Education and Outreach

Education and outreach are a vital part of the mission of Quogue Chamber Music. For the past several years, we have sponsored performances by chamber music groups at local elementary schools in Quogue, Riverhead, and Hampton Bays. The program has introduced hundreds of students at these schools to high-quality, live classical music. In Hampton Bays, the musicians have worked directly with the music teacher to develop programs that illustrate the concepts being taught in class. The children always have lots of questions for the performers — both about their instruments and about how they became professional musicians.

This year, Quogue Chamber Music sponsored 4 chamber music outreach programs at Hampton Bays Elementary School (2 days), Quogue Elementary School, and Riverhead High School.  In Hampton Bays, the Ivalas String Quartet (come hear them at our September concert!) did programs they call “Elements” for over 200 kindergarten and third grade children, defining pitch, rhythm and melody.  After introducing the concepts, they illustrated those concepts, playing pieces in minor and major keys.  Asked how a piece in a minor key made them feel, one child answered, “Like a sad hamster.”  At Quogue Elementary School, the music teacher chose a different program developed by the Ivalas, called “Motives,” that illustrated short musical motives and how they’re used in a piece or to create a theme or character in a movie score.  The students were particularly engaged by being challenged to identify very short musical motives from sources as diverse as “Harry Potter” and “Jaws” to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony.  As for the “Elements” program, the quartet played short pieces that illustrated the concepts they were discussing.

In Riverhead, the Amo Brass Quintet spent a full morning with a total of over 250 music students.  In addition to two large assembly programs where they performed brass pieces as diverse as selections from “West Side Story” to a lovely piece they had commissioned, the musicians did three coaching/master classes with small groups of band students.  They sat in and played with the students and talked with them about strategies for practicing, dealing with learning new pieces, and performance anxiety.  As in years past, the teachers all told us what a unique gift it is for their students to have these skilled, professional musicians play for them and talk with them about the music and music-making.

Your generosity makes these programs possible for our community.