Suffice it to say, the back-to-school season looks different this year. But here at NEMPAC’s community music school, we don’t want the start of fall 2020 programming to feel any different than it has in years past.
This school year, we’re deeply committed to fostering creative, nurturing learning environments that make our rising artists feel as confident, connected, and empowered as ever. Whether you enroll in virtual or in-person music education this fall, you can expect our faculty to realize your artistic potential with innovative curriculum and programmatic excellence.
This week’s blog post highlights how we’re continuing to adapt our programming to foster engagement, joy, and community (either virtually or from a safe distance) among our students. We’re dedicated to meeting families where they are during this uncertain time by providing both online and in-person instruction, and we’re excited to spotlight a few of these offerings in today’s post.
(Virtual!) Family Music Makers
During the fall session, Family Music Makers will transform into an online classroom. Children aged six months to four years and family members will have the opportunity to partake in dance, poetry, and song together at home.
Laura DeGiacomo, NEMPAC’s Family Music Makers instructor, reflected on the virtual return of this beloved early education course. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to connect with our Family Music Makers (FMM) families through the online classes. By offering FMM online, it will ensure all members of class will be able to participate safely from the comfort of their own homes and yet still enjoy a shared musical experience with the NEMPAC/FMM community. We will find inventive ways to create music with everyday objects so that everyone can enjoy making music.”
Family Music Makers will be offered online on Wednesdays from September 30 to December 16. The first section of the course runs from 9:30 to 10:15 a.m., and the second section of the course runs from 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. on Wednesdays. Families have the flexibility to either enroll in a session or register for drop-in classes as frequently as their schedules allow.
In-Person and Virtual Private Music Instruction
A hallmark of our community music school, NEMPAC’s private music instruction empowers artists of all ages and abilities through customized, one-on-one lessons. Whether you’re interested in learning a new instrument or honing your skill, fall 2020 private music instruction, beginning September 14, will propel you forward on your artistic journey.
Both virtual and in-person private music instruction invite distinctive opportunities for artistic growth. For example, virtual instruction doesn’t require transportation to and from the studio, making it a cost-effective and time-efficient choice. In addition, online lessons afford students the opportunity to hone their active listening and communication skills in unique ways.
In-person instruction offers immersive sound quality and gives student the chance to see their instructor’s embouchure and technique at a safe distance, rather than through a screen. If your family is interested in pursuing in-person music education this fall, please review our safety protocols.
To begin the registration process for private music instruction, please follow these two steps:
- Complete this quick private lesson inquiry.
- Once you complete the inquiry, you’ll receive a day/time confirmation for your in-person or virtual private music lessons. After that, you can create an account on this portal.
Virtual Music Theatre Troupe
Our Music Theatre Troupe, designed for second through seventh graders, is also going virtual to provide students with performance opportunities online. The culmination of our “Make Your Own Show” online workshop this summer, put on in partnership with Boston Lyric Opera and Voices Boston, underscored the success of virtual theatre performance, and we look forward to recreating this opportunity in the near future for our students through virtual Music Theatre Troupe.
Allie Meek-Carufel, NEMPAC’s educational programs director, discussed how she’s adapted her teaching approach given the virtual Music Theatre Troupe classroom. “The rehearsal process will be a bit different this year, with students and instructors rehearsing virtually and being split up through breakout rooms. Solos, duets, scenes, and monologues are easily adaptable and can be done from the comfort of the student’s home, with acting and technique guidance from the directors through the screen. Larger group scenes and songs will require creative technology through pre-recording students and creating movie recordings of all the parts together.”
At the culmination of the program, students will convene virtually to put on a cabaret-style performance complete with solos and group songs.
Meek-Carufel reflected, “The Music Theatre Troupe has always been an opportunity for students to come together as an ensemble, to work together and to collaborate on a story and piece of art that they all have a piece in, and to allow students who need a performative outlet in their lives to sing, dance, and act their hearts out by storytelling. NEMPAC is continuing to adapt its programming through the Music Theatre Troupe by keeping the same goals of collaboration, storytelling, and training. NEMPAC wants families and students to know that a show is still happening, their students will still be telling a story, and the show must always go on!”
We’re filled with joyful anticipation for the new beginning that comes with the back-to-school season and subsequent start to fall programming in our community music school.
And speaking of new beginnings, we’re thrilled to welcome Bob Ripley, finance director, and the following instructors to the NEMPAC family:
Laney Bunce (Dance)
Alexandra Dietrich (Voice & Ukulele)
Harriet Hung (Piano & Violin)
Seakyung Hur (Violin)
Duane Leatherberry Jr (Eliot In-School Music)
Akashita Pravin (Guitar & Group Guitar I)
Jose Soto (Piano & Group Keyboard I)
Our administration and faculty can’t wait to welcome you and your family this September, whether it be via a virtual classroom or in-person lessons from a safe distance.
Check out our course catalogue for the entire list of virtual and in-person offerings this fall, and enroll today in programming that will foster engagement, joy, and community.
What fall program are you and your family most looking forward to this fall?
