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 findings from current research 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, the Music School has an assistive music technology center that levels the playing field for people with vision loss.
The Lighthouse also plays a leadership 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 Music School offers a full music 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, eclectic and jazz - students come together to share their musical interests and prepare for performances in the Lighthouse Catherine Kramer Concert Series. A highlight of the performance season is "The Lighthouse at the Met" concert, a collaborative event that pairs a themed musical performance by select soloists and ensembles with a special exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Another successful community exchange involves public school children, Newsday's Future Corps city-wide program and the Music School. This initiative provides an opportunity for children to learn the value of community service and the role that not-for-profit organizations play in their community. Students from each school join forces for an intergenerational concert in addition to a visit to the Lighthouse to learn about the services we provide to people who are visually impaired.
The 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 CD is available at The Lighthouse Store or online at lighthouse.org/a-musical-tapestry
The Music School Performathon, which was also launched in 2007, is sponsored by our Student Council. The event provides a performance opportunity for all students, regardless of age or ability level, and an opportunity to participate fully in a fundraising effort to benefit the School. The students themselves raised more than $6,000 to support the continuing endeavors and achievements of the entire Music School student body.