Artist-in-Residency Program
Through Reflections Series International, Gil Morgenstern develops creative partnerships with a school's administration and faculty, and works directly with students of all ages and capabilities. The residency provides an opportunity for the faculty and students to link individual academic subjects to one another through the arts, creating a vibrant and relevant educational experience.
The exact nature of each artist-in-residence program is by design flexible to meet the specific needs of the host institution and talents of the student body, however a typical residency would include repeated visits to the school over the academic year. Working collaboratively with the school, initial goals would be established, to be met by the end of the school year. While those goals would be reflective of the institution’s existing curriculum and vision, one constant is that the project emphasize the creative process rather than the final product.
The project should involve as many students as possible, and when appropriate, incorporate either their work or the students themselves into a performance in front of their peers, on stage with Gil Morgenstern. Sessions can take place either in single or multiple classrooms, with single or combined grades of all academic subjects, with music students (no matter what their instrument of study), and with those whose first exposure to a professional musician may be this through residency.
“The theater was dark and quiet. The three screens in front of us were black. Gil Morgenstern, the renowned violinist, raised his bow. The dance-like tune of Bach’s Gavotte en Rondeau mesmerized everyone. I did not focus on the fact that we were at school, that I had a test the next day, or that I was extremely tired. Most importantly, I did not focus on Time.
There was no need to focus on Time. Time was absent. Not for one second did I look away from the screens. Slowly, the Golden Ratio revealed itself in the midst of the rainbow of frequency. The snail of perfect pitch was staring at me. This is when I realized that everything is connected. Physics is connected to Math, Art is connected to the Humanities, and Music connects back to Physics.
The violinist was slowing down, and time was creeping back into my mind. The dreamlike atmosphere in the theater was coming to an end regardless of whether or not I was ready to step out of the cube; time was no longer at a standstill. The teacher walked up to the microphone and gave us instructions on where to go when we left the theater. Relatively the five minutes of timeless bliss was over.”
For more information about Artist-in-Residency programs, please contact admin@gilmorgenstern.com
Support Reflections Series International’s Education programs:
A gift to the Reflections Series International’s Education programs has never been more valuable. The challenging economy continues to threaten arts programs in our schools. Your support makes it possible for Reflections Series International artists to create intensive residencies in schools, working not only with aspiring musicians, but with students of all academic subjects to understand how an educated student becomes a cultured adult through an appreciation of the arts.
More information about giving to Reflections Series International.
Gil Morgenstern believes that the essential elements for a successful residency include:
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Meeting with faculty and administration before the project begins to gain a shared understanding of the project's goals
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Linking the project’s goals as appropriate to the school's curriculum
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Providing Gil Morgenstern as much information as possible about the students including learning styles, skills and backgrounds
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Maintaining the relationship during the intervals between visits (Gil Morgenstern would make himself available on Skype when appropriate)
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Meeting regularly to review the process and project goals, adjusting if necessary to keep pace with students' needs and interests
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Encouraging students to think about how the project's overall themes relate to their everyday lives.
In addition to creating a project that demonstrates how, through the arts, diverse academic studies overlap Gil Morgenstern would be available as appropriate for the following:
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working privately with select students in all subjects who may participate directly or indirectly in the project’s performance
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giving musical master classes where students can perform in front of their peers while receiving performance coaching
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performing with and within select ensembles
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work with non-music students to help them integrate their studies through all the academic and arts disciplines
Reports of the success and academic benefits of Gil Morgenstern’s residencies have been extremely gratifying.
A recent collaborative project with ninth graders in New York City involving the music of Bach, videography, and including the humanities, physics, math and science classes, yielded this response from a student:
For information about private lessons with Mr. Morgenstern in New York City, please contact him at gil@gilmorgenstern.com
For information about long-distance lessons, please click contact Mr. Morgenstern at www.tonerow.com/gilmorgenstern
Private Lessons