On Oct. 22, 2014 Ruth and I presented two 45-minute workshops for about 40 middle and high school students visiting Rochester as part of the Meritas education program. Meritas is a family of schools that support PreK-12 education through the organization’s unique approach to personalized learning, which prepares students to succeed at their top choice college… Read more »
ROC Drummers is a new after school hand drumming program that is intended to provide an opportunity for young participants to experience the joy of making music, while simultaneously gaining the acquisition of valuable life skills – setting and achieving personal goals, and working with others towards common goals. The program, which began on September… Read more »
Tuesday September 29, 2015 Bill: Look Outside. What’s that large white thing on the front lawn? I didn’t see that yesterday. Ruth: It looks like a dead animal. Bill: Or is it somebody’s misplaced beachball? Let’s go out and see. Both: Wow! It’s a giant puffball. Let’s see what our mushroom book says about puffballs…. Read more »
To see a complete listing of performances by NEXUS from 1968 to 2018 – including dates, venues, programs – click on the links below: History of NEXUS 1968-1989 History of NEXUS 1990-1998 History of NEXUS 1999-2018
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Michael Rosen’s article on “Ionisation” in the July 2015 issue of PERCUSSIVE NOTES. After reading it, the memory banks in my brain started throwing out images of the past, along with an impulse to write about two of these images under the assumption that they might in some way be of… Read more »
August, 2015 – I’m happy to announce the newest CD by NEXUS – “Persian Songs” (NEXUS Records #10926). The group’s 16th CD under the “NEXUS Records” label features classical vocalist, Sepideh Raissadat, performing arrangements by NEXUS member, Russell Hartenberger. A live performance of “Persian Songs” by NEXUS will be a featured event at the 2015… Read more »
Another summer session at the Eastman School of Music provided yet one more amazing experience with Creative Music Making – free form improvisation – this time explored by high-school-age students coming to Rochester from all over the world. This summer’s CMM group included 25 young musicians, divided into 2 classes. The classes each met for… Read more »
The week of April 17 through 22 was another busy time for NEXUS. The first few days were spent in rehearsals for the April 19 concert at Trinity Lutheran Church in Kingston on the Ulster (NY) Chamber Music Series. The repertoire included a new work, “Chiaroscuro,” by Baird Hersey for the vocal ensemble, Prana, and… Read more »
Drummers’ Heritage Day, May 2, 2015 included four events as part of the Percussion Rochester ’15 Festival. Three of the four events honored Revolutionary War fifers and drummers interred in local cemeteries – East Bloomfield, NY, the West Bloomfield, NY Pioneer Cemetery, and the Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY – in tribute to the… Read more »
As mentioned in several previous blog postings, I frequently receive emailed questions on various percussion-related subjects. Question: After seeing the tubophone photo in your blog posting titled, “Instruments You Can’t Buy (Part 1 – Orchestra Repertoire)“ I’m considering the possibility of constructing one. Can you offer any suggestions? Response: For the tubophone described in the blog,… Read more »
Among the many wonderful benefits of being associated with the Eastman School of Music on a regular basis are the periodic visits of guest musicians, especially in the percussion department. In the 2014/15 season alone there have been visits by Leigh Howard Stevens, Lee Vinson, Jake Nisly, Stanley Leonard, and Amadinda. On Jan. 14, Colin… Read more »
The week of Dec. 1 was a special one at the Eastman School, beginning with a day-long visit by the Hungarian percussion group, Amadinda, on Monday. A 2-1/2-hour morning masterclass with student performances was facilitated by Amadinda members, Zoltan Rácz and Aurél Holló. … Read more »
A few weeks after facilitating the 3-week summer “Creative Music Making” course (July 6 to 25, 2014) at the Eastman School of Music, I received the following letter from one of the participating high school students. “Hello Mr.Cahn. How are you? I took the improvisation class from you at the 2014 Eastman Music Horizons Program…. Read more »
