Beginning in March, Music In Our Schools Month, the Eastman School of Music will launch Eastman to Go (formerly Music for All), a series of community events throughout Rochester. Eastman to Go will provide several visits to elementary through high school classrooms, libraries and retirement communities. Eastman to Go focuses on community outreach and all events are free and open to the public. (Schedule of public events below.) (Photos from the first event this spring from Ivan Green Primary School -photo credit Michelle Martorell)
Here are some reflections from Eastman student participants about the impact they have at the schools they visit.
From Eastman student clarinetist Olivia Galante:
The Eastman To Go program has truly been an amazing experience for me and for the chamber group I perform with. Learning how to present yourself in front of an audience and tailoring your presentations to specific audiences is only a small fraction of what we have learned in Eastman To Go. Professor of Trombone, Mark Kellogg, brought in some fantastic speakers from Rochester to give masterclasses and discuss how important it is to go out into the community to share our craft and excite people of all ages with music.
My chamber group had the wonderful privilege of giving our first presentation at Ivan L. Green Elementary School for music teacher Robert Parsons second grade music class. I’ve never seen young children so overwhelmed with joy and curiosity. It was incredible to be able to inspire young children and have them start thinking about which instrument they want to play. At that age, children are extremely impressionable when it comes to making a decision of which instrument they want to play. I remember watching a similar chamber presentation when I was their age and because of that presentation I decided to take up the clarinet.
People don’t realize how amazing it is that programs like these exist and how it can change your life and the life of a child or an adult. Eastman To Go is bringing our community together through music and I believe it’s adding something extraordinarily unique to The Eastman School of Music.
From Hattie Bestul,a graduate student clarinetist who plays in a great clarinet/violin/piano trio:
“What we do in Eastman To Go is such an important element of being a musician because it's a great reminder of what really matters. As performers we are not only creating music; we're providing an experience for our listeners. My trio was able to play for a classroom at Greece Olympia, and you never know which young student in the back row might be blown away and end up motivated to get involved in music. At the end of our performance for the students, they had tons of questions about our instruments and how we practice and play as a group, and it was fun to answer these questions and find out what they cared about and were fascinated by as well.
By sharing our music with people outside of a traditional concert hall, the performance and interaction between us and our audience becomes more personal and more meaningful.”
Learn more about Eastman to Go.
Additional Public Events include:
• Saturday, March 17, time TBD: Episcopal Senior Life at River Edge, Rochester, NY
• Saturday, March 24, 3 PM: Legacy Parklands, Churchville, NY
• Sunday, March 25, 1:30 PM: The Highlands, Pittsford, NY
• Sunday, March 25 and Sunday, April 8, 4 PM: Scottsville Free Library, Scottsville, NY
• Wednesday, April 4, 6 PM: Central Library of Rochester and Monroe County, Rochester, NY
• Sunday, April 8, 2 PM: Cloverwood, Pittsford, NY
• Friday, April 13, 10:15 AM: Brighton Memorial Library
• Rush Public Library: TBD
