Bloomingdale School of Music

Last updated

Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) is a non-profit community music school on the Upper West Side of New York City, in the neighborhood historically known as the Bloomingdale District. It is housed in a five-story, 102-year-old brownstone and was founded in 1964, by David D. Greer, organist and choirmaster of the West End Presbyterian Church. According to its website, BSM's mission is to "provide access to high-quality music education to anyone who seeks it, regardless of economic status, ability level, ethnicity, or religious affiliation".

Contents

The school is supported by income from tuition and fees, grants and individual donations, foundations and corporations, and the New York State Council on the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs. BSM is tax exempt under Internal Revenue Service Code 501(C)3, and donations to the school are tax exempt to the limits of the law.

BSM is governed by a self-perpetuating Board of Directors and is a registered charity in the State of New York. It contains 13 teaching studios, a reception room, offices and the David Greer Recital Hall.

History

Bloomingdale School of Music began in 1964 as a part-time school offering Saturday morning classes for as little as 50 cents to low-income community residents. Within two years, registration jumped from 75 to 200. Local residents showed such interest that founder David D. Greer was able to form a board of directors and bring together a skilled faculty. Together, they raised public and private funds to expand and, in 1971, purchased and renovated the brownstone located at 323 West 108th Street, currently the school's home. In 1980, the school purchased a rental building located at 325 West 108th Street and renovated the basement area for office space.

In 1973, BSM, which at the time was called Bloomingdale House of Music, became the first community music school to offer free weekly classes to public school children. The Orff Schulwerk program became a model for many subsequent programs.

Greer resigned in 1988 [1] because of illness and was followed by Paul Fran. After Fran's untimely death in 1991, Lawrence Davis was appointed and served until his unexpected death in November 2013. An interim director, B.J. Adler, served until July 2014 when Erika Floreska assumed the role of the School's Executive Director. Floreska stepped down in March 2020, as Helene Blieberg stepped in as interim to lead the organization through the transition. In September 2020, Erika Atkins became the organization’s fifth executive director.

In 1996, the school launched the Piano Campaign, raising funds to renew and restore completely the school's 17 pianos.

In 2005, the school was among 406 New York City arts and social service institutions to receive part of a $20 million grant from the Carnegie Corporation, donated by New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. [2] [3]

Music Access Project

BSM's Music Access Project (MAP) is a preparatory program for youths living in under-served New York City communities. A comprehensive three-year program of intensive musical training, its purpose is to prepare students for entry into a conservatory, university or college for advanced music training. In addition to private lessons on their major instrument, MAP students take theory, ear training, chamber music and the biweekly MAP Forum program of master classes, lectures and demonstrations by guests. They also participate in the Bloomingdale Chamber Orchestra. Students are expected to attend at least three days a week after school, and are regularly scheduled to perform on site and outside the school. MAP graduates have matriculated at The Juilliard School, Cornell University, Eastman School of Music, Mannes College, Hunter College, Indiana University, Manhattan School of Music, University of Michigan, Montclair State University, New York University, Queens College, University of Rochester, Oberlin College, Rutgers University, Skidmore College, State University of New York at Purchase, University of Northern Colorado, Georgetown University, and Yale University.

Online learning

The school's website claims its Instrument Discovery page [4] to be "the largest collection of video instrument demonstrations available anywhere on the Internet".

In October 2008, BSM launched Theory in a Box, an online music theory course created by a team of staff and faculty from the school. After a self-assessment of its programs in 2006, the school found that students often lacked basic music theory skills and many teachers felt there was not sufficient time to teach theory in a private lesson. In addition, many students were unable to make the commitment of funds and time to come to the school for a separate music theory class. After discovering that several other schools and studios struggled with the same issue, BSM embarked on a project to create an online theory course that was easy to use and accessible to students at all times. From the work of more than 50 writers, designers, musicians, and programmers, Theory in a Box was born and is now in use at BSM as well as two other New York City-area community music schools. In 2009, the school extended the program with Theory in a Box Solo, which allows students to take the course remotely from around the country. In mid-2009, Theory in a Box School Edition was introduced as a site-license program for schools and universities.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Bloomingdale has transformed music lessons and classes into online offerings.

Public School Program

The oldest continuing public school collaboration in New York City, BSM's Public School Program enables 500 students in five local public schools to receive weekly, skills-based training in music. As the program is designed to be part of each school's arts plan, BSM's faculty work closely with public school teachers to integrate the program into the school's curriculum. The program has instructed almost 35,000 children, and has served as a model for similar collaborative programs. It offers class instruction in violin, viola, Orff Schulwerk, or Dalcroze.

Related Research Articles

The Juilliard School is a private performing arts conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became the Juilliard School, named after its principal benefactor Augustus D. Juilliard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School</span> Specialized high school in New York City

Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, often referred to simply as LaGuardia or "LaG", is a public high school specializing in teaching visual arts and performing arts, located near Lincoln Center in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of the Upper West Side in Manhattan, New York City. Located at 100 Amsterdam Avenue between West 64th and 65th Streets, the school is operated by the New York City Department of Education, and resulted from the merger of the High School of Music & Art and the School of Performing Arts. The school has a dual mission of arts and academics, preparing students for a career in the arts or conservatory study as well as a pursuit of higher education.

The Orff Schulwerk, or simply the Orff Approach, is a developmental approach used in music education. It combines music, movement, drama, and speech into lessons that are similar to a child's world of play. It was developed by the German composer Carl Orff (1895–1982) and colleague Gunild Keetman during the 1920s. Orff worked until the end of his life to continue the development and spread of his teaching method.

The Mannes School of Music, originally called the David Mannes Music School and later the Mannes Music School, Mannes College of Music, the Chatham Square Music School, and Mannes College: The New School for Music, is a music conservatory in The New School, a private research university in New York City. In the fall of 2015, Mannes moved from its previous location on Manhattan's Upper West Side to join the rest of the New School campus in Arnhold Hall at 55 W. 13th Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music education</span> Field of study associated with the teaching and learning of music

Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original research on ways of teaching and learning music. Music education scholars publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals, and teach undergraduate and graduate education students at university education or music schools, who are training to become music teachers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Molloy University</span> Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York, US

Molloy University is a private Roman Catholic university in Rockville Centre, New York. Initially founded as a school for women, it is now co-educational. It provides more than 50 academic undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral degree programs for over 4800 students.

The German educator Gunild Keetman was the primary originator of the approach to teaching music known as Orff Schulwerk. Keetman was responsible for most of the actual teaching that was done in the early stages of the movement, perhaps most prominently as the teacher for the radio and television broadcasts that popularized the Schulwerk throughout Germany in the 1950s.

BSM may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Music education and programs within the United States</span>

Music education in the United States is implemented in many schools as a form of modern-day teaching. Music education is a field of study that focuses on the teaching and application of music in the classroom. As this addition to the curriculum progresses, the effects and implications to this course of study are being widely debated, especially the factors pertaining to. Researchers are able to follow its progression from its earliest known application within the field of academics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Third Street Music School Settlement</span> Private school in New York City, New York

Third Street Music School Settlement is the longest-running community music school in the United States. Founded in 1894, it is at 235 East 11th Street, New York City. Third Street has three main programs: a music & dance school, a music-infused Preschool, and a Partners program. It also works with New York City Department of Education on training Pre-K teachers in music education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simply Music</span>

Simply Music is a music education organization licensing teachers at over 700 locations in twelve countries and serving an online self-study student community in 128 countries. Australian music educator Neil Moore founded it on the core belief that all humans are naturally musical. Simply Music offers programs for students from birth through old age, with the stated goal that "students acquire and retain music as a lifelong companion." Simply Music patterns its approach after primary language acquisition, where speaking comes first. In this it shares some philosophical ground with other developmental approaches like Kodály, Orff Schulwerk, and the Suzuki Method.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special Music School</span> Public music school in Manhattan, New York

Special Music School is a K-12 public school that teaches music as a core subject on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, New York City. The school is run as a public/private partnership between the New York City Department of Education and Kaufman Music Center, a not-for-profit, multi-arts organization. The Department of Education funds the academic portion of the students' education, while the music program is funded by private donations through Kaufman Music Center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pine Technical and Community College</span> Community college in Pine City, Minnesota, U.S.

Pine Technical and Community College (PTCC), formerly Pine Technical College, is a public community college in Pine City, Minnesota. PTCC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System, which comprises 31 state universities and community and technical colleges in Minnesota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vancouver Academy of Music</span>

The Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM) is a Canadian music conservatory located in Vancouver, British Columbia. The school was founded as the Community Music School of Greater Vancouver in 1969 through efforts made by the Vancouver Community Arts Council. The school was originally located on West 12th Ave but relocated to the Music Centre in Vanier Park in May 1976. The school officially changed its name to the Vancouver Academy of Music in 1979. The VAM currently has two divisions of study, a college division for students wanting to pursue a performance career and a preparatory division for school-age children and adults.

Keith Warren Bissell was a Canadian composer, conductor, and music educator. He was particularly known for his choral music, which often implemented elements of Canadian folk music. A passionate educator, he was a pupil of Carl Orff and was influential in popularizing the Orff Schulwerk methodology within North America. From 1957 to 1958 he was President of the Ontario Music Educators' Association. He was conductor and artistic director of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada in 1970–1971. He also was vice-president of the Canadian Music Council for several years and president of the Canadian Music Centre from 1975 to 1977.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">André de Quadros</span> Indian conductor

André de Quadros is a conductor, ethnomusicologist, music educator, and human rights activist.

The University of Kentucky College of Fine Arts is composed of four academic units: the School of Art and Visual Studies, the Department of Arts Administration, the School of Music, and the Department of Theatre and Dance. The Singletary Center for the Arts, the college's performing arts facility, supports the School of Music. The University of Kentucky Art Museum has a collection of more than 4,500 objects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabel McNeill Carley</span> American writer and composer (1918–2011)

Isabel McNeill Carley was a published writer, editor, composer and music teacher. She is considered one of the leaders of the Orff Schulwerk when it began to take hold in the United States in the 1960s. As a co-founder of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association (AOSA), Carley contributed greatly to the organization's beginnings, serving as a board member and magazine editor. Carley devoted much of her life to musical instruction, publishing a series of books titled Recorder Improvisation and Technique.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helene Fuld College of Nursing</span> Private nursing school in New York City

Helene Fuld College of Nursing is a private nursing school in New York City. The college offers associate and comprehensive baccalaureate science degrees to Licensed Practical Nurses, Registered Nurses, and individuals who are not already nurses. The college is located in the East Harlem section of Manhattan in the Mount Morris Park Historic District across from Marcus Garvey Park. It was founded in 1945.

The Music Studio is a music school in Albany, NY that was founded in 1977 by Noel Ottery Liberty. Located at 1237 Central Avenue, the school has classes starting for children as young as two and has seen over 15,000 students since its founding. The school has five programs: Music for the Young, The Foundation Program, The Piano Program, Recreational Piano for Adults, and Classes for Children With Special Needs. Additionally, the school’s group The Music Studio Kids participates in performances throughout the year.

References

  1. ↑ "David Greer, 55, Dies; Music School Founder". The New York Times. 1988-04-14. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  2. ↑ Roberts, Sam (2005-07-06). "City Groups Get Bloomberg Gift of $20 Million". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  3. ↑ "Carnegie Corporation - News". 2005-07-13. Archived from the original on 2005-07-13. Retrieved 2024-07-11.
  4. ↑ "Home - Bloomingdale School of Music". www.bsmny.org. Retrieved 2024-07-11.

40°48′12″N73°58′06″W / 40.80334°N 73.96833°W / 40.80334; -73.96833

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.