El Sistema

The Bernstein Legacy

If you were born before 1975 in the United States, chances are you may have seen one or, hopefully, many more of Leonard Bernstein’s televised Young People’s Concerts. For those…

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Two Visits in Four Days

Maestro Maull with some of the campers and staff from Camp YDP, Paterson, New Jersey   On Steve Hoffman Music Forums there’s an interesting conversation going on around the topic:…

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Fifty Shades of Grey: the Classical Album, Music selected by author E L James

Take Help When. . .And Where You Can Get It!

“Listening to music is an indispensable element in civil life, though it is often neglected. I am convinced that there is not only an aesthetic value in music: its intrinsic…

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Is Classical Music Dying? Part 2

In a March 2011 blog post I posed the question: “Is classical music dying?” My thoughts mostly concerned the precarious financial condition of many of America’s professional symphony orchestras. ….

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Your “listening guide” amazes me, in that it is a means of illustrating the role of various instrumental sections in communicating and “telling” a story. My background is science and technology so the 1 -1 ½ hours listening to a symphony with your presentation was an exciting learning experience I was not expecting.You are an exceptional talent and personality to be able to introduce someone like myself to the very complicated language of a symphony.

— Outreach Program Attendee