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Learning at Carnegie Hall
by
Michelle Accorso
The
students of Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska
were just finished with breakfast as the students from PS 34
in New York City filed into the Zankel Hall theatre in Carnegie
Hall on a recent afternoon. The fourth graders, separated only
by distance and a time difference, were ready to embark on
an interactive educational video game journey whose emphasis
was on music being the international language of the world.
Disney Channel’s Greg Triggs in New York City co-hosted the
event with radio program director Jeff Brown in Juneau.
Judy
and Arthur Zankel Hall, equipped with advanced communication
technology, was the perfect place to house the video game which
revolved around the story of Ray Vega, the band’s trumpet player,
who got stuck in Alaska after the band played a show there
and was too afraid to fly home alone. Therefore, Ray needed
help from the kids at Glacier Valley and PS 34 to overcome
obstacles he inevitably faced by traveling cross-country. By
answering twelve music related questions, the students guided
animated Ray safely across the country and helped him conquer
all adventures and tasks he encountered along the way. The
live band at Carnegie Hall helped the students by playing along
as well as providing entertainment for the entire audience.
The event’s theme was “How do I get to Carnegie Hall” and the
answer was simply the age-old joke, “practice, practice, practice.” Through
answering an array of questions and learning vast musical knowledge
along the way, the students were able to successfully bring
real-live band member Ray home to play the final song with
the band, none other than This Land is Your Land.
The
Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall will serve as the umbrella
for the Hall’s current music education programs as well as
a catalyst for future educational initiatives. As Carnegie
Hall moves forward in expanding its education projects, the
creation of the Weill Music Institute will serve to bolster
these efforts, creating an infrastructure capable of taking
the Hall’s educational work to a national and international
audience. This global outreach will enable projects to be a
conduit for interaction and understanding.#
Education
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