New Partnership Brings Music and Theater to Lower East Side and Brooklyn Families
Grand St. Settlement, Greenwich House Music School, and Little Mozart Foundation are partnering to bring immersive music, dance, and theater education to New York City families throughout the Lower East Side and Brooklyn.
This multi-year partnership will embed arts instructors from Greenwich House Music School (GHMS) and Little Mozart Foundation (LMF) into dozens of early childhood classrooms at Grand Street serving over 150 children.
In 2023, children aged 2-4 will be introduced to a whole symphony of classical instruments for the first time through music classes and workshops provided by LMF, which takes a unique approach of offering bilingual and interactive activities in a friendly environment.
“Grand Street is thrilled to partner with two established and trusted arts organizations, Greenwich House Music School and Little Mozart Foundation, to bring music and arts into the communities we serve,” said Willing Chin-Ma, Interim CEO, of Grand St. Settlement. “The Lower East Side and Brooklyn are filled with curious and talented children that enjoy dancing around with friends and parents. This partnership brings music to my ears.”
These classes provide an early introduction to the arts to children from low-income families who may not have access to specialized learning opportunities. Violin, viola, cello, piano, french horn, trombone, trumpet, and clarinet are just a few of the instruments young children will engage with before the classes culminate in a family-friendly concert.
“Exposure to music, specifically live music, improve children’s motor skills, school readiness, reading, and social/emotional capabilities. With this in mind, Little Mozart Foundation’s experiential learning opportunities bring music to life for the students,” said Sara Sherman, Director of Mozart for Munchkins, Little Mozart Foundation.
GHMS and Ashley Bouder (New York City Ballet’s principal dancer, choreographer, and educator) will teach ballet classes at Grand Street Settlement’s centers. Bouder, along with other colleagues from the dance world, will teach students basic ballet skills, vocabulary, and class structure with an emphasis on rhythm, correct alignment, and teamwork.
In future months, GHMS will expand the partnership by introducing musical storytelling classes. These classes taught bilingually and using various teaching modalities and culturally responsive approaches are designed to enrich the social-emotional education of children in community-based settings.
“For over 12 decades Greenwich House Music School has been an integral part of educating New Yorkers of all ages with music, dance, and theater programs, and by starting this new partnership, we can look forward to bringing a diverse set of performing arts classes to the children and families of Grand St. Settlement,” said Rachel Black, Director, Greenwich House Music School.
Contact:
Grand St. Settlement – Carl Glenn, cglenn@grandsettlement.org, (646) 830-0796
Greenwich House Music School – Nathalie Levey, nlevey@greenwichhouse.org
Little Mozart Foundation – Sara Sherman, littlemozartfoundation@gmail.com, (609)472-1785