JCC Thurnauer School of Music Hosts Spring 2011 Open House Week

The JCC Thurnauer School of Music (www.jccotp.org/thurnauer), recently named a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, is pleased to announce its Spring 2011 Open House Week, Sunday, May 15 through Sunday, May 22.

Open House Week will be a festive, fun-filled week of "meet the music school" activities, where prospective students and their parents will have opportunities to observe lessons and classes, attend performances and master classes, and meet faculty and staff, including founding director Dorothy Kaplan Roffman.

The week will include a jazz jam session, where prospective students of all ages will have the opportunity to play with the school's acclaimed jazz faculty, Wednesday, May 18 from 6 to 7 p.m. The jam session will immediately precede Jazz Wednesday, a monthly showcase featuring the school's jazz faculty and students, beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Open House Week will culminate on Sunday, May 22 from 1 to 5 p.m. with an afternoon of classes; a multi-instrument student recital; a percussion demonstration; and an instrumental "petting zoo," where students and parents can try different instruments and speak to faculty members. Other activities will include Dalcroze Eurhythmics classes for children aged 3 to 6, designed to teach music through movement; a performance by the Young People's Chorus at Thurnauer; and much more. For more information, please see the schedule below.

"We are very excited to host our Spring 2011 Open House Week," Roffman said. "This biennial event is a wonderful way to meet prospective students and their parents and share with them the fun, wonder, and sense of camaraderie and achievement that comes through the study of music. We invite everyone to join us from May 15 through 22 to learn more about our school." 

During Open House Week, students of all ages, adults included, may register for the Thurnauer School of Music's 2011-2012 season. The school's in-depth curriculum, offering lessons, classes and ensembles, is meticulously designed to develop not only complete musicians and but also well-rounded people, using the study of music to cultivate skills applicable to any profession or endeavor.

"The school's curriculum assures that all students, regardless of prior experience, reach their highest levels of proficiency," Roffman said. "Our students acquire skills that will contribute to lifelong achievement no matter what their pursuits."

The Thurnauer School of Music is part of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, located at 411 East Clinton Avenue in Tenafly, N.J.

For information about the Thurnauer School of Music, including schedules for specific classes, lessons, and teachers, contact the school at (201) 408 1465 or thurnauer@jccotp.org. For additional information, visit www.jccotp.org/thurnauer.

JCC Thurnauer School of Music Spring 2011 Open House Week

(updated 3/29/11 - additions may be made)

Wednesday, May 18

6 p.m. jazz jam session with faculty (Vinnie Sperrazza, director)

7:30 p.m. Jazz Wednesday

Sunday, May 22

1 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. percussion demonstration with faculty member Kevin Norton

1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. instrumental petting zoo and meet-and-greet with faculty members

1:30 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. Dalcroze method classes with faculty member Leslie Upchurch

3 p.m. to 4 p.m. multi-instrument student recital, including performance by

Young People's Chorus at Thurnauer

(Emma Brondolo, director)

About the JCC Thurnauer School of Music

Founded in 1984 by Dorothy Kaplan Roffman, the JCC Thurnauer School of Music, New Jersey's leading community music school, has been designated a Major Arts Institution by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Open to everyone with a desire to learn music, it offers a comprehensive program of private lessons for students of all ages on every instrument and voice, plus musicianship classes and orchestral, choral, jazz, and chamber ensembles. Concert and master class artists have included Pinchas Zukerman, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Bell, Yefim Bronfman, Paquito D'Rivera, and Mark O'Connor. Recipient of a special award for "excellence and high standards" from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Thurnauer School of Music is a member of the National Guild for Community Arts Education. It is an integral part of the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, a non-profit organization serving more than 20,000 people annually from Bergen County and beyond. For more information contact the Thurnauer School of Music at 201.408.1465 or thurnauer@jccotp.org, or visit the School's Web site at www.jccotp.org/thurnauer.

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