classical and American Legends programs:

Get thee to a parent meeting to chat with Ms. Rochelle and Ms. Ashley. They have great recommendations for your little one and can be a huge help! Let us know which meeting you'll be at- call or email us to RSVP. 724-935-0505 or info@youngmusicans.org.

Schedule your observations! Cello or piano? What's group really like? Get your calendar out. Call us beforehand (we don't want to double-book!) at 724-935-0505 and choose which lessons and groups you'd like to sit-in on. Here's what is going on:

Take all the knowledge you've gained, and choose a course of study to start with. Then, turn in your enrollment form! Know that if you need to make an adjustment (change instruments, choose a different group) you can do that within the first 6 weeks of school in September. You got this!

Who's Who at the Center for Young Musicians: Victoria Raja McGinnis

Have you seen CYM co-founder Ms. Victoria at a CYM concert or before or after your class or lesson in Wexford or Sewickley? Be sure to say "hello" when you do! 

Here is a little more about Ms. Victoria...

Victoria Raja McGinnis brings her diversified musical training and experience to the Center for Young Musicians. Victoria co-founded CYM in 1994, initiating the school’s Instrumental, Early Childhood Music and Music Literacy programs. Currently, Victoria assists with CYM’s, curriculum development and the school’s faculty training and searches. An advocate for music literacy and early childhood musical development, Victoria is registered through Viola Book 6, Cello Book 4, and Violin Book 3 by the Suzuki Association of the Americas. Additionally, Victoria is trained in Eurythmics Pedagogy, and the Musikgarten and Kindermusik methods. Her synthesis of all of these teaching viewpoints informs the vision she brings to CYM’s curriculum. 

Victoria holds performance degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Notre Dame. Her Suzuki training includes study with Suzuki teachers William Pruceil Sr., Stevie Sandven, Pat D’ercole, AliceJoy Lewis, Pamela Davenport, Barbara Wampner and Hiroko Driver. Victoria’s performance experience stems from her active career as a freelance musician in Cleveland, South Bend, and Louisville, as well as appearances at the Chautauqua Institute, The Quartet Program, Meadowmount, and with the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra. Victoria’s primary instrumental teachers are Leonard Moss, Nancy Holland, Heidi Castleman, and Victoria Chiang.

Victoria is an active member of the Soka Gokai International, and lives with her family in Wexford.


CYM sat down and had a fun Q and A with Ms. Victora:

CYM: What was your favorite childhood book?

Ms. Victoria: The books I read as a child that made an impression on me were anything written by Bill Peet, because his rhymes made me laugh, and C. S. Lewis’s suspenseful Narnia Chronicles, because the story’s characters and their underlying moral dilemmas were described so vividly.

CYM: Most memorable performance as a youth?

Ms. Victoria: The performance that I remember best from my teenage years was when I played viola  with the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra. We celebrated Leonard Bernstein’s 65th birthday by performing Candide and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, over a hundred of us squeezed onto a tiny stage in Lennox, Mass, as he conducted like a wild man. I must say I played dynamically that night, not because I was excited about the opportunity to be so close to an American legend but because I feared for my life! Bernstein’s baton kept swooping in front of the music on my stand every time he bent his knees to show a down beat and I thought for sure that I would be impaled by its tip at any moment. He had the fancy ivory kind that would not break easily ... I made it through though, ate some cake and got even closer to wish him happy birthday and ask for an autograph in his biography that I had purchased... Yes, it was a thrill for me, having been raised to revere our national modern composers.

CYM: One thing that people would be surprised to know about me?

Ms. Victoria:  If called upon, my legs can run extremely fast.

CYM: What has music given me?

Ms. Victoria: Music has given me the means to attempt to understand the human heart.

CYM: Favorite treat to eat?

Ms. Victoria: My favorite treat to eat is a ripe organic honey crisp apple.

Spring Solo Recital on May 3... photos are up!

With a new season comes new experiences! 

We are excited to announce a new venue for this Spring's Solo Recital- the First Unitarian Church in Shadyside. Boasting a grand piano, split stage, natural light and beautifully carved architecture, this space has been the home of excellent concerts and performances in the Pittsburgh region. We are delighted to present CYM student musicians in this gorgeous venue- the perfect place to take pictures and shoot video!

Inside the First Unitarian Church

Adjacent to CYM's Shadyside location at the Winchester Thurston School City Campus, families are welcomed to park in and around the lots surrounding WT's campus, as well as street parking on Morewood, Ellsworth, and Amberson. Directions to the First Unitarian Church can be found here.

This year, we will be holding two recitals- the first will be the CYM Piano Department held at 11:00am, the second featuring CYM Violin, Cello and Guitar at 1:30pm. This is a small consolidation of the three recitals held in years past.

Families, be on the lookout for correspondence from your child's teacher with special instructions for preparation and arrival. We expect all our families and students to be their best as performers and as audience members at the Solo Recital- if you need a reminder of concert etiquette, here is a handy guide. 

We will take time during each Solo Recital to honor our CYM graduating seniors as well as our practice challenge winners!

Toddler and Twinkler families, (especially for those in Twinkler Transition) this is a wonderful opportunity for your little one to become more familiar with each instrument at CYM and hear students performing at every skill level. This recital is a chance for parents to not only see and hear the different instruments but also to see what their children will be doing in just a few months or years. Even if you are only able to stay for a portion of a concert, it is still an excellent experience! 

As a reminder, There will be no classes held on Saturday, May 3 to allow all CYM students to attend the Solo Recitals and take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to see music education in action.  

Please call CYM- 724-935-0505 or send an email to scheduling@youngmusicians.org to reschedule. 

Photos of our students in action at the Spring Solo Recital are here- feel free to use and share!

Post by Center for Young Musicians.

CYM Students to Perform at Vincentian Home

Residents of Vincentain Home at "Rocking for Residents" Event

Ms. Ashley Buckley and a group of CYM students are performing this evening for the residents of Vincentian Home in McCandless at 6:30pm. We wish everyone luck for an excellent performance, and hope the audience enjoys the concert!