ROCKPORT MUSIC EDUCATION & OUTREACH PROGRAMS
Imagine learning improvisation from MacArthur Fellow and jazz violinist Regina Carter overlooking the ocean at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Or your child finds inspiration to study music from a master musician’s school residency or at a make-your-own instrument activity. Rockport Music is dedicated to fostering an appreciation of music through accessible programs for people of all ages, whether you are a budding, young musician or looking to deepen your musical knowledge. An integral part of the organization’s mission, our Education and Outreach programs provide over 80 learning opportunities to over 8,000 students and adults every year.
Since its inception, Rockport Music has been devoted to deepening the concert experience for all of its audience members. In its earliest days, the Rockport Chamber Music Festival included unique educational opportunities for adults. That practice continues today with a rich array of activities, including open rehearsals, master classes and One Day Universities, Prelude Suppers and Pre-Concert Talks, family concerts, lectures, films, and more.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
- · Boston Symphony Chamber Players and pianist David Deveau put the finishing touches on their concert during an open rehearsal at the 2012 Rockport Chamber Music Festival
- · Jazz violinist and MacArthur Fellow Regina Carter’s gave
in-depth instruction in a workshop for music teachers
and students - · Composer and one of America’s most accomplished classical minimalist/post-minimalist composers David Borden took you behind-the-scenes with the legendary Robert Moog’s voltage-controlled electronic synthesizers
- · Dr. Elizabeth Seitz, musicologist, lecturer, and faculty at Boson Conservatory, discussed Verdi’s opera Rigoletto in Rockport Music’s program Après Opera
In addition to the many free concerts Rockport Music presents to the Cape Ann community, we have a long tradition of providing extensive and enriching in-school programs in Rockport, Gloucester, Essex, and Salem public schools, including multi-day residencies by professional string quartets and other music ensembles.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
- · New England Conservatory Opera students presented George Bizet’s Dr. Miracle in fully staged and costumed performances for K-3 students
- · Classical Jam, acclaimed soloists and chamber musicians, worked with local middle and high school students in several workshops that culminated in a joint performance with high school students for the finale piece of their concert
- · Bohemian Quartet performed music rooted in gypsy culture for local K-12 school students, and performed with local high school orchestra students in a community concert
- · High school students received practical advice from professional, working musicians in a Careers in Music
panel discussion
- · Through performances and workshops with renowned musicians like Regina Carter and A Far Cry orchestra, students gained in-depth knowledge of string instruments and the many genres of which they are an integral part
From instrument “petting” zoos and make-your-own-instrument workshops to our our residency musicians’ interactive presentations to pre-school students at the Pathways for Children Head Start program in Gloucester, making music accessible, fun, and even therapeutic for people of all ages is an essential part of Rockport Music’s mission. Since 2009, the HARP (Healing Arts at Rockport) program--with community partners like Hospice of North Shore, the North Shore Education Consortium, and Union Hospital’s in-patient Child Psychiatry Unit--has touched the lives of dozens of children and adults (and their families) by providing music as a tool for self-expression, creativity, and stress reduction.
RECENT HIGHLIGHTS
- · Young classical musicians and composers performed a free concert and conducted a panel discussion during the 2012 Rockport Chamber Music Festival in a program called
The Next Generation
- · In a special holiday concert, The Firebird Ensemble presented Jon Deak’s A Christmas Carol
- · The Town of Rockport’s annual holiday celebrations continued with a free community sing-along and holiday film
- · Rockport Music resident musician master drummer Sowah Mensah performed a free community concert of music from his native country, Ghana
For information on Rockport Music Education and Outreach opportunities for your school or the Cape Ann community, please contact Director of Education Stephanie Woolf at swoolf@rockportmusic.org
EDUCATION AND OUTREACH CALENDAR
TOP PHOTO: Community Concert 2011, Photo Credit: Sharon Cohen
Other Photos: Sharon Cohen, Michael Lutch
