BSM iPad Workshop at UWS Apple Store: 12/13/12

Bloomingdale School of Music teamed up with the Apple Store on the Upper West Side to offer a workshop on how to maximize the iPad musically. Apple Store Events Coordinator Mike Espar, who is also a percussionist and composer, offered BSM students the chance to explore several apps on iPads such as Sonata Note and ForScore. Students also had the opportunity to work on Garage Band for iPad, working together to compose songs and improvise.

Welcome sign at the Apple Store announcing the event.

A young BSM piano student experiments strumming a guitar on the iPad.

A BSM piano student uses a midi keyboard to record directly into the iPad.

A violin student recorded the Star Wars theme which was then combined with other instruments on GarageBand.

BSM students use iPads to compose pieces and record their own sounds.

Theory in a Box at NYSSMA: 12/3/12

Last week Bloomingdale School of Music presented Theory in a Box at the New York State School Music Association Winter Conference in Rochester. The conference was attended by music students, teachers, and school administrators from all over the state—more than 2,000 people in all.

Theory in a Box had many visitors stop by and we enjoyed explaining our one-of-a-kind online program to potential new users. Below is a picture of the TIAB booth.

Yoga for Musicians: 11/15/12

BSM faculty members have many interests. We are fortunate to have such a well-rounded group of teachers at our school who share their talents, beyond music-making, with our community. Last week piano faculty member Jesse Stacken presented a workshop to high school students in the Music Access Project titled "Yoga for Musicians." An avid yogi, Jesse spoke to students about how yoga can help them focus and relax, not only in their day-to-day lives, but physically at their instruments and mentally in clearing their minds when practicing or performing.

Jesse led the students in several yoga stretches and poses.

Jesse demonstrates a more advanced pose for the students.

Jam Session: 11/5/12

On the first Monday of each month Bloomingdale offers "Jam Session"—an inclusive class experience open to musicians of all ages and levels. Students who are familiar with jazz or new to it are encouraged to attend. Designed by upright and electric bass and guitar teacher Kevin Farrell, Jam Session offers a supportive environment for students to learn how to improvise with their peers accompanied by a faculty rhythm section. In addition to Kevin, percussion teacher Jeremy Noller and guitar teacher Matt Buttermann are present at each session. Students are given the opportunity to participate on their instrument but can also just sit and listen—whatever their comfort level may be.

The images below are from the November 5th session where Jazz at Lincoln Center percussionist and teacher LaFrae Sci stepped in for Jeremy Noller to assist on percussion. Jam Session is open to anyone interested and reservations are not necessary. The next session is on 12/3 from 7-8:30 ($10 "cover" is due at the door).

Kevin Farrell listens as a student pianist improvises.

Guest artist LaFrae Sci forms a rhythm section with BSM faculty members Matt Buttermann and Kevin Farrell .
A student guitarist plays along with them. 

Hurricane Sandy: 10/29/12

There is no photo this week. For the first time in Bloomingdale's history, our doors were closed unexpectedly for a week. There are no images to share, no music was heard in the halls, no students entered our doors. Instead, we, like every one else, have been grappling with the despair of our fellow New Yorkers in Red Hook, Coney Island, the Rockaways, Long Island as well as our neighbors in New Jersey and other areas affected by the storm.

While Bloomingdale escaped the storm relatively unharmed and, as far as we know, the same is true of our students and faculty, no one could escape the effects of Sandy this week. Though our doors were closed, our faculty members were busy in their communities—donating services, time, and needed items to the victims of the storm.

But normalcy is returning to most of New York not directly hit by the storm and we are proud to be part of that. Bloomingdale may not provide shelter or rescue services but we believe that our work is important too—enriching the lives of our students and the community at large. We are happy to return to what we love to do and look forward to the week ahead.

Happy Halloween: 10/28/12

Oboe faculty member Katie Scheele and her trio, Threeds, presented a Children's Concert at Bloomingdale on Sunday, 10/28/12. The concert, titled "Tricks, Treats, & Tunes with Threeds O-Boo Trio!" featured "scary" tunes such as the opening of Beethoven's Symphony No. 5, Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter, and The Monster Mash. Audience members were in costume and included the Green Lantern, a super owl, Kermit the Frog, an alien, and a princess, among others.

Katie Scheele as Miss Piggy

Beckley Andrews, Kathy Halvorson, and Christof Knoche, performers at the concert

Concert Poster

BSM's 2012-13 Concert Season Begins: 10/12/2012

Bloomingdale is presenting 30 faculty concerts, free of charge, for our community. The school has a long-standing tradition of providing high-quality concerts with intriguing programming—our faculty members are not only dedicated teachers, but also creative performing musicians who inspire us with their work.

Faculty members apply for the concert series with a proposal—the process offers the performers complete artistic freedom. As a result, concerts on this year's season include topics ranging from guitar dance music from Puerto Rico to jazz music from the blue note era.

Pianist Roberto Hidalgo kicked off the season with his concert on October 12 featuring piano music from Mexico and the United States. The program included folk-inspired music by composers such as Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Leo Smit, and Manuel M. Ponce.

All concerts are free of charge. The full concert calendar can be viewed here.

Roberto Hidalgo in performance

10/12/2012 Concert Poster

Jazz at Lincoln Center/BSM Partnership Kickoff Concert: 9/28/12

This September, Bloomingdale began a partnership with Jazz at Lincoln Center's (JALC) Middle School Jazz Academy (MSJA). The partnership links the missions of the two organizations, both of which emphasize a commitment to providing access to quality music education to all who seek it. Bloomingdale is offering space for lessons and activities for MSJA, and MSJA is offering selected BSM students the opportunity to join the Academy and take advantage of all the wonderful resources the program offers. 

This partnership supports Bloomingdale's interest in bringing jazz at BSM to a greater focus—we have a dedicated jazz faculty whose work we hope to encourage with programs such as these. The kickoff concert which was held at Christ and St. Stephen's Church on September 28th, featured members of the MSJA Faculty, BSM Faculty, Alumni of MSJA, and a special guest artist, Sherman Irby, saxophonist with the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra. 

MSJA faculty members rehearse before the concert

MSJA alumni perform at the event

JALC Orchestra saxophonist Sherman Irby 

MAP Orientation: 9/18/12

The Music Access Project, MAP, is now in its 21st year at Bloomingdale. The program is symbiotic with the school's mission to provide quality music education to all who seek it. Each year, 20+ students receive tuition scholarships to a comprehensive pre-college music training program which includes a 60 minute private lesson, weekly orchestra rehearsal, weekly coached chamber music rehearsal, music theory, and bi-weekly workshops. This year MAP includes 20 students and 3 new students were welcomed into the program. Below is an image from this year's MAP orientation led by Brandon Vazquez, who is not only the Director of MAP, but BSM's trumpet teacher and an alum of the program. All 20 students were in attendance.

MAP Director Brandon Vazquez speaks to students and parents at this year's orientation.

First Day of Lessons and Classes: 9/19/12

As always, the start of the school year has been a whirlwind of activity. This year has been special on many levels—Bloomingdale has several new partnerships launching including Jazz at Lincoln Center's Middle School Jazz Academy and Exploring the Metropolis' Composers-in-Residence program. Both are already successfully underway.  We've also had a baby boom of sorts at the school with seven staff or faculty members welcoming new children in the past two months. That seems fitting as each September is a rebirth of sorts with new students and faculty mixing with those who have been part of our community for years.

Below are some images from our first day of the semester, September 19. Whether it's a student's first lesson ever or the start of a high school senior's last year at BSM, each "first lesson" is filled with the promise and excitement of the unknown chapters of the year ahead.

Guitar faculty member Gabriel Handy shares an entertaining moment with his student.

Katie Scheele looks on as her student tackles a new piece. This student has been at BSM since he was in 6th grade and is currently a senior in high school.

Chen Chu conducts the first rehearsal with the Intermediate Orchestra, one of three orchestral ensembles at BSM.

Students in Keyboard for Children explore the instrument together at their first class.

Instrument Discovery Day: 9/16/12

Bloomingdale's Instrument Discovery Day is one of the most popular events the school hosts. Held twice a year, once in September and once in January, IDD is free to the public and allows children and adults to try an instrument and speak with a faculty member. This year instruments presented included french horn, piano, trumpet voice, flute, clarinet, recorder, percussion, violin, and cello. Below are a few images highlighting the excitement of the day.

Clarinet faculty member Alicia Bennett helps a 3 1/2 year old try the clarinet for the first time.

Violin teacher Jeremy Blanden shows a young child how to hold the violin.

Tia Roper demonstrates how to produce a sound on the flute. 

Faculty Dinner: 9/13/12

Bloomingdale's annual faculty dinner took place on Wednesday September 13th. This yearly tradition is a way for faculty and staff to come together and reconnect before the start of the busy fall semester. This year the dinner took place at Toast, a local Upper West Side restaurant.

From left to right, Bathsheba Marcus, Director of Education; Tania Tachkova, piano; Chen Chu, Director of Technology and Business Manager; Eric Phinney, percussion; Rafi Malkiel, trombone; Lisa Pike, french horn; Sachiko Kato, piano; Jeremy Conley, Assistant Director.

Katie Scheele, oboe; Tia Roper, flute; Sara Sherman, piano; Angela Meyers, piano.

Jeremy Blanden, violin; Lydia George, Assistant Registrar and Alumna; Monica Verona, piano.

Blog Introduction

Eye on BSM is a photo blog which aims to capture the creative and enthusiastic spirit of the students and faculty at Bloomingdale School of Music. Located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, BSM provides music instruction to more than 700 students each week, Bloomingdale is bursting at the seems with energy. From special events to concert performances to the every day yet extraordinary experience of the weekly lesson, something special is always happening at BSM. These photos are a tribute to the work of our community and an attempt to capture a sliver of the activity that takes place on a daily basis at the school.