Welcome Back DSM Families!Dear DSM Families, How wonderful it was to see our first full week of lessons start. I don't know who was more excited: the 4 year old starting her intro to piano lesson, or the 7 year old percussion student eager to have his first lesson, or the high school student ready to get back to lessons or the teachers who exclaimed to me: "Yay! My first in-person lesson in 18 months!!" We have stayed busy over the summer with summer music lessons as well as our Summer Jazz Workshop that culminated in a performance at the Dedham Farmers Market. I am getting to know some faculty and students after my arrival mid May and look forward to meeting all of the students and families. I found it so heartwarming sitting in the office and hearing the sound of music lessons bringing the Dedham Community House back to life with the sounds of music! It feels like we are slowly getting back to normal. But it is a new normal. COVID has not gone away, so we have enacted the following policies and guidelines to keep our DSM family safe and healthy: -All of our faculty are fully vaccinated. -We ask that any student or adult not fully vaccinated continue to wear a mask in the building. If you are playing a wind instrument, you and the teacher will determine the safest protocol that is comfortable to both parties. -We ask that parents and siblings not wait in the building but outside enjoying the beautiful end of summer weather and soon to be crisp fall air. -We encourage all eligible members of our community to get vaccinated if you have not already done so. Please visit our website (www.dedhamschoolofmusic.org) to read our updated school policies. Over the past year and a half, the extraordinary and profound challenges presented by the pandemic, economic instability, and our society’s grappling with systemic social injustice has touched each of us in different ways. For some, this meant anxiety and illness, for others, isolation and confusion. Traditional means of finding comfort through connection and creative self expression often seemed out of reach. Engaging in music is a profound opportunity to revisit the elements of creativity, beauty, and learning. We hope that music is an integral part of your lives as it is mine. Music can help us cope and even thrive. Sincerely, Jody Pongratz, Executive Director Dedham School of Music Parking: Please enter the Allin Church parking lot with the entrance closest to DSM and then turn right into the driveway and park on either side facing High Street. There is plenty of room for a car to pass in the middle if the cars on either side park to the end of the pavement. You can also back into a space against the gym. String Jamboree
New Piano Class Great Pianists and Performances of the 20th century At the turn of the 19th century, the piano was still the most complex mechanism widely used in the western world. This relic from a different era still enchants and inspires many and is used to display wild feats of virtuosity, intellect, and human expression. In this class, we will explore great performances by great pianists of the 20th century. Together, we will enhance our ability to listen and discuss music by distinguishing between the elements of a composition and the way that it is performed. This class will meet over zoom four times on Thursdays at 6:00-6:45pm. NEW DATES: Classes start Oct 7 and run each Thursday 10/7, 14, 21, and 28 in October. The class is intended for adults and young adults who are enthusiastic about listening to and discussing classical piano music. Headphones are recommended. Fee: $50 for this 4 week session. New FacultySteph Davis Praised for their "communicative" and "hauntingly beautiful" music making, Steph is an active marimbist, composer, and cultural activist based in Boston, MA. They have recorded and premiered numerous solo and chamber music and have produced and performed several acclaimed marimba recitals, including pieces of mind (2021) and A Discourse on Black Identity (2020). Their music has been performed throughout North America, including commissions from Spectrum Ensemble, Prism Percussion, and Douglas Anderson School of the Arts, among others. In addition, Steph frequently performs and teaches at schools, festivals, and panels across North America. As an educator, helping musicians to discover new pathways of expression is the primary goal of Steph's pedagogy. Driven by high expectations and boundless curiosity, their students build agency over their tone, explore personal expression, and deepen their musical interpretations. Steph is currently pursuing a M.M. in Marimba Performance at Boston Conservatory at Berklee. They hold a B.M. in Percussion Performance from the Conservatory. Steph is a Marimba One Artist and endorses Marimba One instruments and mallets. For more information, please visit Steph's website: https://www.stephdavismusic.com/  First RecitalFriday, October 29th at 7pm Costume optional. Due to Covid we will be limiting the number of participants. Sign up for the recital is on a first come first serve basis, please reach out to your teacher if you are interested. The recital will be held in First Parish Church across the street from DSM. Bluegrass JamsOur next Bluegrass Jam is Monday October 4 at the Total Image Hair Salon, 485 High St, Dedham at 7pm. All are welcome. Come and jam with us! 
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A NEW GROUP and Class starting SOONString Chamber Group: Come join Dedham School of Music's inaugural Adult String Chamber group. We will start with a 6 week session meeting on Tuesday evenings 7-8:30pm September 21st through October 26th. Cost of the program: $100. Come spend the evening making music! Registration: info@dedhamschoolofmusic.org Great Pianists and Performances of the 20th century At the turn of the 19th century, the piano was still the most complex mechanism widely used in the western world. This relic from a different era still enchants and inspires many and is used to display wild feats of virtuosity, intellect, and human expression. In this class, we will explore great performances by great pianists of the 20th century. Together, we will enhance our ability to listen and discuss music by distinguishing between the elements of a composition and the way that it is performed. This class will meet over zoom four times on Thursdays (Sept 2, 9, 16, and 23) 6:00-6:45pm. The class is intended for adults and young adults who are enthusiastic about listening to and discussing classical piano music. Headphones are recommended. Fee is $50 for this 4 week session. If interested please email info@dedhamschoolofmusic.org. The Dedham Community Band under the direction of Jenn Allen Zevos will be starting up next month. Sign up for the band is ongoing. Here's a link to their recent spring piece "Remember Me" from Disney's Coco: https://youtu.be/zfGKEfKVx94 And here's the link to the Dedham Community Chorus performing a virtual choir piece: "Dream a Little Dream" : https://youtu.be/YsRnSV5BJpg. The chorus will be on hiatus these next few months. Check our News of Note and Website for when it will return. Special EventWhat are you doing Wednesday (8/25) afternoon at 2pm? Stop by the Farmers Market in front of First Parish on High St. and hear a performance by our Jazz Workshop under the leadership of Joseph Borsellino Jr, and Tony Irons. Tony and Joseph worked with 6 DSM students throughout the summer who learned about jazz, improvisation, theory, and performance. Members of the jazz workshop: Lugh Cunningham, Mannix Esteban, Colleen Kelly, Matthew LeBlanc, and Aidan Smith. Our Executive Director, Jody Pongratz, had fun too when she sat in on the piano during one of the workshop sessions Congratulations!Adam Merrill, one of our piano faculty members just received Honorable Mention in the Medici International Music Competition for his performance of Franz Liszt’s transcription of the Love-Death scene from Tristan und Isolde alongside Paderewski’s Nocturne in B-flat major. :) https://youtu.be/fnmY2GzyMvs Congratulations Adam! Congratulations to the DSM Bookkeeper, Teresa Reis whose daughter Lauren was married at The Barn at Gibbet Hill in Groton, MA. Here is a photo of mother and daughter: Special ThanksThanks to DSM faculty Laura Sousa Wagner and Josh Jandreau for teaching music classes at the Horizons Summer program at Dedham Country Day School. The Executive Director there made note to say one of the students from one of the first violin classes was back as a camp counselor this year. And she continued to play violin throughout her school days as a result of being introduced to it by DSM at Horizons!
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