Matthew Beland, 16 Woodbridge, is one of 18 students from The Neighborhood Music School, who will participate in the "White House Community Classroom Music Series," hosted by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House this Wednesday. The students will participate in a workshop with master musicians, Joshua Bell, Alisa Weilerstein, Sharon Isbin and Awadagin Pratt, followed by a performance by the artists. Beland said he is excited to meet Jashua Bell, a world renowned violinist, because he listens to all his music. Here Matthew takes a lesson from NMS instructor Mark Rike, of Guilford, as Matthew's grandmother Jean Criscuolo, also of Woodbridge looks on. Criscuolo, who also plays the violin, said Matthew began playing at the age of two. (RICHARD MESSINA / HARTFORD COURANT / November 2, 2009)
Related links
The 16-year-old junior from Woodbridge was at New Haven's Neighborhood Music School for his regular Monday evening lesson, practicing his scales and working on a concerto with his very exacting teacher.
But the pressures of perfecting the music for his instructor are nothing compared with what he'll experience Wednesday. Beland and 17 other Connecticut kids who study at the music school will get a chance to show off their musical prowess in front of what might be their most important audience to date: first lady Michelle Obama and several master musicians.
As part of the White House Community Classroom Music Series hosted by Obama, the 18 advanced music students in grades 7 through 12 are joining about 100 others from around the country to perform and take lessons from the musicians — violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, guitarist Sharon Isbin and pianist Awadagin Pratt. Obama created the music series earlier this year to celebrate and demonstrate the importance of arts education. Wednesday's classical music lessons and performance are the fourth in the series.
The Neighborhood Music School is the largest nonprofit community arts school in the state and one of the 10 largest in the country. The school has 130 teachers offering music, dance and drama lessons to about 2,500 people from around the state. About 300 attend the school on financial aid.
The school's executive director, Larry Zukof, explained the school's road to the White House. Essentially, Zukof said, someone who knew someone who is familiar with the school suggested that it be invited to participate in the music series. Zukof said he learned two weeks ago that the school had been chosen to send students to the White House. The group — five pianists, five violinists, five cellists and three classical guitarists — has become the talk of the school, he said.
And to say that they are excited for the opportunity is an understatement.
"I was overjoyed," Beland said when he heard the news. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
"I just started crying, tears streaming down my face," Lily Engbith said. The 14-year-old violinist and freshman at New Haven's Wilbur Cross High School and the magnet high school ACES Educational Center for the Arts said she's most excited about learning technical skills from Bell and meeting students from around the country.
"This is just incredible for me. I really value my music as a part of my life, and this will just enhance it even more," Lily said. "It'll be a great experience to meet other musicians like myself and learn from them."
"We've had a lot of big things, but to be at the White House and to be invited has never happened before," Zukof said. He said opportunities like this show the importance of arts education and funding for the arts.
"With the arts always being on the cutting block, here we are representing the state in the most prestigious way with our students ..." Zukof said. "That's a worthy attainment."
Simply put, 13-year-old classical guitarist Kwame Asiedu said, "It's an honor to play for the first lady."
