The Filomen M D'Agostino Greenberg Music School
The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School: In Harmony with Your Needs
With 130 students ranging in age from five to 95, The Filomen M. D'Agostino Greenberg Music School at Lighthouse International is dedicated to helping people pursue their interest in, and study of, music while overcoming the challenges posed by vision loss. Students include children and young people enrolled in public and private schools, colleges and universities, professional musicians -- and anyone interested in enrichment through lifelong musical learning. Since its founding in 1913, our Music School has become highly regarded among music schools in the New York area.
We continue our commitment to excellence and to meeting the needs of students who are visually impaired. We serve as a resource to music educators and performers nationwide, and reach out to potential students in New York as the leading provider of accessible music instruction.
Music Education: Enhancing Your Life
We believe that instruction in the arts is fundamental to enhanced learning. Key research findings published in music education journals link strong arts education programs to:
- Improved performance in reading and math
- Improved student engagement and motivation in school
- Improved social and civic development
- Development of critical and reflective thinking
- Broader understanding of diverse cultures
For young people experiencing vision loss, developing musical talent can have a positive impact on all aspects of life, both personal and academic. For adult students, acquiring or retaining musical skills is important to maintaining quality of life and underscores the value of lifelong learning.
Music Technology: Working for You
Complementing the highest quality music instruction, our Music School has an assistive music technology center that levels the playing field for people with vision loss.
The Lighthouse also plays a leading role in designing and testing new technologies, in order to maximize your learning opportunities. No other community or university music program in the region offers this technology.
In addition, our school maintains a unique, accessible library of more than 25,000 musical scores in braille, large-print and regular staff notation -- an invaluable resource for students and faculty alike, as well as for other educational institutions nationwide.
Playing Our Part in the Community
A member of both the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts and the New York City Coalition of Community Schools of the Arts, the Lighthouse Music School offers a full curriculum -- from individual lessons in voice and a multitude of instruments, to an intensive comprehensive music education program for young people.
Through several ensembles -- vocal, percussion, pop/rock and jazz -- students share their musical interests and prepare for performances in the Lighthouse Catherine Kramer Concert Series. Highlights of the upcoming 2009 -- 2010 season include a World Sight Day Jazz extravaganza, the Vocal Ensemble at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, a collaborative holiday concert with the DownTown Glee Club and lunchtime jazz hours with the Lighthouse Jazz Ensemble.
Another successful community exchange brings together public school children with our Music School in Newsday's FutureCorps city-wide program. This initiative provides children with the opportunity to learn the value of community service and the role that not-for-profit organizations play in their community. They visit the Lighthouse to learn about the services we provide to people who are visually impaired, and students from each school join forces for an intergenerational concert.
Our Music School released its first-ever CD, A Musical Tapestry in 2007. "The name of the CD," explains Dr. Leslie Jones, Executive Director of the Music School, "aptly represents all aspects of the recording. Vision loss and music share a common thread: There are no boundaries... Our recording includes people whose lives are enriched by a tapestry of music, a panoply of styles -- classical, folk, popular, jazz and country."
The Music School Performathon, which is sponsored by our Student Council, provides a performance opportunity for all students -- regardless of age or ability level -- as well as an opportunity to participate in a fundraising effort to benefit the School. In the last two years, our students have raised more than $12,000 to support the continuing endeavors and achievements of the entire Music School student body.