Making Musical Communities

Talent show time...things that make you go hmmm?!

2012-01-18T10:35:00.000-08:00

THINK ABOUT THIS.......

Da Capo does NOT provide you a typical children's choir or training choir experience. These are great, trust me...our world needs these ensembles and directors. Many people I know serve in these roles. Here's the biggest difference as I see it. Da Capo students learn to sing as part of an ensemble, while simultaneously learning to sing as soloists. I love the fact that our students don't need the group to be able to sing something. All of our kids are CAPABLE of performing for anyone, anytime, anywhere. Now THAT makes me proud. They are acquiring skills through the Da Capo experience which are just not emphasized in most other musical settings. They're learning to become musical leaders and using their music to impact the world around them. Now that really is something to be proud of.

ATTN2: "Someone Like You" by Adele, "Edge of Glory" by Lady Gaga, and "Firework" by Katy Perry.

Last night, I attended one of my kids' talent shows. Having 4 kids in 4 schools this year affords me the opportunity to attend 4 of these over the coming weeks! Something interesting to note is that I'm hearing the same songs presented by different kids, varying age groups, over and over again! And some of these are songs that our Da Capo students MASTERED this past session! Yes, I did say MASTERED....because they did! The kids I'm hearing in performance and auditions are, many times, far from mastery....they're not even singing the right notes....wow. Frustrating to say the least. So how does Da Capo help these kids?

We hand-carved an arrangement of these 3 songs that used them independently as well as in combination/partner song style. If any of you are interested in using these songs with your students, I'd love to share our arrangement with you...it is awesome and teaches kids to sing these well-loved and over-done songs WELL! Here's the link to our Da Capo Experience video...13min 40sec in, you'll hear Da Capo's arrangement.

Other songs we worked were "King of Anything" and "Blackbird"...again, well known and much loved songs. We created our own unique arrangements of these songs that taught the kids to sing them not only in a choral setting, but as soloists. Their own flair, attitude, sensitivity was displayed in every rehearsal and performance.

I loved being able to coach the students as ensemble singers, yet also hold them to the high standard and increased pressure of solo singing. Working together, but separate is an invaluable skill that we emphasize at Da Capo.

NOW THINK ABOUT THIS....

Why are people not lining up to have their kids be a part of an opportunity like this? I really don't get it but we think it is because they just don't realize we are here.. and they don't know what they are missing.

Trust me...we as faculty, founders, and board members continue to ask the same question over and over again. We have garnered support from lots of people, musical and non. We have developed partnership with churches and schools who believe in the mission and vision of Da Capo, so much so that they allow us to use their facilities every week at no charge. We've begun to develop a donor base. The support is there, but where are the registering students???

The reality is that, in the end, the numbers don't matter.

What does matter then?

The impact matters, the results, the changed lives, the appreciation for artists of all levels...these are the things that matter. Some sessions yield better concerts than others, but every session yields meaningful relationships, increased self awareness, a better understanding of the effects of drive and determination, the pursuit of excellence, a sense of humility, and solid musical learning.

QUESTIONS FOR YOU...

Do you have 3 students who you think would enjoy learning pop music and more?

Da Capo's the place for them.

Do you have 3 students who love music?

Da Capo's the place for them.

Do you have 3 students who would love to do Da Capo, but can't afford it?

Scholarships are available, Da Capo's the place for them.

Do you have 3 students who enjoy music, but lack confidence?

Da Capo's the place for them.

Tell them...
"Baby, you're a firework... C'mon let your colors burst!"

Nonprofit+Nonprofit requires a Quid Pro Quo

2012-01-12T06:10:00.000-08:00

Figuring out how to partner and work with other socially minded, non profit leaders and organization is really quite a challenge. Lesson 1: think about the quid pro quo.. or it may go nowhere... and could even harm your organization's reputation.

Today, I had the privilege of meeting with some folks from a state-wide nonprofit organization who are looking for Da Capo to provide a one-time Vivo experience for their clients. This is certainly right up our alley, and something that we are well equipped to offer. There is no question about the benefit to the families and children receiving professional services from both nonprofits, at no charge by the way. So now, we have to figure out how partnering with each other to offer services provides benefit to both our organizations. Because we must all stay afloat.

Nonprofits doing "business" with other nonprofits.... A couple of realities come to mind:

1- Neither of us has a significant budget, if any at all.

2-Both of us need what the other has to offer, which costs both organizations money.

So how do we do "business" if neither can afford to pay for it?
Is it reasonable to expect free services?
Does money have to change hands?
Is it enough to be paid in recognition or long-term results?

Here's the thing...."Nonprofit" means not-for profit, not free. Our end goal is community and societal impact.. We ALL have that goal.. but it also means that what we do needs to pay for itself... and, on top of that, it means that the organization does not turn a profit so there is little to no flexibility. Let's face it...everything, even community building, has a cost. Skill, expertise, and specialization do have a price tag. And at the end of the day, we all need to pay our bills. Expecting services for free from others is a minefield for relationships and service.

How did we handle our situation today? We presented our offer...class details, personnel required, anticipated results, and our flat fee. Fair and square. So, either there needs to be monetary compensation for our services or some equivalent benefit to Da Capo, like direct student enrollment, exposure to a key audience, or a trade-off of services.

Quid pro quo. I'll be interested to see the trade off.

Journey with a children's choir

2012-01-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

Screen shot from DaCapoVa's Youtube channel.

Midlothian children's choruses provided by Da Capo (Animato and Cantare) are special experiences in performance and service for our students. They are involved not only in our events, but they are actively encouraged to seek out music performance opportunities and programs at their churches, homes, and beyond. From musicals, to mission trips, Da Capo students are raising their voices, instruments and skills as tools for change. Wow, it is breathtaking to watch.

In the beginning, we knew we could do something special with children's choirs and provide opportunities that are different and distinct from the high end, elite, offerings of the Greater Richmond Children's Choir and your normal school and church choir experiences for young musicians. Tracee and our founding members have been unbelievable in their success. The videos on the website speak for themselves. Our newest video the DaCapo experience 2011 was conceived entirely as a video concert event.. showcasing our students, faculty and the organization as a whole. Take the time to watch.. I think you will be impressed with the musicianship, the spirits and the talent of the entire group.. as I am..

Our faculty has really come together into a community at its own level. We sing, and make music together regularly in addition to our teaching loads. The assessment tool was a huge asset in helping us to communicate how we interact and "grow/serve" our students as they grow.Our Master as Teachers series puts students into contact with artists they would just never have the opportunity to interact with at their level. VERY COOL!

Animato and Cantare are fabulous opportunities for young singers to develop and explore their personal abilities in an elite, but never elitist environment. They directly target the development of both musical and interpersonal skills. Our students learn how to sing and be well rounded musicians, despite their young ages.

We support them and teach them how to perform and execute at high levels before they are put into "pressure" situations. They develop stamina, personal confidence, and a desire to perform and seek excellence in everything that they do.

I am so proud! Thanks to all of our parents, faculty, students, and advocates! Lets have another great year in 2012!

Jeff Prillaman
Executive Director

Vivo student intern shares her experience!

2011-12-05T07:03:00.000-08:00

Meranda Whittle, local high school senior, has been serving this fall as a student intern with Da Capo in the Vivo classrooms. Her math teacher, and our piano faculty member Mike Zuk, connected her with our organization a few months ago...what a great connection! Meranda has spent the fall session learning what it's like to work with students with special needs, and see them progress into better communicators and stronger musicians. In this post, Meranda shares her experience with Da Capo, the Vivo teachers and assistants, and the students.

Thank you, Meranda, for sharing your passion with the Vivo students and faculty!!

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On October 28, 2011, I was given the amazing opportunity to become a part of Da Capo. I have only been apart of Vivo for just a little over two months now, but it certainly has been privilege to say the least.I am currently working with the Vivo I and II groups along with Heidi Thurmond, Jamilah Anderson, and Jennie Raugh. Our class consist of a range of kids from ages five to eighteen with special needs. Vivo I and II are definitely hands on classes. In our two groups we take time to bond with each child and get to know them personally. I have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with each child and learning their personalities because no child is the same.

Throughout my experience I have been able to be truly blessed, not only through the teachers, but also through the children as well. I have seen kids completely open up to music and change their attitudes with just one class. To say that Vivo is an ordinary class would be a lie. We are a family, and work together as one too. I can honestly say that Da Capo has opened my heart up to children and to music.I have been able to watch children come in from having an off day and as soon as we start our class they completely let go and focus on us. You can truly see the change in our kids in such a short amount of time through the power of music.

Going into Da Capo I was still deciding on my future and what I wanted to do with my life. Coming out of Da Capo I am sure now that I want to go into teaching and working with kids with autism and disabilities. A million thank yous would never be enough for this amazing opportunity I was given. Vivo has not only touched my heart, but has molded and shaped me for my future. I know that, for a fact, this is the same for our students.

I look forward to my future with Da Capo and seeing children's lives being influenced in such an amazing way though music.

Mike Pinto brings New York to Richmond!

2011-11-14T12:59:00.000-08:00

....Mike Pinto............

...New York-based Jazz Vibraphonist.............

..Coming to Richmond...............

..Thursday, Nov 17th at River Road Presbyterian Church!!!!!!!!

Jazz Workshops-$10 per student

5:30-ages 12-18, and up!

6:45-ages 8-11

6:20-mini-concert!

www.mikepinto.net

About Mike:

-Michael has been performing as a leader and sideman in world class jazz venues such as the Village Vanguard, Birdland, Jazz At Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, Smalls, Sweet Rhythm, Fat Cat, Chris' Jazz Cafe (Philadelphia), and more.

-Michael has become an active member of the Greg Osby Five, which has taken him from Perugia, Italy to the Village Vanguard in New York City.

-Graduate of Berklee College of Music in Boston, Mass.

-Studied with Dave Samuels (of Spyro Gyra), Jason Moran, and Stefan Harris.

-Discography includes: Little Green Men and Prologue

Join us for a fabulous jazzy event!!

The Think System...not quite!

2011-11-14T11:34:00.000-08:00

Da Capo is at its core a performing arts organization. What does it mean to be a performing arts organization? To me, it means we connect to our community through music education opportunities, concerts, and larger scale enrichment. We also help to provide jobs to local professional musicians.

Now, looking specifically at our motto...Love it, Learn it, Live it. Let's break that down...

Loving your music, that's easy, at least we think it is. The student is inspired by the teacher's passion for their music. Student sees teacher loving it, they love it too. Actually most times, the students come in loving their music. So this really is an easy task.

Next is learning it...we are a music school right? If we are, then we have to teach our students something...musical concepts, life skills, socialization, leader/followship. We've got this down at Da Capo...our faculty makes me proud.

Finally, but I think most importantly, is live it. This is how we apply all of the great things that we do week in and out. Sharing our music, our knowledge, ourselves with family, community, friends, those in need, churches, schools, etc. Living it is how our students make a difference in the world.

Work with me on this....if we are tasked with living it, then we must make ourselves available to actually do it. It's not enough to just "think" that we'll have an impact on people, we have to make it happen. That means that rehearsing is one piece of the puzzle, but boy, the performances are critical! Harold Hill's "think system" isn't going to help us here. We need to do more than think, we must DO.

Da Capo believes strongly in the value of week to week rehearsals and classes, because the destination is the journey (thanks to a Da Capo donor for that quote : ). However, our performances are the culmination of weeks and months of effort, sweat, music making, skill formation, and relationship building. This piece of the model is foundational to becoming an impact-ful musician.

Yes, you're right...doing requires commitment. I know..scary word, right? Yes, it is. But what is really worth doing that does not require commitment and devotion? I know you've heard this..."Anything worth doing is worth doing right".

Commitment and follow through is key for Da Capo...this is what helps to differentiate our organization. Our students and families understand the equal value of music making and people building. Our performances are the final product....allowing each student to DO what it is they've talked about and practiced doing for months.

Our students know that when their music falls on open ears, minds, and hearts, that lives are changed. We, the performers and the listeners, share a transforming musical moment.

So, don't be afraid to commit, or allow your child to commit to something. Ask yourself, is it a worthwhile investment? Is it an activity that will not only benefit me or my child, but bring benefit to someone else? Will it be a growth opportunity for me and my child? Da Capo is a "yes" to all these questions.

Forget about the "think system" and "just do it"!

Community foundation description statement RESONATES

2011-11-10T04:12:00.000-08:00

When Da Capo began 5 years ago, the founders were unsure whether it would be possible to create programs to serve special needs children. To their surprise, the Vivo program galvanized the organization and imbued the faculty and staff with the heart to serve and the desire to transform the role of music in America. The stone that the builder rejected has now become the cornerstone of Da Capo.

Market Analysis

There is a natural market of exceptional students needing private music instruction. Tapping this natural market is as far as most music teaching organizations go.

Da Capo serves that natural market and also addresses the needs of an under-served segment: children with special needs. Current educational practices tend to isolate and ostracize these children. Their parents have a keen desire to find ways to provide them with enriching experiences that will enhance their quality of life.

Da Capo recognized from the beginning that, in our society, musicians are under-valued, and music education is under-funded. Many talented music educators have opted out of traditional education models, because the format is not fulfilling for them.

From inception, Da Capo attracted musicians of all ages, abilities and backgrounds, who previously believed they were not good enough to participate in music as performers, only as consumers of music. This market segment is “the next ten percent”: musicians who see value in music performance but lack a venue.

Da Capo Model

From the success of early efforts, a scalable model has emerged. By operating as a nonprofit, the organization is now able to recruit students through schools, houses of worship, and other community organizations. Churches are utilized off-hours for classrooms. Teachers are compensated through modest fees paid by students.

Vivo is an essential component of the model. When the community sees these special children in action, they have living proof of the inclusiveness of the Da Capo model. These very special children play a unique and powerful role in leading Da Capo to success.

Evolutionary Plan

Our goal is to build critical mass here in our local Richmond market and leverage our success to provide impetus for local fund raising campaigns. Funding will enable us to roll out our model to other markets.

To that end, we have begun the following initiatives:

We have begun to penetrate the senior market by performing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We believe we can attract large numbers of seniors into our brand of community-based music opportunities.
Faculty members are speaking at meetings of public school teachers, at houses of worship, and at meetings of community groups in the mid-Atlantic region, prospecting for a core group of like-minded musicians to form a chapter.
Having been approved by IRS for 501(c)(3) status, we are sending our members into public schools to give demonstrations to beginning instrumental music students in over-crowded classrooms. This elevates our public profile, helps understaffed music programs, and is a prospecting mechanism for our choirs as classrooms and private lesson teachers.
We continue to refine our programs and attract talent into our Richmond chapter, having recently added instrumental teachers and a former public school music teacher who specializes in popular music genres.
Our goal is not to compete with music schools, but to fill gaps. Our target is not the talented over-achieving music student, but the under-served “next 10 percent”, who lack a venue where they can express the music inside them.

Need for Marketing Infrastructure

The existing model for music education is elitist, exclusionary, and consumer-driven. Only the elite survive; lesser students are eliminated and become consumers of music only.

The Da Capo model is participatory, inclusive, and performance-driven. There is a place for everyone.

Words in the "cloud"

2011-11-08T05:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Wordle.net for some excellent depictions of the DaCapoWay... intersection of art and technology is always exciting. These word clouds were generated from the RSS feed for THIS blog. "Making Musical Communities"

2nd half of Fall Session thoughts

2011-10-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

Fall session kick-off....check

Benefit piano concert weekend...check

Halfway point of fall session...check

So, what's next?

Now's the time we drive to the end of the session and our performance events. Polishing, memorizing, learning movements...the hardest work lies ahead of us. We think that teaching the notes and rhythms is hard? Ha! Hardly. Developing artistry and beauty in our music is definitely challenging. Differentiation...that is the game.

I cannot wait to see how the next 5 weeks progress...our students, our faculty, our supporters and advocates all play a role! All of our talking and planning is for naught if we cannot deliver the goods. Experience and journey is certainly important, but the results count too.

I hope you will join us for our community concert at Bon Air Presbyterian Church on Thursday December 8 at 7:00pm. Jazz, Pop, and more....Animato, Cantare, Prima Volta, and Vivo are working hard...can't wait for you to hear them!

Broadway shows, World Series and Community competition

2011-10-21T05:29:00.000-07:00

Competition, Collaboration, Exclusion, Inclusion, Intersection of Arts & Commerce - More than words.

Choral singing provides for musical inclusion and excellence for all in a way that no broadway show or solo event ever can. The collective excellence when the event is prepared with passion and discipline is overwhelming to the audience and the performers alike.

How the chorus is prepared provides the differential for DaCapo. Drawn from the Westminster Choir College symphonic choir tradition with skilled conductors and disciplined, rigorous preparation, Our kids are taught the basics... notes, rhythms, texts, poetry, performance practice, confidence... to work within the whole increasing the whole through their individual contributions. We are competitive, but in an agreed upon construct and the excellence shows through in our service to community through constant sharing.

#Maximum Opportunity + #Maximum Impact

The skills taught are applied immediately but have lasting impacts in every area of life.

Students learn to PERFORM...on stage, in school, and...

display self-confidence and be self-motivated.
relate to others effectively as interpersonal skills are enhanced.
demonstrate creativity and critical thinking skills in school work and daily life.
appreciate the value of practice/discipline as part of a successful work ethic.
embrace a personal journey towards excellence.

SPORTS: Even in a Rec league.. you will find some awesome baseball... and the whole community is enriched by the relationships and the interactions. It is not about being in the world series, it is about understanding and appreciating the game and every players' part in it.

"In sports as in the arts, we are able creatively to construct imaginary worlds with their own goals, rules, and obstacles, and to enter them for a time...God gave humanity the formative power to explore, discover, and develop the potential of the creation in diverse ways. It is out of this foundational task that sports and athletics have arisen as one cultural product."

‎"In sports, teams or individuals agree cooperatively to oppose one another within the stated goals, rules, and obstacles of the game. In other words, cooperation, not rivalry, is at the heart of competition"

‎"Thus an opponent is not first of all a rival but rather someone who provides the opportunity for a more delightful experience of sport. Competition is an enriching part of God’s gift. One loves one’s neighbor in sport by providing stiff competition to enhance the athletic experience "

--Goheen & Bartholomew, "Living at the Crossroads"

Special opportunity for the Richmond region this weekend!

2011-10-20T08:48:00.001-07:00

Wow! The piano benefit weekend is finally upon us! I cannot wait to be transformed by the music and friendships that will be made this weekend! Back 6 years ago, we thought that we could do 5 events in a year...well, we learned that we were a bit too ambitious! We now run 2-3 events in a year, promoting incredible musicians from all over the country! What a treat for the Richmond community!

This weekend, we'll be graced by the presence of two outstanding pianists, artists, and people. Joshua and Lloyd are talented, engaging, and spirited. The music of Lamothe and Liszt will certainly be brought to life in a unique and special way in a beautiful sanctuary. Dr. Gayle will share his story of his medical work with the Haitian people. Again, what a rare and incredible opportunity for the people of Richmond!

The impact of these types of events is felt by musicians, music appreciators, humanitarians, philanthropists, teachers, and yes, even kids. I hope that there are many people in the audience this weekend to reap the benefits of being immersed in musical excellence, for the purpose of helping others. Trust me, you'll be glad you participated in the Benefit Piano Concert weekend! Come out to Bon Air Presbyterian Church, Friday and Saturday nights. And come on Saturday afternoon at 1:00pm to meet them up close and personal in a masterclass setting.

See you tomorrow night!

Tracee Prillaman

Co-Founder/Director Da Capo VA

Amazing Raise - via Give Richmond

2011-10-05T07:54:00.000-07:00

RESULTS: $675 raised for our musical community in only 36 hours.. THANK YOU! We may not have "won" the multipliers, but Richmond won and we were proud to participate...

Support DaCapoVa in the Give Richmond Amazing Raise

A Donation from you now will...MAKE A DIFFERENCE IMMEDIATELY!

offer a scholarship to a special needs musician
sponsor a make a difference concert at hospitals & schools across the region.
provide classes to special needs children
enable students to study music from needy families for VIVO, ANIMATO and CANTARE
offer a public school arts enrichment program or after school programs in Henrico, Richmond and Chesterfield County public schools

About Da Capo Virginia

Our vision is to offer community-based opportunities that develop and train leaders in musical excellence. Our Guiding Principles: Develop the whole person through opportunities for self-expression, discipline, creativity, and teamwork. Achieve excellence through challenging experiences. Create, build, and strengthen new and existing communities through the common language of music. Appreciate all types of music. Provide an opportunity for everyone, where all are valued as individuals. Outfit individuals with the power to share music and impact their world.

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FOR MORE INFO: CLICK HERE

WHAT is The Amazing Raise?

The Amazing Raise 2011 is a unique, online giving event that provides an opportunity for people who care about the Greater Richmond region to come together and raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits in 36 hours – starting at 6 am on October 5 through 6 pm on October 6. All gifts will be processed through GiveRichmond, an online resource and community-wide giving program administered by The Community Foundation Serving Richmond and Central Virginia.

The Community Foundation has committed $100,000 in incentive grants to help leverage credit card donations received via GiveRichmond during this period.

WHY is The Amazing Raise a good opportunity for our community?

Last fall, The Community Foundation launched GiveRichmond as a way to broadly share knowledge about local nonprofits and the important issues facing our region. Our goal is to make philanthropy accessible, fun and easy for our entire community.

Today, GiveRichmond provides in-depth information about 350 local nonprofits – a number that is growing daily. To date, approximately half of these organizations have received donations through the site. Donors are using the site to better inform their giving, while local foundations are using it to conduct due diligence on their grantmaking. Encouraged by this support, we are excited to offer a very special opportunity for nonprofits and their supporters – The Amazing Raise 2011.

The Amazing Raise is a 36-hour donation period designed to expand and increase giving to local nonprofits that are an essential part of ensuring the health and vibrancy of our region. Other metropolitan areas that have held similar events have raised well over $1 million in a single day. We can do it too!

Why We Teach Music

2011-09-28T09:49:00.000-07:00

Why We Teach Music

Music is a science.

It is exact, specific; and it demands exact acoustics.
A conductor's full score is a chart, a graph which indicates frequencies, intensities,
volume changes, melody and harmony all at once and with the most exact control of time.

Music is mathematical.
It is rhythmically based on the subdivisions of time into fractions
which must be done instantaneously, not worked out on paper.

Music is a foreign language.
Most of the terms are in Italian, German or French;
and the notation is certainly not English but a highly developed
kind of shorthand that uses symbols to represent ideas.
The semantics of music is the most complete and universal language.

Music is history.
Music usually reflects the environment and times of its creation,
often even the country and/ or racial feeling.

Music is physical education.
It requires fantastic coordination of fingers, hands, arms, lip, cheek and facial muscles,
in addition to extraordinary control of diaphragmatic, back, stomach, and chest muscles,
which respond instantly to the sound the ear hears and the mind interprets.

Music is all these things, but most of all, music is art.
It allows a human being to take all of these dry, technically boring
(but difficult) techniques and use them to create emotion.
That is one thing science cannot duplicate;
humanism, feeling, emotion, call it what you will.

That is why we teach music.
Not because we expect our students to major in music
Not because we expect them to play or sing all their life
Not so they can relax
Not so they can have fun.
But so they will be human
So they will recognize beauty
So they will be sensitive
So they will be closer to an infinite beyond this world
So they will have something to cling to
So they will have more love, more compassion, more gentleness, more good
- - in short, more life.
Of what value will it be to make a prosperous living unless you know how to live?
That is why we teach music.

Author Unknown

Chester Fest Kudos

2011-09-24T18:43:00.001-07:00

Today we ran our first Chester Fest booth! The weather was fairly cooperative, at least for part of the day. Light rain and drizzle came down much of the day and created an overall dreary kind of feeling. Despite the rain and smaller crowds, we worked hard to share Da Capo with the festival visitors today, letting the kids play our instruments, sharing flyers, and hearing several musical stories.

Set up was completed by Heidi and Jeff at 7:30am this morning...it was definitely an early start to a very long day. They really have this process down...the tables, the canopy, the hanging Remo drums, and everything else. Heidi and Jeff don't miss a single detail....thank you both for helping us look great today! Major kudos also goes to Mike, Julia, and Jamilah for giving up part of your Saturday to advocate for Da Capo...we're fortunate to have these folks affiliated with Da Capo in such an integral way.

A couple of highlights of the day...

~9th grade young man at Thomas Dale in the Arts Specialty Center singing "Amazing Grace" under our tent...by the way, our own Mike Zuk is his geometry teacher!

~$5 cupcake cups!

~meeting the chairman for the Chesterfield Arts Foundation

The Da Capo team is a mighty force. Boy, our students, are so lucky to have these folks as their musical mentors and leaders. Hoping the Chester folks are open to elite children's choirs and inclusionary music education. Thank you to all of our faculty for your dedication, professionalism, and artistry.

Piano Benefit Concert Weekend Coming in October

2011-09-23T10:50:00.000-07:00

Da Capo is THRILLED to present

Dr. Joshua Russell and Lloyd Arriola in solo piano concerts Friday, October 21 and Saturday, October 22 at Bon Air Presbyterian Church as part of Da Capo's Piano Benefit Weekend! A Saturday afternoon masterclass will also be offered! Half of the proceeds from the weekend's events will go to directly help with disaster relief efforts worldwide.

Dr. Joshua Russell has a significant connection to Haiti, having taught at Holy Trinity Music School, located in Port au Prince, Haiti. Sadly, the school was completely destroyed in the earthquake. Joshua has been integrally involved in the rebuilding efforts, as he is passionate about delivering the gift of music making to the Haitian people. Joshua will share the music of Haitian piano music composer, Ludovic Lamothe, and share his first hand stories of the music students of Holy Trinity. Half of all money raised will go directly to the rebuilding of Holy Trinity! Come out and help Da Capo support this Haitian musical community on Friday, October 21!!! Visit Joshua's website to learn more about him at http://joshuarussellpianist.com. Prior to the concert, Dr. Sigsby Gayle, Haitian medical missionary, will share the plight of the Haitian people and detail his medical mission work and outreach to the people of Haiti.

Lloyd Arriola will be presenting a very special program for us on Saturday evening, October 22. Lloyd is an active performer and teacher in New York, holding degrees from Peabody Institute as well as The Juilliard School. Lloyd will play the music of Franz Liszt for Da Capo in celebration of Liszt's 200th birthday. The extra special part is that Lloyd will play this same program at Carnegie Recital Hall in November. Wow! Using Da Capo to premier your Carnegie Hall concert....we'll take it!! Visit Lloyd's website to learn more http://lloydarriola.com.

On Saturday afternoon from 1:00-3:00, October 22, Joshua and Lloyd will lead a masterclass. Students of varying ability levels will have the opportunity to coach with these two world class artists for only $10! What a great opportunity for any musician!

I am so excited that Da Capo is bringing these two fabulous artists and humanitarians to Richmond. Save the date, and then come out and join us at Bon Air Presbyterian Church for an exceptional weekend of music making!

Sample night in Chester TONITE at 6:00pm!!

2011-09-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

Are you and your kids singers, instrumentalists, Lady Gaga fans, composers, shower singers? We can't wait to learn about you and see how we can help you achieve your musical goals!

Tonight, Da Capo faculty will "raise the roof" with great music making and extraordinary music instruction! Come on out to Chester United Methodist Church at 6:00....thank you to our newest facility partner of hosting us tonight! We have awesome teachers who will share their passion for music and people with you for FREE tonight! You'll have a chance to meet each of us, and share your musical story with professional community musicians!

Mini-classes will be offered tonight for students ages 5 -18, including Prima Volta, Animato, Cantare, and Vivo for students with special needs! Students will have a chance to sing and experience music together and learn about Da Capo!

Fall session starts in 2 weeks....now's your chance to check us out! Can't wait to see you!

FALL SESSION 2011...NOW ENROLLING!!!

2011-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

Time to register for our Fall 2011 opportunities! Come make music with us learning musical fundamentals through the eyes of Jazz and Pop!! Beautiful singing, building interpersonal skills, mentoring opportunities! Performance opportunities!

Mondays at Chester United Methodist

Tuesdays at Bon Air Presbyterian

Thursdays at River Road Presbyterian (Vivo II only)

Animato Grades 3-5 6:15-7:45p

Cantare Grades 6-10 4:30-6:00p

Prima Volta Grades K-2 6:30-7:30p

Vivo Special needs ages 5-18 5:00-6:00p

Session dates: September 26-December 2, 2011

Registration info available at www.dacapova.org/howtojoin

A Vivo Parent's Perspective!

2011-08-18T10:53:00.000-07:00

Vivo is Ian's music class. For the summer session, it meets on Monday evenings at 6:00. We have a routine for this. We leave the house around 5:30 to allow for evening traffic and we usually arrive a few minutes early. We go in the building (the basement of a very nice church in the more "upscale" part of town) and sit down and wait until the students are called into the classroom.

For this session there are some new faces. Ian is the "veteran" of the group since he is the only one who has done it before. The new students are Lucy, Elizabeth, Zach and Neil. As a group, they are very well behaved and attentive and have a wide range of abilities. Now that he has gotten used to Vivo, Ian seems to enjoy spending time with the other children as well as trying out the instruments more.

During the class, instruction is led by Heidi and her helpers are Jamilah and Mary Beth. Everyone is great with the kids and they have very interesting musical backgrounds themselves. The moms/dads/grandmothers wait outside the classroom and occasionally peek through the class to see how their children are doing. We also have some good conversations and share information. Last night we talked about Donna's trip to China to bring Elizabeth to the U.S. as well as a drive-in movie theater in Goochland. Needless to say, the topics can vary widely!

At the end, the children come spilling out, giggling and running and chatting. That is about my favorite moment, to see my little guy as part of a happy group that has just had a good time. We love Vivo!

Vincero! for Make A Difference 2011

2011-08-10T09:13:00.000-07:00

More info available on our MAD series at DaCapoVA.ORG

I had the special privilege to attend our closing MAD concert this morning at Morningside assisted living center. Tenor, Tracey Welborn along with pianists Charles Staples and Sam Welborn shared their tremendous talents from Leoncavallo's Mattinata, to spirituals, to Scriabin and Chausson, and finishing with the tenor and audience favorite: "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot. I cannot imagine a more glorious example of music making a difference in every attendee's and performer's day.

I, as a tenor, am of course quiet, demure, and softspoken.. NOT!.:-) . Let me tell you.. this performance was elegant and extraordinary. I was honored to be in the room, and stunned by the depth of the sound emanating from Tracey's heart, given physical presence in our world through the sounds in the room... and the authenticity with which he shared his soul. My soul was touched, filled, to overflowing with admiration and pride for music and for such friends... When his son Sam took the stage playing Scriabin and then accompanying his dad, my heart melted. What a special sharing time for them, and it was shared with us in the audience.. without pretense, or elitism... without expectation of attention or remuneration. It was an Elite Musical Moment which presented a powerful example of community and service for us all.

Grazie di cuore(Thank you from my heart)... to Tracey and Sam Welborn, and Charles Staples for showing the way and making a difference for me and many others today.

Friends and Readers.. Our MAD concerts for this year have come to an end, but it is but a beginning to a future of more transformational musical experiences in years ahead.

PLEASE! Tell your friends, family, churches.. invite us to venues, support/partner with us with finances and donations of time & talents as we strive to MAKE A DIFFERENCE in a world sorely in need of hope, and beauty... through music and communities of musicians.

Vincero e Bravi Tutti! (Victory and Congratulations to ALL)
Jeff Prillaman
Executive Director.

PHOTOS FROM EVENT.. HERE!

Non musical students?? What do I do with them??

2011-08-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Definitely an interesting problem to have for a music teacher. They definitely
present a challenge. They're not motivated by beautiful music, singing techniques, lively musical discussions, and general
music activities. Finding some way to motivate these kids is key.
Meeting them where they are is key. Easier said than done when
typically your students are seeking out additional music activities. Pulling teeth is not fun!!

Seems that setting high standards and expectations works and is effective, even when you're working with kids who are not in your target audience. Working quality music, in a creative way, is fulfilling even for kids who don't normally sing. Mix it up with movement, solos, insights, artwork. Something is bound to catch their interest. Building relationships with the students is also important. And being persistent while knowing when to transition to something different will help the students to have a successful experience.

In the end, it is up to the teacher to inspire a desire and help students connect with their inner musician. Being willing to try lots of different things is a step in the right direction!

Out of town music educator weighs in on Faculty Gala live streaming!

2011-08-01T13:11:00.000-07:00

Longtime friend and musical colleague, Doreen Laskiewicz (Olsen in her Westminster Choir College days!) shares her thoughts on the live stream feed we ran for the Faculty Gala and Fundraiser back in June. Matter of fact, Doe suggested the live stream in the first place! Thanks, Doe, for your forethought and insight! And for the continued impact you have on the music world in NJ!

--------------------------------------------------
In 1973 when PBS introduced Great Performances, it was for many people the first time they could watch magnificent performances that they would otherwise not be able to experience. Now thanks to the internet, we’re able to enjoy the arts in many forms. Art organizations of every scale can now share with the world with minimal equipment and costs. I got to see this first hand when Da Capo presented their Faculty Gala 2011 in June. When I heard about the Gala (most likely from Twitter), I suggested that they should live stream it. I’m so glad they took my suggestion! How else would I have had the opportunity to see the program and the high caliber of instructors associated with Da Capo? I live in New Jersey and was home with my family that evening, making live attendance at the event impossible. Every moment, from the children to the instruments to the powerful, expressive moments of singing was quite a treat. My personal favorite was the final piece, Sonata in C# minor, Op. 27, No. 2 (aka “Moonlight”) performed in its entirety. The Da Capo students are very fortunate to have such talented leaders guiding them in their ongoing journey in the arts. If there is anything to be taken from this, it would be that we need to continue to support our local arts organizations. Without them, where would our future artists come from? Thank you Da Capo for a “Great Performance”! Bravo!

Appreciate all types of music

2011-07-16T18:46:00.001-07:00

How exactly do we do that? How do we appreciate what we don't necessarily care for? Well, look at it from an educated perspective to begin with. All music is constructed , or built, with a similar framework. That is, a melody, a rhythmic drive, a form, sometimes lyrics, use of instruments and voices. We must be able to appreciate the intentions of the composer, even if we don't really "like" the style.
Also, try and make connections to pieces that you do like. Do you have a family member or friend that likes a style of music that you don't? Many times, because we care about someone, we try to like the things they like, or at least grow an appreciation for them. Having a connection with a person will sometimes draw us closer to a certain style of music.

We certainly still have our preferences, but think about expanding your musical circles and at least experiment with the many different types of music available to us in 2011! Happy Appreciating!

Elite, never elitist

2011-07-03T10:09:00.001-07:00

What is DaCapoVa? hope and institution for...

Elite children's choir experiences
Exceptional music education in classrooms and private lessons
A place for everyone(inclusionary excellence) from special needs musicians to adults seeking a place to reconnect with creativity through music
Concert and performances for professional and beginner audiences alike ;-)
Arts advocacy and audience development for the next generation of "live" music performers
Technology & arts coexisting- still working on this
Partnerships for community development, musicians, economic dev, collaboration in conjunction with competition
Engaging the next 10% of artists in the real world- beyond the current elite

-- driving thoughts from Jeff

Inspiring Start to the Summer Session!

2011-06-25T08:19:00.000-07:00

What an amazing week it's been! The summer session got off to a fantastic start with TWO Vivo classes on Monday and private lessons on Thursday.

I am so excited to have our usual Vivo class for elementary age students with special needs, full of many new children, eager and ready to learn about music! Even more thrilling though, is the first Vivo class for older students. The students come with a variety of musical backgrounds and experiences and are all ready to share them with the others in the class. Their enthusiasm for music and the way it makes them feel was inspiring and contageous! The students were full of smiles and laughter as we made music together and began learning about the music of America! One student, Tori, even told us how her heart was touched by the music as we listened to a recording of "The Star Spangled Banner"! What an amazing night! I left that evening feeling renewed in the mission of teaching music to students with special needs. They inspired me to get back to basics and really pay attention to how music makes me feel.

Check back to see how these two classes are progressing through the summer!

MAD concert...music of a soprano and piano

2011-06-22T14:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Becky Hopkins and Charles Lindsey shared their music with the residents at Ginter Hall South, one of my favorite nursing homes to visit! Each time, we are warmly greeted by Katrina and Rich, activities directors. One of the residents even remembered me from our last concert....that was exciting! One of the residents shared that without visitors like us, life at GHS would be boring. It's good to know that our visits/concerts do indeed make a difference.
One interesting thing that I walked away with today was finding out that GHS has a Facebook page! I noticed Rich taking pictures today, even asking the three of us if it was okay to post our group photo on their page! I'd like to think that Da Capo had a bit to do with them getting their FB page, as they've seen and heard about our use of social media.
It was a great day....inspiring and encouraging!

Brandermill Woods Retirement Center and Da Capo working in harmony!

2011-06-21T10:29:00.000-07:00

I want to thank Kathy, activities coordinator at Brandermill Woods Retirement Center, for sharing her testimony about the impact that Da Capo continues to have on their residents. Can't wait to go back!

---------------------

I first heard of DaCapo Institute at the Midlothian Village Days festival and was immediately intrigued by the passion of the faculty as they talked about their program. I am a Volunteer Coordinator at Brandermill Woods Assisted Living and Health Care Center and am always looking for ways to bring the community to our residents. I was excited to have them agree to have their Spring Student Recital at our facility and have had them several times since. Nothing delights our residents like music and children, so this was a great combination! We have also had the privilege of having two “Make a Difference” concerts performed by the staff. I am overwhelmed with joy when people volunteer their time to serve others!!

Thank you, DaCapo, for making a difference in the lives of our residents through your music!

Kathy Babbitt

Volunteer Coordinator

Brandermill Woods Retirement Community

Emma wins CCPS 1st prize for "Beauty is"

2011-06-15T05:15:00.000-07:00

Chesterfield County Public Schools' "Write Now" contest recently awarded DaCapo Student Emma P first prize in 7th grade division for her elegant and beautiful original poem. Way to Go Emma...

Beauty Is

Beauty is

Music

Bird’s sweet songs in the morning

Humming a special little tune

Beauty is

Nature

Trees swaying in a soft breeze

Flowers brighten up any gloomy day

Beauty is

Friendship

Late nights together, telling every secret

Always small clashes, but never forgetting one another

Beauty is

Sunshine

Shine rays of hope

Returning each morning after long, dark nights

Beauty is

Literature

Pages come alive

Taken to a different world

Beauty is

Imagination

Dreaming, watch the impossible come true

Reach deep within, find the real you

Beauty is

Love

Together forever, even when apart

Matched in Heaven

Beauty is

Faith

When all is lost, you are found

Never alone inside

Beauty is

God’s great world

Filled with wonderful things

Waiting to be discovered

By Emma Prillaman

Busy day for Da Capo's flute playing triathlete

2011-06-12T13:05:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered....are Da Capo students athletes, too??? The following was written by Gabby, Da Capo flute student after she performed in the McGuire VA Hospital concert and competed in a triathlon! Da Capo students find a way to fit it all in...athletics and music!!! All in a days' work!!

On Saturday May, 21^st I completed a Triathlon, and went to a Da Capo concert at the Veteran’s hospital. It was such a busy day, because I was able to complete my first Triathlon, and give back to the community with my music all in the same day. It always feels great to share your music with others, especially those that have served our country, but it feels even better when you have already accomplished something great that day. You just get to keep going with one great thing after another.

Summer Session 2011!

2011-06-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Summer session enrollment is underway!
Deadlines for registration and coming up very quickly. Regular registration ends June 10.

We'll focus on music of our country...patriotic music, American composers, folk music, ceremony music. Find your place in our musical community:

ELITE CHILDREN'S CHOIRS:
Private Lessons in Voice & Instruments;
Children's Choirs & Classes, Music Education for Special Needs.

Vivo-Mondays at 6:00pm-River Road Pres

Animato-Tuesdays at 6:00pm-Bon Air Pres

Cantare-Tuesdays at 6:00pm-Bon Air Pres

Prima Volta-Tuesdays at 6:30pm-Bon Air Pres

Sibling discounts available!

Scholarships available for students & family in need!

Enroll now... and for MORE INFO: GO TO DaCapoVa.org....

tell your friends!

Video Streams present an amazing view of DACAPO in action!

2011-06-06T12:18:00.000-07:00

The livestream of our Gala events was a huge success.. Very exciting.. Below the two videos.. all in one place for anyone who would like to see them.. And as always... Donations are welcome.. Help us do more, for more, in more places... Arts advocacy, Music Education.. Makes a Difference!

MAIN GALA INFO PAGE: http://www.dacapova.org/dacapopresents/Events/gala2011.html

BEFORE/BEHIND the SCENES guide led by ALYSSA PRILLAMAN

ACTUAL CONCERT LIVESTREAM ARCHIVE RECORDING... GREAT MUSIC

Gala, last minute NOTES!

2011-06-04T04:40:00.000-07:00

Faculty Gala 2011 Cover Art

EVENT is tonight in the beautiful sanctuary and facilites of River Road Presbyterian Church..
Silent auction begins at 5:45pm
Concert begins at 7:00pm
Reception will follow.. downstairs..

Our gala INFO Page along with the Live Internet Stream
is located at
http://www.dacapova.org/dacapopresents/Events/gala2011.html

Broadcast schedule...
Preview show of auction and walkaround of the beautiful River Road facility from ~6:30 to 6:55
Concert Live stream will begin at ~ 7pm and continue on Ustream until approx 8:30...

Spread News IDEAS:
Email with the link from above
Post/Share on Facebook... just paste link and comment into your status.
Tell family friends here and abroad.. telephone, text.. you choose...
Even if you can't attend... or watch online.. your invitation/notice will matter..

INFO:
Program is online.. available from link above..
Info about silent auction is online... available from link above..
More info about our special Guest artist Dr Charles Staples.. available from link above..

COOL NOTES:
This will be a great live performance of famous Moonlight Sonata in addition to so much more beautiful music.. including some stirring Brahms... and Charles Staples is GREAT!
Jeff will be singing Adelaide... famous song, decent singer.. ;-)
Concerto movements for Trumpet, Flute, Bassoon.. all included Jack, Heidi and Suzanne sound awesome.
Cantare/Animato will sing us in...
Faculty singers will present an elegant Mozart Ave Verum...

YOUR personal invitations and involvement can and will make the difference.. Please take a few moments and ACT! in support of the arts and music's impact in community... We must support one another.

Thank you!
Jeff & Tracee

Preview of Silent Auction Items!!

2011-06-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Come on, I know everyone wants to know what kind of items we're auctioning off tomorrow night at the gala!!

We've got some wonderful items....from classic Avon products to the best steaks in Richmond!

My favorites are the personalized items, like...

The beautiful oil on canvas by Tom Zuk, Mike's dad (piano faculty)
Autographed "Chorus Line" cd by Jerry Goldberg, original music director on Broadway for over 6,000 shows, dad of Mike (clarinet faculty)! -- Seriously.. THIS IS AWESOME! and JERRY is Awesome for helping us out... Mike is pretty talented as well.. ;-) He says the weather tonight will be great.
We even have almost $500 worth of photography packages for sittings from families to graduation specials...

We are thrilled to be able to offer such special items, donated through the many connections we've formed through Da Capo over the past 5 years. Thank you to all of our partners who donated great items to benefit Da Capo's goal of developing musical communities!

---And special thanks goes to Jennie Raugh, trusted friend and auction coordinator extraordinaire!!

THE STUFF!!!

Variety of Professional Photography packages... family, graduate..
Handmade beaded jewelry
Basket of AVON goodies...
Children's music exploration basket
The ultimate Baby basket, including homemade afghan
Autographed copy of "A Chorus Line", by original music director Jerry Goldberg
CYT " in the house" -- Tickets to a Christian Youth Theatre production
Innsbrook After Hours --- 4 tickets to see Darius Rucker
Private Limo ride -- Pretend like you are famous!
Golf, Golf, Golf.... NEVER choke again--- 3-30 minute private golf lessons with Crossings golf pro, Ty Croghan, the "Swing Doctor"
Oil on canvas, painted by Tom Zuk
Custom DaCapo Gear courtesy of RNS Specialties
FULL Tuition for Summer or Fall Session 2011 Vivo
FULL Tuition for Bon Air Presbyterian Church Summer Music Camp
BEST STEAKS in RICHMOND via $50 gift certificate to Tripps Restaurant

What to bid on first???!!! Come out and place your bids! Tables open at 5:45pm..

River Road Presbyterian is an awesome facility partner...

2011-06-03T06:08:00.000-07:00

We are so proud to work with all our partners.. but special thanks to Larry Heath and River Road, for all of his encouragement and assistance as we are in the final hours before our 2011 Faculty Gala..

It is exciting to make music with such friends.. and to collaborate in cyberspace as well. THANK YOU!

Gala Livestream on the Inet.. Seriously!

2011-06-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

Hello all, we have had many requests from friends and supporters "abroad" across the country to record the gala for them.. We are going to try and go one step further and Live Broadcast images, experiences, and the performance using our USTREAM channel... This is a new one for us, and if it works.. who knows.. soon we may start our own network... and try to give Oprah a run for her money. ;-) Okay, I was making that one up..

If you can't be in the room with us on Saturday evening at River Road Presbyterian, we hope that this stream works, and gives you a taste of what it is like to be a member of the DaCapo community.

I hope you are as excited about the evening as we are... It is going to be memorable for sure!
--Jeff

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Nonprofit arts fundraising...Crystal clear

2011-05-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

Funny, Frustrating... ACCURATE!

Finale Concert Complete

2011-05-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

Cannot believe the 15 week session is over and we performed our finale concert at River Road Pres! It feels like just a few weeks ago when we were planning for and promoting our winter/spring 2011 session! The students did a fabulous job learning the music of Beethoven and some other greats. They worked together in community, mentoring one another. They eagerly shared their music last night, and many other times over the session, with those who were hearing them for the first time.

Our faculty rose to the occasion, taking leadership when necessary and setting a fine musical example for our students and families. Their willingness to not only do their job, but go above and beyond by fully supporting this musical community, is noticeable, and is changing things.

Something that I saw happen for the first time was a couple of parents posting the concert event on their facebook page! How great...because that puts Da Capo in front of that many more people....so cool!

All pieces of the puzzle came together beautifully. I am so proud of Animato, Cantare, Prima Volta, Vivo, and the private students that participated last night.

Wish us luck as we perform at McGuire Veteran's Hospital on Saturday!!

Circles of 5ths

2011-05-12T05:29:00.000-07:00

We are in full preparation for our annual gala and we are using a new "connect' strategy for invitations. For years, we've been using the "y'all come" strategy to our events. This is prevalent in churches and schools. Put up flyers, post it on the internet.. People will come right? This has not proven to be true once we left the traditional audience models.

Perhaps it works when you have big, built in audiences to provide your critical mass, but for a small, dynamic, and growing organization of musicians like DaCapo.. we need something more. So we are going "viral" and we need your help. It is easy, just tell someone about our event and invite them. Make a night of it.. maybe dinner or dessert afterwards..

Our gala next month will feature fantastic music making by world class artists but we don't believe that just putting the music on is enough. We believe that people support people, and that support for the arts is personal and local.

We have asked our supporters to invite friends, colleagues, even family.. "their circle." This isn't about donations, although we would certainly appreciate the widening support. We want to add circles to our circle, broadening our reach, influence and impact.

If you are reading this, consider inviting 5 of your friends to join you for an evening of music rooted in community. We will provide a great concert, and help you and them to connect to a larger community. You can even use our "invite" page to share information with them online.. Our guest artist is an amazing pianist who lives and works here in Richmond.

An evening of music with ??? Who knows.. you might even make a new friend. That is up to you, but we guarantee you a spot in our circle.

"Music and musicians are at the core, but the community is the key!" from the DaCapo Way

Director addresses the Da Capo Faculty...Considering our Call

2011-05-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

In a note to all Da Capo faculty....from Tracee Prillaman, co-founder and Director...

Friends-As we bring this session to a close next week, I want you to think about something. And this is something I've said to all of you at some point or another in our journey together.

*If a student only has 15 weeks of Da Capo instruction, and never comes back after next week, what do you want them to walk out the door with? How has the Da Capo experience impacted that student?

1-Do they love music?

2-Have they grown as a person?

3-Are they more confident?

4-Do they have great musical knowledge and growing skill?

4-Are they serving as a musical leader or trend-setter in their schools, churches, community organizations?

5-Do they feel equipped to share their music, through performance or mentoring opportunities, to make a difference for other people?

6-Do they understand and have they experienced the concept of making music in community, taking us beyond the student/teacher relationship?

These are the results we use to measure Da Capo's "success".

We must work together as a faculty team to help each other deliver these results. Please consider the part that you have played this session. And consider the impact you have had on each Da Capo student, parent, audience member that you have interacted with. This is how musical memories are created.

So, as you send your students off next week, think through my question above. Be sure you are each taking seriously the impact that you have had over the last 15 weeks. Ensure that your students are leaving their Da Capo winter/spring 2011 experience both fulfilled and equipped.

Thank you for your work this session...you have all made a lasting impact on my life, for sure. I am proud to call each of you my friend and partner in our journey to build musical communities by developing life-long musicians.

Guiding principles, for your review:

Develop the whole person through opportunities for self-expression, discipline, creativity, and teamwork.

Achieve excellence through challenging experiences.

Create, build, and strengthen new and existing communities through the common language of music.

Appreciate all types of music.

Provide an opportunity for everyone, where all are valued as individuals.

Outfit individuals with the power to share music and impact their world.

Why we want to join you in supporting the arts for everyone.

2011-05-04T08:19:00.000-07:00

Visit us on YouTube at http://youtube.com/dacapova

As Arts and Music budgets are being cut across our country, opportunities for creativity and inspiration are shrinking. Our President has endorsed and encouraged the creation of an artists corp to invest in our local communities as a national priority. Da Capo shares this vision and believes that musicians can and will make a difference in these troubling times. We have taken our ideas and put them into practice here in Virginia and NOW.

President John F. Kennedy said, “The life of the arts, far from being an interruption, a distraction, in the life of a nation is close to the center of a nation’s purpose—and is a test of the quality of a nation’s civilization.”

"Music has to be recognized as an ... agent of social development in the highest sense, because it transmits the highest values -- solidarity, harmony, mutual compassion. And it has the ability to unite an entire community and to express sublime feelings." -- José Antonio Abreu

If you are looking for a partner to join you in executing support for the arts in tangible, practical ways TODAY, IN your region.. Please consider using us as an instrument...

Students and faculty have shared countless stories and experiences which inspire and sustain us all. Below are a few selected quotes/moments:

“Vivo is so neat because it’s not a music therapy class,The organization sees children with special needs as wanting to make music just as much as children with-out special needs” -- faculty
“My son went from covering his ears to a smiling and happy participant. Why, I was even told he has become a "Leader"...” -- parent
“...it all started when my piano teacher told me to write a song. So I did....right now, all that really matters, is that I’m here today with all of you and I’m playing a song I wrote and I’m proud of that.” -- student
“Writing as an interested and musically-oriented dad. It has been great to see Catherine feel her music, rather than just mechanically punch-the-keys. Making that move to a different plane has been great. The environment lets her enthusiasm really roll—a great match for her” -- parent
“I wish I had the Da Capo approach during my early years of development. I would have progressed faster, with less effort, and developed those all important interpersonal skills earlier in life.” -- parent
“Da Capo instructors... showed a genuine love for working with young people. I am particularly impressed that they offer music instruction for children with special needs."-- Swift Creek Middle School, CCPS“
“I particularly enjoyed the opening fall concert of Da Capo during which the children of the audience stood around the organ to watch the pedal solo. Their curiosity and wonder at the instrument and my ability to demonstrate it yielded one of the more fulfilling performance experiences of my life. Even if none of those children take organ or become interests, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my gift and skill in that particular manner.” -- faculty
“...she was impressed to hear that sharing music with the community in this way is part of the foundation of our mission. Sarah commented that in particular regard to nursing home concerts, how gracious it was of us to provide through music, a time of encouragement and solace to the often-forgotten nursing home community.” -- staff

We hope to double or even triple participation in existing ensembles with your support. Even smaller donations ($25, $50, $100) matter as they help us to provide scholarships, and tuition assistance to those in need. All donations are fully tax deductible and they make a difference for musical communities immediately. From families in need, to students with special needs, to schools and churches, our musicians and offerings make a difference in difficult days.

If your support for the arts can't include financial gifts at this time, please tell others about Da Capo VA. Advocacy and Partership is often as important as funds.

We will continue to make a difference in our community and world and look forward to counting you as a special contributor to music and the arts “in communities”.

Sincerely Yours,

Jeff Prillaman, Executive Director

Why come to the Gala? Because Music = Life!!

2011-05-02T10:57:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 4th at 7:00pm, your life will be changed because of the experience you will have at the Da Capo Faculty Gala Concert and Fundraiser!

First up, you will get to meet and interact with all of the Da Capo faculty and staff members, who will share with you our passion for making and sharing music with our community!

Secondly, we have a phenomenal guest artist...Dr. Charles Staples, pianist. Playing Beethoven and Brahms, trust me you do NOT want to miss this!

Thirdly, you will hear the Da Capo faculty in performance, doing what we love! You see us teach week in and week out, but when did you last hear us in concert? It will be special!

Fouthly (is that a word?), our silent auction is shaping up and we plan on having some really great items for you to bid on!

Fifthly (again, is THIS a word?), you will have the satisfaction of knowing that your attendance and financial contributions WILL make an immediate difference to Da Capo students and outreach audiences!

Plan NOW to be in attendance! The countdown has begun....we are about 1 month out!!!

Faculty Gala/Fundraiser June 4th!!

2011-04-29T07:14:00.001-07:00

What an incredible evening we have planned for Saturday, June 4th at River Road Presbyterian Church! Local professional musicians will gather "in community" and make music to benefit growing musicians!

Featuring Guest Artist, Dr. Charles Staples, pianist, playing Beethoven's famous Moonlight Sonata, this gala concert presents an opportunity to support Da Capo Virginia in our mission of developing life-long community musicians.

With your donation of only $20, Da Capo can continue to offer music making opportunities to children, youth, adults, public schools, special education students, senior citizens, the homebound, and the homeless.

Nine Da Capo Faculty members will also be performing, as soloists, duet-ists, and in small ensembles! Here are some tidbits about our faculty! Did you know....

Jamilah...teaches special education and is a flutist? Multi-talented!
Miriam...is a music therapist and uses her music to impact young inmates!
Mike...loves to accompany singers and teach math to high schoolers!
Jessica...keeps busy with her daughter and has a baby on the way, all while teaching Prima Volta!
Julia...plays a fierce piano and can knit up a storm!
Jack...trumpets to beat the band, and is married to the sweetest lady in town!
Tracee...loves to ride the Sesame Street rollercoaster with her daughter, and runs Da Capo in her spare time!
Heidi...premiered a piccolo octet in Washington and loves going to the movies!
Jeff...is THE best tenor in Richmond and teaches adult Sunday School!
Suzanne...just got married at Disney World and taught herself to play the organ!

Our Silent Auction will feature many items for you to bid on. All money raised will go directly to benefit Da Capo students and outreach programs!

If you cannot attend, please consider sending your tax-deductible donation to Da Capo.

Looking forward to spending some time with you on June 4th at a momentous musical experience! Keep an eye out for more posts about our program and participants over the next few weeks. Lots of great news to share...

Star Spangled Success

2011-04-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today, Cantare had the opportunity to open each of the three faculty/student basketball games at Robious Middle School with the National Anthem. We rehearsed feverishly over the past couple of days, since the invitation was issued by one of the music teachers. The girls even set up their own rehearsal to work through the words, harmonies, and vocal sounds. They were super excited about this chance to sing for their peers, teachers, and administrators!

The funny thing is that after the Star Spangled Fiasco at this year's SuperBowl, our Executive Director issued a mandate that all Da Capo students needed to be able to sing the anthem. I'm so glad that we were ready and were given the opportunity to share this piece with our school community. It just goes to show you that it pays to be prepared! Great work Ladies!

Faculty Feature: Meet Jamilah Anderson, Flute, Vivo

2011-04-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

Jamilah Anderson is a 2004 graduate of the University of Richmond where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Music with concentrations in Performance/Literature and Theory/Composition/History.

Her instrument of study was flute which she has been playing for over 15 years. Her previous flute teachers include Mary Boodell and Jennifer Lawson of the Richmond Symphony. While at the University of Richmond she participated in the Wind Ensemble and Chamber Ensemble and has performed at a variety of special events and functions around the Richmond area.

Jamilah has also had the privilege of performing at Mount Vernon Estate- home of George Washington, as well as the United States Capitol for Hilary Clinton and the Senators’ wives and most recently participated in the Capital City Summer Wind Band. She is trained in Suzuki Flute and is also a certified Suzuki Flute teacher and has experience teaching both Suzuki and traditional flute lessons to students ages 4 and up.

Currently, Jamilah is a Special Education Teacher in Chesterfield County Public Schools working with students with intellectual disabilities. She is continuing to further her education by taking graduate level courses in Special Education with hopes of completing her Master’s in Special Education in the near future.

Music competitions...preparation, practice, and results

2011-04-05T09:52:00.001-07:00

Most piano teachers will tell you that winning has nothing to do with learning to play music. Being a fine musician does not mean being better than anyone else, or competing to try to prove that. Competitions, however, can be a valuable tool for some young piano students. Competitions require a long-term dedication to a single piece of music; perfecting the minute details that will make a performance stand out. A healthy amount of stress makes young people develop strategies to cope with it – strategies they can use in any facet of life.

Two of my piano students recently went through the trials of preparing for a competition. The Lions Club chapters of Virginia host an annual music competition in honor of Virginian Richard Bland. As a high schooler I competed in two local Bland Competitions in my hometown. I know they are not as eminent as the Van Cliburn, which is why I felt comfortable entering two of my students, Cathleen (an 8th grader) and her sister, Claire (a 9th grader). They were eager to see how they measure up against other musicians, and I was excited to take the time to help them learn pieces of music in more depth than they had ever before.

Cathleen selected a Sonatina by Kabelevsky – very modern sounding. During lessons we compared this work with other Kabelevsky pieces Cathleen had played. We found a “fingerprint” that was in all of the pieces: Kabelevsky is fond of moving harmonies in parallel thirds. With that finding the piece came to life and made Kabelevsky a person to us, not just a name in the upper right corner. Cathleen also focused on playing in contrasting styles. Some parts of the piece are sharp, jagged, and cacophonous: other parts are legato, lyrical and smooth. In a relatively short piece it is difficult to play with two different characters, but Cathleen aced it.

Claire selected Solfegietto by C.P.E. Bach. In contrast to her sister’s piece, Solfegietto is much more traditional, as you might expect of a Bach. This piece demands strict control of technique. Its torrents of notes are challenging to play smoothly and evenly. The key to Claire’s success with the piece was to memorize it, which she did early in learning it. Once memorized, she was not reading note-by-note, but rather understood the entire cascade of notes as a whole. Artistic phrasing came naturally as she moved from one flood of notes to the next.

I was proud of my students for their discipline in learning the pieces and of their performances. As it turned out, Cathleen’s dedication was rewarded with a 2^nd place prize! Just icing on the cake, as far as I’m concerned.

Musical Connections

2011-04-05T08:58:00.000-07:00

This session we're studying the music of Beethoven and the classical period. Last week in Cantare rehearsal, we took some time to discover the connections or link between the music we're working singing this session and Beethoven and/or the Classical Period. My kids were quite impressive! They made some really cool connections.

They figured out that Marienwurmchen was written by Brahms who followed Beethoven as a Romantic composer. That led them to telling me that Beethoven was actually a crossover composer, linking both the Classical and Romantic periods! Wow...great information!

They also discovered that Aaron Copeland's "Simple Gifts" is an American folk tune. Beethoven's

"Ode to Joy" theme is used by the European Nation as the "national anthem". Both pieces are tied together by their use for national music purposes.

Asking the question, making the kids think about how these pieces are related, really caused them to dig in, use their critical thinking skills of analysis and synthesis to come up with the connections. And they were quite successful!

It's great to see how our Da Capo students are able to think outside of the box and make real life applications using their music!

REFIC

2011-04-04T09:34:00.000-07:00

Strive to nurture learning that is:

Relevant

Engaging

Fun

Interactive

Collaborative

Read this in a Social Media and Web 2.0 for Learning presentation through Linked In today and thought that it applied directly to the type of learning we promote at Da Capo.

What does a Make a Difference concert look like?

2011-03-31T06:34:00.000-07:00

You've heard us talk about these Make a Difference concerts at Da Capo. You've read testimonies, watched our videos, and maybe even performed. But exactly what happens during these concerts? Why do we ask professional musicians to donate their time and talents for a bunch of atypical concertgoers? Let me explain a bit.

Da Capo's Make a Difference concerts are intended to use music to impact the lives of those who cannot get out to a traditional concert. These concerts are performed by local music professionals, Da Capo faculty and guest artists, in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, and any other places that need our help. Our audiences are made up of the homebound and sick; the young and old; the lonely and down and out. Even criminals. They are appreciative of ANY time and attention that someone from the "outside" will share with them. We as musicians choose to use music to engage them, providing a bright spot in their day. We believe that our musical ability can help to bring someone to a "better" place, even if only for 30 minutes.

Music is something that all people can connect with. It transports us back in time, helping us to reconnect with many special memories. When we hear a song we remember, so often, we place ourselves back to the time we first heard and lived that tune. When we hear a new piece, we often make connections to pieces we already know. Music connects people to one another and becomes a shared experience.

Our MAD performers share music that is within reach of the listener, but that will also raise their level of music appreciation and understanding. So, while we meet our audience where they are, we also expect that audience will be stretched, going away having learned something new. Hymns, folk tunes, music of the 1930s/40s, music theatre, and Lady Gaga are favorites of many of our audience members. Sometimes, they get to hear some Beethoven, Bach, or Chopin mixed in, too! And many of them know those pieces too! We don't always expect that they'll be able to relate to the more "classical" repertoire, but they make connections back to maybe when they played the piano, or when they went to a concert in New York. Always impressive to see how sharing our music impacts the lives of those in the audience that day. Seeing the connections that they make, hearing them sing with us, and watching them transform into active listeners during the 30 minutes is amazing!

So, what do these concerts look like? Here you go. They include (but are not limited to!):

-talented, passionate musicians

-expectant audience members

-music that offers a connecting point for both the artists and the listeners

-Da Capo staff to introduce the program and artists and make everyone feel comfortable

That's it. Very straightforward, no complexities, only loving, learning, and living music allowed!

So, join us for a concert! Be a performer, be a host, be an audience member, be an advocate, be a donor! There is a task for everyone...and anyone. You just have to be willing to share yourself to make a difference for someone else, preferably using music to do it!

Are YOU willing to be a part of making a difference for others? Please consider this request.

Cantare stars show their Halo

2011-03-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

Great job! Kudos to Alyssa & Kirby for their "Live It" example during the talent show at RMS.

YouTube Video

Life transformed?

2011-03-30T09:38:00.001-07:00

If the arts are what life is about, and life is about relationships and community... Then arts which aren't rooted in community and relationships are... "dead"

This could explain a lot about the decline of arts in an increasingly insular American mindset...

If so, then DaCapo's community serving community model will be transformational to our society.

Just a thought from Jeff

Da Capo student places 2nd in local piano competition!

2011-03-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Cathleen Kim, a three year Da Capo piano student, recently competed in a local piano competition. She has spent months preparing for this opportunity! Through Da Capo's private instruction offering, Cathleen studied her competition piece both during her lessons and during group instruction studio classes. Cathleen worked, coached, and analyzed her competition piece, Sonatina in A minor by Kabalevsky, with Mr. Zuk, her piano instructor, and numerous other faculty members!. The Da Capo Way emphasizes loving, learning, and living our music. Cathleen has certainly demonstrated these actions, and continues to inspire all students to do the same! Read below to hear the story in Cathleen's own words!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sunday, March 6th 2011, I participated in a piano competition. Surprisingly, I had the time of my life. Everyone was calm and it wasn't as strict as I thought it would be. It was a great experience. I got to listen to others play the piano and it inspired me. The judges came out to present 1st and 2nd place, after everyone was finished performing their pieces. The judges announced "for second place...Cathleen Kim". At that moment I felt a smile on my face. Even though I didn't get 1st place, I got a certificate $50 scholarship, and a chocolate bar. The judges gave me their scoring papers and I got to see their feedback and their thoughts about what I played. By using their feedback, it will help me see what people think about my playing. All that practicing paid off. PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT! ( :

Thank you, Cathleen, for sharing your experience with us! Congratulations!!

Da Capo guiding principles are used in all aspects of life!

2011-02-25T13:18:00.000-08:00

Prompt: Compose a letter to the principal of your school explaining why there is a need to teach communication and collaboration skills in the classroom. Make sure to fully explain why this is an important issue, and why communication skills and collaborative skills are so important to obtain and keep throughout life.

Nowadays, our society greatly depends on communication and collaboration for young adults and full-grown adults alike. Communication and collaboration are the building blocks of success and the key to a prosperous lifestyle. I believe that our students should be given the opportunities to learn more about how to efficiently communicate with our peers as well as other adults, so that we will be more likely to succeed.

People make people successful! Communication is key to success, because no matter where or who you are, you will always be around other people. Communication skills are necessary for anyone because of this. For example, in a job interview, one must display extraordinary communication skills, by always being polite, engaging, and clear. Additionally, one must never be afraid of speaking to strangers, because you never know who you could be sitting next to! Making contacts and staying in touch with these new people will assist anyone in being successful. Communication skills are imperative for even everyday life just because of the necessity of always presenting yourself professionally and politely. Adequate communication skills are always important to have for young adults, as they’re getting older, so that they can begin to think more independently and towards the future.

Working together is always far better than working separately. Sharing your thoughts and ideas with others can result in an even better final product, result, or discovery. Three famous scientists, Rosalind Franklin, Henry Watson, and Frances Crick worked together in 1953 to create the first model of DNA. Franklin had taken photos of DNA using x-ray diffraction, which Watson and Crick used in order to build an actual model. Even though in this case, they weren’t working together willfully, because of their combined research and scientific findings, the first model of DNA was created. In music, when a community of musicians makes music together, the sound can be even greater! In soccer, you need every player in order to win a game, not just one! As the familiar saying goes, “Two heads are always better than one!” Even though it may be difficult at times, learning to work efficiently with others now will make it even easier to work with others as adults.

Teamwork and communication with others will always combine to make a student successful as an adult, once out of high school. The sooner we learn that, the better off we’ll be! We have the resources to help our students prepare to enter the real world, so why don’t we start a program specifically designed to help students learn essential communication and collaboration skills? Those skills will never fail us, and will only benefit us as we grow.

written by Alyssa Prillaman, Da Capo charter member/student

How does DaCapoVa run without an office/building?

2011-02-21T14:06:00.000-08:00

37 signals Web2.0 tools we use..a lot!

We get this question a lot.. Our lessons and instruction all run in partnering facilities... but that is not the really cool part.

We Run the Business almost completely online.. with occasional meetings in the living room and kitchen of the Prillaman home..

As far as technology tools: we use a mix of Web2.0 products...From 37 Signals management tools to QuickbooksOnline for financials and reporting. We work wherever we are.. Future of Work, Mobility, 100% collaboration oriented...computers and even iPhones for those cool videos and pics you see all the time.

Our marketing is pretty simple too and mostly free... we use this blog, the website, Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter and email to keep our great work visible "out there."
Our philosophy is to do great things with our events and students, and trust that it is enough. We walk the walk first.. then rely on our students, and faculty and advocates to talk the talk. It is slow going, but we believe it is worth it because we are investing our energy where it matters. In the musical moments and our mission.

Someday, the bigs boys are gonna see us, and maybe we can play a part in literally "changing the world".

The internet is amazing for exactly that reason. You never know what can happen.

9 Capacities for Imaginative Learning

2011-02-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

Created by the Lincoln Center Institute in NY, these concepts suggest goals for integrated arts education, but also lend themselves to describing core competencies of cultural organizations. I encourage you to utilize these techniques in your teaching, with Da Capo and elsewhere.

Noticing Deeply: To identify and articulate layers of detail in a work of art through continuous interaction with it over time.
Embodying: To experience a work of art through your senses, as well as emotionally, and also to physically represent that experience.
Questioning: To ask questions throughout your explorations that further your own learning; to ask the question, “What if?”
Making Connections: To connect what you notice and the patterns you see to your prior knowledge and experiences, as well as to others’ knowledge and experiences….
Identifying Patterns: To find relationships among the details you notice, group them, and recognize patterns.
Exhibiting Empathy: To respect the diverse perspectives of others in our community, to understand the experiences of others emotionally as well as in thought.
Creating Meaning: To create your own interpretations based on the previous capacities, see these in the light of others in the community, create a synthesis, and express it in your own voice.
Taking Action: To act on the synthesis of what you have learned in your explorations through a specific project. This includes projects in the arts, as well as in other realms….
Reflecting/Assessing: To look back on your learning, continually assess what you have learned, assess/identify what challenges remain, and assess/identify what further learning needs to happen. This occurs not only at the end of a learning experience, but is part of what happens throughout that experience. It is also not the end of your learning; it is part of beginning to learn something else.

Competition & Collaboration within a corporately agreed upon construct creates and enhances community!

2011-02-14T06:44:00.000-08:00

Competition & Collaboration within a corporately agreed upon construct creates and enhances community.

"In sports as in the arts, we are able creatively to construct imaginary worlds with their own goals, rules, and obstacles, and to enter them for a time...God gave humanity the formative power to explore, discover, and develop the potential of the creation in diverse ways. It is out of this foundational task that sports and athletics have arisen as one cultural product."

‎"In sports, teams or individuals agree cooperatively to oppose one another within the stated goals, rules, and obstacles of the game. In other words, cooperation, not rivalry, is at the heart of competition"

‎"Thus an opponent is not first of all a rival but rather someone who provides the opportunity for a more delightful experience of sport. Competition is an enriching part of God’s gift. One loves one’s neighbor in sport by providing stiff competition to enhance the athletic experience "

--Goheen & Bartholomew, "Living at the Crossroads"

Thanks to Wesley Handy for these excellent quotes.

Ode to Joy at Robious Elementary school!!

2011-02-04T13:47:00.000-08:00

Great video highlighting one of our excellent Ode to Joy events sharing music and our passions in the public schools right here at our own Robious Elementary School. Today's visit featured four of our instrumental faculty members demonstrating their instruments. They talked about the material the instruments are made of, the parts, assembly, and how to produce a sound. Each mini-presentation was linked with a common thread...Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from Symphony No. 9. Making the connection back to what we are doing with our Da Capo students is key. The main overriding theme of the day was certainly Love it, Learn it, Live it! Not only did we talk with the students about this model, but we demonstrated it throughout each presentation!

One especially exciting part for me was seeing the pride on the Da Capo kids' faces when they entered the room and saw Da Capo faculty up front! There were many kids there who were current students, former students, family members of students, had visited during "Invite a Friend" week, or had simply just heard of us! Making a personal connection with the students is what Da Capo prides itself on. Today, we were able to take a good sized step in that direction. I hope you enjoy the video, as it candidly represents our experience. Now, to book more programs just like it!!!

Featured faculty: Heidi Thurmond, Jack Price, Jon Thurmond, and Mike Goldberg

Make a Difference Concert at Juvenile Detention Center

2011-01-28T16:12:00.001-08:00

What an exciting day! Heidi, Mike, Suzanne, and I had the privilege of making music with 40 teenage guys today...one catch, they are all incarcerated for varying crimes. How do you think these young men would react to a classical wind trio playing Mozart, Brahms, Beethoven, Handel, and Bach for them? Think they'd probably be bored stiff, right? Thankful for the time they can sit and sleep for 40 minutes, is more like it. Well, guess what? If that's what you were thinking, you were WRONG!

These well behaved young men were not only very respectful and appreciative of our visit, but they were inquisitive, interested, and engaged. These guys, who all have serious learning disabilities (on top of their other issues), were interested to learn about the flute, clarinet, and bassoon. At first, they sort of shyly told me if they played an instrument or sang. About 5 guys raised their hands. I must say I was concerned about what they might say when given the floor. But they answered my question! Didn't hurt to have the guards there! I told them a little about Da Capo and our Make a Difference concert series. Not sure that they cared, but felt like, as the Director, I had to share that. What impressed me was the fact that they all made eye contact with me...I thought I'd see poor posture, little to no eye contact, and others signs of disinterest. These young men continued to delight me.

As the trio began to play the first movement of Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusic, they sat up attentively in their chairs watching each player intently. You could see the wheels turning. You could see a transformation in their facial expressions. Interesting, I thought. Well, let's see what happens when they play the 2nd and 3rd movements. They remained interested, quiet, and respectful. Heidi introduced herself and all aspects of the flute. She interacted with them about the parts of the instrument and the different sounds it can make. Mike shared the clarinet, again the parts and different notes (high and low/loud and soft). Very cool.

Beethoven was next up, Ode to Joy from the 9th Symphony. I sensed the boys were starting to fidget, so I wanted to do something to get them actively involved. We talked about Beethoven, his hearing loss, his "craziness", the dates he lived. These guys knew the answers to all of the questions I asked...I was pretty impressed. Someone, somewhere had taught them about this incredible composer. And they remembered! I told them that the trio was going to play the 4th movement of the 9th, the Ode to Joy theme. I asked them if they knew it, to please hum along. The beautiful playing began, I strolled around the room, humming lightly at first so I wouldn't freak them out with my "opera singing". As I came closer to each of them, they hummed more. So, I hummed louder, then switched to "la,la,la". The more I sang, the more they imitated. We were now making music together....how terrific! 4 professional musicians and 40 teenage inmates. Not a real mainstream performance of Ode to Joy!

I know I'm writing a lot, but you've got to hear all of this because if you thought it was interesting up to now, it gets even better. These guys were so excited to hear about Suzanne's instrument, the bassoon. Finally, it was her turn to share. These guys asked a bunch of questions about the bassoon...is it heavy, how long is it, how long have you been playing? So inquisitive....Suzanne gave them the answers they were searching for. But then, Heidi, Mike, and I begged her to share a song that she had learned that we knew the boys would like. We finally convinced her to do it....Lady Gaga's Bad Romance. They loved it! Music speaks, regardless of the genre.

We had about 4 minutes left and I was determined to finish with a corporate music making experience, having witnessed their ability to do it earlier in the presentation. We closed with Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound. The trio, the boys, me, even the guards and teachers, created a musical memory that will surely last a long time. You should have been there to hear these young men singing, fumbling on the words, but so what! The guards sang every word, smiling from ear to ear, understanding that something special was happening in the room. Music transforms, it gives us hope, it helps us to experience beauty, it calls for our creativity and individuality.

After the presentation, many guys hung around to talk with the four of us. They wanted to know more about Da Capo, ask more musical questions, and even sing for us and the group. Each of them expressed their appreciation for our work, our time, our visit. The principal apologized to me for some of the students poor behavior...I'm not quite sure who she was referring to....these guys were WAY more respectful than most middle and high schoolers I know.

Make a Difference concerts are intended to create musical memories that matter for those who cannot/would not attend a concert event on their own. I am certainly capable of attending concerts any time I want, but I can't say that very many concerts have spoken to me the way this one did today. These boys proved what I continue to believe...that music is special and gives people a way out of their normal routine. Immersing in music does make you happier, smarter, friendlier, kinder, gentler, more intuitive, people focused....at least if you allow it to.

Use your music for the good of others. Use it to encourage. Use it to make a difference.

"Sing, sing a song,

Sing out loud, sing out strong,

Sing of good things, not bad

Sing of happy, not sad

Sing, sing a song,

Make it simple to last your whole life long,

Don't worry if it's not good enough

For anyone else to hear,

Just sing, sing a song."

Da Capo Kids Rock the Reflections Contest!!

2011-01-26T14:55:00.000-08:00

Today, three Da Capo students were noted as winners in the Robious Elementary School PTA Reflections Contest. This year's theme was "Together We Can...". In the area of music composition for grades 3, 4, 5, Ben won 2nd place and NIcholas won 1st!!! In the area of photography for grades 3,4,5, Josh won 1st place!! WOW!!! Congratulations to these 3 kids for their inspired music and artwork! Da Capo Kids ROCK!!!

Performance isn't about showing off...

2011-01-21T11:41:00.000-08:00

EXCELLENT BLOG POST by Da Capo friend and past guest artist ELEM ELEY of Westminster Choir College.

Favorite passage:

"Far too often, the immature student (even a chronologically-advanced artist!) seems to think that public performance is merely a vehicle to display accomplishment–an occasion to gain the approval of family, fellow students, the public, even God–eagerly depositing a dead mouse on the back doorstep to establish “top cat” status." Kavbar's Blog - Elem Eley

Connection to Da Capo Way: Performance and the "application" piece of the music education is a critical piece of the puzzle. Parents, and Friends/Audiences must remember this as well as the artists.

Studio Class at the core of Community Music Making

2011-01-12T13:56:00.001-08:00

I've had some good conversation recently with Da Capo private instruction prospects. Elementary and middle school parents looking for private lessons for their kids on piano, guitar, violin, clarinet, etc. Several has studied locally at area store-front type music shops and are looking for something more substantial for their child. I find this pretty intriguing. I've realized that this is exactly what we offer at Da Capo. Something more substantial in the private instruction space. Not only do students get thirty minute private lessons with their assigned teacher, but they also participate in studio classes every 4-5 weeks. Studio class is a group learning environment where all of our private students come together to play for/learn from each other. There is great value in the peer evaluation process that takes place in each studio class. Students learn by observing other students. In their minds, they ask...What did they play? How did they play it? Were they prepared? Did they demonstrate musicality? Who is their teacher? How do I fit into this picture? Students learning from one another is just natural.

Now add in the other piece. Each Da Capo private instruction student has exposure to several different Da Capo faculty throughout the session. Each studio class is facilitated by at least two Da Capo faculty members, preferably placing students with teachers other than their assigned private teacher. Here is the value! Each student gets to work with, be coached by, and become familiar with other professional musicians. Sometimes, the student and teacher play the same instrument, but many times they do not. A primo piano student (beginner) may participate in a studio class led by a flutist and a cellist. How can a young piano kid learn from an adult who plays a different instrument, one the student knows nothing about? How can they learn anything from an adult that they just met, that they have no relationship with? These are real questions. But, I'll tell you, the answers really are simple.

Music is music, no matter the instrument, person, ability, venue. Commonalities, such as pitch, rhythm, timbre, historical significance, etc are present in all music. The young piano student can learn just as much about being a musician from a bassoonist as they can from a pianist. Make sense? The tools are the same, the execution might be different depending on instrument or voice, but the overall result is the same.

This is the differentiating factor for Da Capo. Our students have exposure to and interaction with all kinds of professional musicians. How exciting to see our students learning from all of our faculty members during an instructional session. This is exactly how musical community is fostered. Through these kinds of interactions. People helping people, musicians of all types taking time to share their expertise, being an eager learner. This is what Da Capo emphasizes. Loving, learning, and living our music is the centerpiece for our musicians. Studio classes truly put all of these pieces together to create an incredible community environment.

Beyond My Expectations...

2011-01-12T13:40:00.000-08:00

Written by Da Capo parent, Beth Lennox...

I don’t remember exactly how we discovered Da Capo, but I do know that I’m glad we did! We are a musical family; we have a classical harpist, a singer, a cellist, a percussionist and a couple of pianists. I, myself, am a lapsed flutist.

When our third child was born with Down syndrome 12 years ago, we thought that our goals for her would be different than those of our typically developing children. We worried about how Hannah would be treated by the community. We worried about meeting her needs. We worried about her physical development, but more importantly worried about her socially, educationally, and spiritually. As the years passed, we learned that Hannah would show us how wrong we were to spend so much time on the “what ifs”.

We’ve discovered that people are good. That an extra chromosome doesn’t really make as much of a difference as we thought it did. We discovered that her biggest obstacle wasn’t a bonus chromosome. It was the low expectations of adults. If no one sets the bar high, there is no reason to reach for it.

Last summer Hannah attended a sample Vivo class. The moment she entered the classroom it was clear that the instructors were ready to challenge her to learn and to have fun. I was outside of the classroom, and could only vaguely eavesdrop. Through the door came the sounds of muted music, rhythm instruments, encouragement, laughter, singing.

Hannah emerged from the class fully engaged. I could tell from the grin on her face to the jaunty skip on her way out the door that we’d have to sign up for more.

With our busy schedule, we weren’t able to join in the Vivo class this past fall, but we decided to give private lessons a try. Hannah wanted to sing. I wanted to know if there was any chance that she could carry a tune (it’s unusual for a person with Down syndrome to match pitch). I also was hoping that maybe she’d broaden her musical abilities and knowledge—she’s been taking piano lessons for a few years, making slow and steady progress, but I was looking for a little more depth of musical understanding. Da Capo’s response was “Of course! Let’s do it!”

Hannah worked on singing, and absorbing new musical ideas. Miss Heidi kept her on her toes, working on transferring Hannah’s music reading skills by playing the xylophone and working on singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. Halfway through the fall session I was surprised when Heidi suggested that Hannah join the combined choirs for the winter concert performance of the song. I was skeptical—me, having lower expectations than the teacher! Ouch!

I didn’t realize how committed Da Capo was to community learning, nor did I understand how important it is to Hannah to share what she had learned. The one-on-one lessons with Heidi were great, but Hannah really shined when she was included in the larger body of students. At the concert it was apparent that every Da Capo student had a contribution to make. Hannah had the chance to be a regular kid doing a regular kind of thing.

We are looking forward to see what the spring session brings—new skills, new friends, new confidence, and higher expectations.

Beth Lennox

A scientific approach to creativity. (VIDEO)

2011-01-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

Creative Beast's Best question in the world.

2011-01-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

The Best Question in the World

View more presentations from Betsy Streeter.

Slide 26 is my favorite...
What would happen if

I wrote about my day
I drew a comic about my cat
I played cello along with my favorite punk song

-- Inspiration on demand. The Arts do that to you!

What a great year...

2010-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:00

SOME MOMENTS WORTH SHARING

THIS YEAR WE...

• launched our Make a Difference concert series providing concerts to hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and beyond... and at the same time providing musical service opportunities for faculty, guests, and even students.

• led workshops, judged auditions, helped teachers and music ministers, in churches and public schools all over our region.

• achieved our 501c3 status as a non profit and raised over $11,000 in support of music, and its role in communities.

• Spread the word in outreach and inspired teachers and students... from Maryland & VA, to California, to Texas, to NY/NJ to Europe and Asia... in conferences, speeches, internet consults, and influencing articles.

NEXT YEAR...

• We will continue our scholarship opportunities for students in need. Be sure to tell them to apply and spread the word that we have funds available.

• We will launch new instrumental, and vocal group offerings for all ages... SIGNORE for senior adults, and TUTTI our faculty instrumental ensemble...

• GROW and MAKE more MUSICAL MOMENTS that become MEMORIES!

Giving a gift of music this season.

2010-12-24T06:41:00.000-08:00

Our students and teachers are making a tremendous difference in our world as they love, learn, and live out their music with a spirit of service. Many are supporting Da Capo's mission of service and community through music with their time and funds. Would you consider joining them this season?

We are the music makers, we are the dreamers of dreams and we need your help.
Since 2006, we have been making musicians and musical communities in an exciting new service based model. Musical moments transform into memories which matter...
A Donation from you now will... offer a scholarship to a special needs musician, sponsor a make a difference concert at the VA hospital for VETS.. “after the Christmas rush”, provide classes to special needs children, enable students to study music from needy families for VIVO, ANIMATO and CANTARE, offer a public school arts enrichment program or after school programs in Henrico, Richmond and Chesterfield County public schools
A financial gift from you ($100, $250, or $500) will matter immediately. Please consider a gift to Da Capo Virginia in an amount appropriate for you. If music mattered to you in a band, a choir, or... and if you are capable, consider sponsoring an ensemble or special needs group at a church or school with a larger gift of $1000 or more.

LOOK BELOW: As of December 24, 2010, Our giving campaign is making excellent progress... Add your donation to "the chorus" and the community... Please!

Fundraisers

Update Fundraiser Thermometer Here

Our Make a Difference concerts "Sing for Hope" right here in Richmond VA.

2010-12-22T08:13:00.000-08:00

Executive Director, Tenor, Jeff Prillaman has been on the roster of Sing for Hope since its beginnings a few years ago. While he hasn't been able to participate in the concert events in the NY area...due to the distance challenges... He is proud that Da Capo is using our faculty and even students to provide similar opportunities right here in the Richmond Va region...

What a difference we can make if we all Sing for Hope and use our music to make a difference. That is what Da Capo does.. and that is what we teach..

Think about why you sing, and make it matter!

Support Da Capo VA with a donation today. Please...

LOVE IT, LEARN IT, LIVE IT!!! The Da Capo WAY!!

Musical Moments, Memories... Matter and Make a Difference!

2010-12-15T13:22:00.000-08:00

Consider helping us with a Gift to Musical Community this Holiday season!
Merry Christmas!

DaCapoVA.org

Central Va Wind Symphony HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR!!!

2010-12-10T04:11:00.000-08:00

FROM FACULTY MEMBER MIKE GOLDBERG!

Hi friends!

Come out and hear the Central Virginia Wind Symphony as we present our Holiday Spectacular this weekend at area malls. The concerts are free to attend and will be held at the following times in the food court area of each mall:

Saturday, December 11^th at 7:00 P.M. at Chesterfield Towne Center
Sunday, December 12^th at 3:00 P.M. at Virginia Center Commons

We’ll have our 4^th Annual Lite 98 Christmas Sing-Along, led by the personalities from Lite 98!

You can keep track of the entire Wind Symphony season of concerts at www.thewindsymphony.com.

Stop by and support our talented young musicians while doing your holiday shopping!

I hope to see you there,

Mike

Just Keep Swimming

2010-12-09T04:57:00.001-08:00

Do you think that Da Capo Institute will actually work? me: yes, It will keep on serving until the money runs out.

When will that be? me: Not any time soon and never if I can help it... but every day is an opportunity. That is why we have a fundraising campaign going on. We need help from others...

Just Keep Swimming!

As long as I'm employed elsewhere it helps though. I can't imagine not doing what we do at DaCapoVA now... the interactions and community service model is awesome. It's inclusionary from the ground up and we are proud of that. We'll keep on singing.. keep on singing, keep on singing..

just like in Finding Nemo. ;-)

But will it work? me: yes. it has worked for 4 years. I just wish more people knew that. Our net needs to be spread wider for sure.. even here in Richmond... But we are constantly growing, adapting and serving. I believe in our mission and others do too..

Making a difference is hard. Music is viewed as a commodity that can be purchased at Walmart. That perspective is hard to compete. As more people understand the value of making musical moments.. more will get on board and then they will make a difference in their schools, in their churches, in their families.. etc..

My perspective is pretty simple in the end... I figure we can either control or grow.. I vote for growing and letting God do the controlling. so YES IT WILL work.. I believe AND I'll continue to work hard to make it work...

Friends, if you can help with this.. please do so.. Tell a friend. Choose to donate. Choose to use us for music lessons. Choose community!

more info at http://dacapova.org/

Jingle Bells All the Way....

2010-12-08T12:02:00.000-08:00

Today, I had the privilege of working with Alyssa Prillaman, who administered a volunteer gift giving program for the residents of Morningside Assisted Living. Alyssa spearheaded the Jingle Bells program at Robious Middle School, a program designed to bring holiday cheer to the RMS students and the residents of Morningside. Alyssa really took Da Capo's community focused model to heart as she coordinated this program. She coordinated the sign ups at school, registering over 100 students to purchase a gift for a resident. She was sure to share with the students some ideas of what to say to their resident, what to buy, and how to deal with those who have Alzheimers. Today, we "lived it" and along with all of the students, delivered the gifts to Morningside. Over 100 Robious Middle students, parents, and administration flooded the hallways of Morningside with smiles, good cheer, singing, and gifts.

I am so proud of how Alyssa used the same ideas that we stress at Da Capo of making a difference in someone's day and adapting it to a non-musical situation. She, along with the other students, definitely made a difference for their "buddies". They even created musical memories, singing some familiar Christmas songs for the residents. One really exciting thing is that the activities director and the residents want to show their appreciation to the RMS students by coming to visit them at school in January! What a great follow up/extension of this program. Our RMS students can stay connected with their resident, or even get to meet others.

This model of service is what can make a difference in our world. Putting others before ourselves, having an impact on other people. Community building activities are key. Doing it musically is certainly one way, but it's great to see that a Da Capo student is loving, learning, and living it in many ways!! Great work Alyssa!

Making progress towards our Fall 10k goal..

2010-12-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Please consider supporting DaCapo's musical offerings and community with your time, talents, and funds.

More information available here: Partnering with Da Capo Va to make a difference !!!

Fundraising

Update Fundraiser Thermometer Here

We are making progress on our 2010-2011 giving campaign, but we have a long way to go.

Challenges turn abilities into skills..

2010-12-06T12:58:00.001-08:00

VIDEO: Interview With Author Julwel Kenney MBA, MS from Obsidian on Vimeo.

Ginter Hall Concert a Success!

2010-12-03T09:06:00.000-08:00

What a great time Julia and I had making music with and for the residents of Ginter Hall South this week! She and I played and sang lots of Christmas favorites and even had the residents sing along with us on several songs! Silent Night was their favorite!

This concert was special for several reasons. First, Julia and I had never collaborated before on this type of an event. We got to know each other even better, rehearsed closely, and shared a musical moment together. That was special. Second, we made lots of new friends at GHS. These residents were incredibly friendly, welcoming, and encouraging. They were so happy that we were there, and absolutely loved everything we did. They were thankful for the time and attention, the piano playing, the singing, and the sharing about Da Capo. That was special. Third, we got to share the mission of Da Capo with a new group of people. They even put me on the spot and asked what each letter of Da Capo stood for...back to the guiding principles, which I helped to author...I had to work hard to remember each phrase. But they were very interested in what we are doing with Da Capo and how we are sharing music with our community. That was special. We learned that one of the staff members used to be a music teacher and is a pianist. Julie might have even found a duet partner! That was special.

We are definitely planning on returning to Ginter Hall South for another Make a Difference Concert in the winter months and plan on bringing Animato and Cantare to do a concert as well. We're also looking into leading some regular singing over there...wouldn't that be fun?!

The idea of the "Make a Difference" concerts are to take our music into places that don't have many musical opportunities. Faculty members and guest artists can make a difference and create a musical memory for the listeners. What was special to me was the fact that Julie and I created our own musical memory, and for that, I'm very thankful.

Make a Difference concert # 3 today!

2010-12-01T08:30:00.000-08:00

As we get ready to perform our 3rd Make a Difference concert today, I can't help but be excited about making music with people today who would not otherwise have the chance to do so. Julia Boltz and I will head to Ginter Hall South and perform a Christmas program for the residents there. I wonder who we'll meet, if there will be any musicians in the crowd, how many residents will actually come (you never know!), and what their response will be. I mean, who doesn't like Christmas music, right?!

Julia is playing two awesome arrangements on piano, one is Joy to the World with lots of octaves in the left hand and the other is an arrangement of Carol of the Bells that incorporates several other "bell" type songs. She will certainly bring smiles to faces with this music. I will be starting the program with a song by John Jacob Niles called "What Songs Were Sung", telling about the mystery behind the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ. I'll lighten is up with Silver Bells, the Christmas Song, and we'll get everyone singing on some familiar favorite carols.

I hope this music speaks to the listeners as much as it does to me. I hope they go away with a feeling of contentment inside because of the music they experience. I will let you know.

Certified by Community Foundation at GiveRichmond.ORG

2010-11-30T14:25:00.000-08:00

Oh Happy Day.. Da Capo VA has been approved as a recipient of GiveRichmond.ORG funds...

CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR PROFILE!!

We are proud to be serving and creating musical moments and memories for a lifetime for musicians of all abilities...from Maestros to Primos(Masters to Beginners) right here in the Greater Richmond region. Join us, support us, and help us make a difference with music... now.

Make a Difference Concerts are Underway!

2010-11-20T18:18:00.000-08:00

Da Capo has begun a series of concerts that reaches directly into assisted living facilities, hospitals, and schools. Make a Difference concerts use faculty and guests to present a high quality concert to people who may not otherwise have exposure to much music making. Our first two events happened this week at Southerland Place Assisted Living and Brandermill Woods Assisted Living. The residents of these facilities were treated to flute, piano, guitar, and cello music! Our faculty members that performed did an outstanding job of sharing their gifts and skills with the residents. They were so appreciative of our willingness to come in and perform for them. Our response is that this is what Da Capo is all about...using our music to make a difference in someone's day.

Our next event will take place at Ginter Hall South....voice and piano faculty members performing some favorite Christmas music! What a great time of year to use music to spread some cheer!

Valerie Lott featured in "The Drowsy Chaperone"

2010-11-11T07:22:00.000-08:00

Very proud of DaCapoVa student Valerie Lott for her roll in this ARGS production. Break A Leg Valerie!

Music Comes to Life ARGS Premieres Broadway Version of The Drowsy Chaperone
Straight off Broadway, the Tony Award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone will receive its regional premiere at Appomattox Regional Governor’s School (ARGS) November 12-21. This is a comedy that bursts into life in a Manhattan apartment as the main character plays his favorite 1928 smash hit, “The Drowsy Chaperone.” As the audience becomes captivated in this hilarious show about a bride’s unusual wedding day, you can’t help but want more!

Performances of The Drowsy Chaperone are on November 12, 13, 19, 20 at 7pm and November 14 and 21at 2pm.

Tickets -- $10 adults - $5 students/seniors (60+) at the door.
Group rates are also available. For more information contact the ARGS Theatre Box Office at 722-0200 ext. 1206 or through e-mail at tickets@args.us.

Darth Vader and Beethoven - Music is the "Force"

2010-11-06T08:11:00.000-07:00

Journey to the Rivah... Second Sunday South of the James

2010-11-03T09:07:00.000-07:00

Sanctuary, Bon Air Presbyterian Church

Faculty members: Jeff Prillaman, Tenor and Flutist,Heidi Mason Thurmond are making final preparations for a concert on Bon Air Presbyterian's Second Sunday South of the James series with pianist Charles Staples -- "DON'T MISS IT" opportunity to hear the newly commissioned cycle "Come Thou Fount" by Board member:Charles Hulin along with a journey to the river... From Simple Song to Psalm XXIII. --- NOV 14 4PM

Sneak Peek at the proposed program order as of Nov 2, 2010... always subject to change when Jeff is involved ;-)

If with all your hearts Recit and Aria from Elijah - Mendelssohn
Simple song - Bernstein w/ Heidi T flute
The Water is wide -- Heidi T (Flute)

Pieta Signore -- Stradella
Benedictus from b minor mass - Bach w/ Heidi T flute

Be Thou My Vision/My Shepherd will Supply my need -- Heidi T (Flute)

Comfort ye and Every Valley from Messiah

Praise to the Lord -- Heidi T (Flute)
Psalm XXIII -- Paul Creston
The Holy City - Stephen Adams

--- INTERMISSION ---

Come Thou Fount - Dr. Charles Hulin IV
Invocation -- (come thou fount)
Testimony -- (amazing grace)
Offertory -- (there is a fountain)
Sermon -- (what wondrous love is this)
Invitation -- (come ye sinners, poor and needy)
Postlude -- (shall we gather at the river)

Maryland Music Educator's Association - Community is the Key!

2010-10-15T06:39:00.000-07:00

Director Tracee Prillaman and Senior Faculty Heidi Thurmond are galavanting around Silver Spring MD with the Maryland Music Educators at their Fall 2010 Conference: Spreading the news!

Program teaser

Tracee Prillaman, Bio in the program

Small business advice from Guy Kawasaki

2010-10-11T11:55:00.000-07:00

Internet presence for DaCapo...

Google listings - check!
Website Up - check!
Linked In - check!
Facebook - check!
Twitter - check!
YouTube - check!
SmugmugPhoto Galleries - check!

Who knows? How do you keep the faith?

2010-10-05T09:50:00.000-07:00

"Who knows what is going to happen.. I'm going to give it my all"

Announcing New Facility Partner...Veritas Classical Christian School!!

2010-10-04T12:03:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that Da Capo will be offering instruction at Veritas Classical Christian School on Wednesday afternoons beginning in January 2011!! Offerings will include Animato, Prima Volta, Private Instruction, and Instrumental Ensembles. We are excited to get to know the students at Veritas and provide a musical enrichment setting for them.

Da Capo hours will be from approximately 2:00-4:00, and serve as an extension to the Veritas early release Wednesday schedule.

What a great opportunity to continue to strengthen musician building in the Richmond region! Can't wait to get started!

Innovation :-) Tinkering & Exploring Exceptionalism

2010-09-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

--Graphic from http://www.successandhappiness.net/

We live in a world built on foundations of success through innovation, hard work, and the "idea of the next great widget". Musicians do all of these things intuitively. Musicians are the great untapped resource of the next era of Exceptionalism... American, or maybe Chinese, or South American.. The country and communities who figure it out first will rule the day.

Musicians take common elements: chord structures, melodies, rhythms, and performance practice and they melt them together to PRODUCE events and moments which are then consumed by others. They INNOVATE for their music. Some are greater than others, some generate buzz and attention, and some simply pass away.. but the events are specific, unique. They have both intrinsic and extrinsic value.

The skills necessary to interpret and perform, to take paper and ink, transform it by engaging/filtering through your soul and your personal experiences/artistry/interpretation and thus create sound and passion are the secret to success!

It is the transformation and the tinkering/exploring which make for exceptional results.

Embrace the exploration. Seek the fleeting moments of musical exceptionalism as a roadmap to a life of exceptionalism. Allow your music to "Make a difference" in you and in those around you!

“For if there is more tragic a fool than the businessman who doesn’t know that he is an exponent of man’s highest creative spirit, it is the artist who thinks that the businessman is his enemy.“ Composer Richard Halley. -- Ayn Rand, from Atlas Shrugged

More on these ideas can be found in the Publications of:
Seth Godin - Seth's Blog, Linchpin
Daniel Pink - Drive, A Whole New Mind

Specific Impetus for my article today came from reading the Wall Street Journal. "The Genius of the Tinkerer"

Friends in low places - Rock that Tuba, Jon!

2010-09-28T06:17:00.000-07:00

As our Fall semester kicks off this week, We are proud to announce yet another new addition to our Brass Faculty!

Please welcome Jon Thurmond, and spread the word that we are "open for business" with private and group offerings from soprano to bass, piccolo to tuba... master to beginner.
There IS a place for you in Da Capo Va's musical community. Making Music WILL make a difference in your days.

Jon Thurmond (tuba) grew up in a musical household, the son of a church choir director. In the sixth grade, Jon joined the school band and was given a tuba mouthpiece and a fiberglass Sousaphone to practice at home. This led to a lifelong love and appreciation of the tuba and music making.

Jon holds a Master’s degree in Music Education from The University of Kansas and a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumental Music Education from Middle Tennessee State University. He also studied Music Education at Northwestern University. Jon’s tuba teachers include the late Arthur Hicks, Rex Martin, David Loucky, and Scott Watson. Additionally, he has performed in master classes with the late Arnold Jacobs, Dan Perantoni, Sam Pilafian, and Jeffrey Funderburk.

Jon previously taught band and choral classes at Henry County Middle School (New Castle, KY). While attending KU, he served as a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Marching Jayhawks and taught undergraduate brass pedagogy for Music Education students.

Jon has also served on staff for the Midwestern Music Camp and the Tennessee Governor’s School for the Arts, as well as instructed low brass sections for numerous high school marching bands in Indiana, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Endorsement: Robious Middle School Band visits!

2010-09-27T07:08:00.000-07:00

Da Capo has been a great augmentation to our growing musical community here at Robious Middle School. Their assistance in assessing our new Beginning Band students in August, as well as their follow-up this Fall in working with the students new to their instruments, has been monumental in getting students off to a productive start on a new instrument. All of which was done on their own time, without compensation.
The partnership that has been formed between the school music community and the private sector will enhance student confidence, and enrich both programs immensely.
Thank you Tracee, and your staff, for providing this unique opportunity to Robious, and our ever growing young musicians.

Sincerely,

Andy Pittard
Band Director
Robious Middle School

Ben Cameron and the True Power of the performing arts!

2010-09-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

A story and a song. Wear your shirt!

2010-09-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

Executive Summary

Da Capo VA is a non-profit organization dedicated to engendering broad participation in music performance by people of diverse backgrounds, abilities, and interests. Our successful model in Richmond, Virginia is distinguished by its Vivo program: music performance classes for children with autism, Downs syndrome, physical handicaps, emotional challenges, and other special needs.

When co-founders Jeff and Tracee Prillaman started Da Capo five years ago, they were unsure whether it would be possible to create programs to serve special needs children. To their surprise, the Vivo program galvanized the organization and imbued the faculty and staff with the heart to serve and the desire to transform the role of music in America. The stone that the builder rejected has now become the cornerstone of Da Capo.

Market Analysis

There is a natural market of exceptional students needing private music instruction. Tapping this natural market is as far as most music teaching organizations go.

Initial person-to-person marketing efforts also attracted parents of special needs children.

Case Study Part I: Heidi Thurmond

“As a music therapist and a mother with two children in our local schools, I personally knew two particular families, each with an autistic child.

“It is heartbreaking to see these families firsthand. Autistic children live in an emotionally opaque world. Even surrounded by loving parents and siblings, they are profoundly alone, isolated by a disability that makes emotional connection virtually impossible.

“When we designed our Vivo classes for special needs kids, the word spread quickly. We received inquiries from these parents, who desperately wanted their autistic children to have experiences that might enhance the quality of their lives.

“We know from our research that families and children like these are everywhere. And we know that institutional music programs offer little or nothing to involve these children in music. And it is understandable. Though many autistic children are bright, their emotional disconnection is profound. It is difficult to penetrate their world. We weren't sure we could do it, either.”

Program Testing

The Prillamans recruited professional musicians, music educators, and music therapists who had opted out of existing music education models. Their hope was to create a new model that would capitalize on the transformational power of music performance. Their model included financial incentives for teachers. Their goal was to create these incentives through fees and private donations and not through government-mandated funding.

Since a music therapist and an art therapist were involved from inception, the organization was committed to developing an inclusive model. They created a group-learning environment called Vivo for children with special needs.

The unexpected success of Vivo led to the realization that these disadvantaged children were not a tangential segment of Da Capo but an absolutely essential key to its success. Da Capo would not be Da Capo without them.

Case Study Part II: Tracee Prillaman

“At some point, we had decided to buy Da Capo shirts for all the participants. It just seemed like a good way to promote the organization, so we required students to wear them to their classes. It was one of the smartest things we ever did for everyone, but especially for the Vivo students. We came to find out that the children loved putting on their special shirts and wearing them to Da Capo, where they felt a sense of belonging.

“I was there for Heidi’s first music teaching sessions with the Vivo classes for special needs kids. It seemed like they were in for a bit of a rough start. The parents of those two autistic kids had dressed them in their Da Capo shirts. The children entered the classroom and did not even look at each other, retreating into themselves, locked inside a world of their own.

“Heidi had chosen some percussion instruments for them to play and taught them some simple rhythms. Each required so much individual attention that progress was slow.

“But eventually something unexpected happened. Two nonverbal autistic children began to synchronize their rhythms. These children, who could not communicate with language, were suddenly communicating using the language of music.

“It was stunning. Our eyes brimmed with tears. We knew we had something.”

Da Capo Model

From the success of these early efforts, a scalable model emerged. By operating as a nonprofit, the organization is now able to recruit students through schools, houses of worship, and other community organizations. Churches are utilized off-hours for classrooms. Teachers are compensated through modest fees paid by students.

Case Study Part III: The Parents

At the end of each 10- or 15-week series of classes, the participants gather to perform and apply what they have learned. They have been instructed on performance skills and etiquette and are proud to show what they can do. Application of skills to “make a difference in the lives of others” is at the core of the Da Capo Way.

The Vivo children perform too. A parent of a Vivo child approached Jeff and Tracee after such a performance, in tears:

“I had no idea my autistic child was capable of being a part of something like this. All of the Vivo kids were up there, working hard, performing as a group. For the first time in their lives, they were just like the other kids. They were playing music. They were all wearing the same shirts. They had connected. Thank you!”

Evolutionary Plan

To that end, we have begun the following initiatives:

We have begun to penetrate the senior market by performing in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. We believe we can attract large numbers of seniors into our brand of community-based music opportunities.

Faculty members are speaking at meetings of public school teachers, at houses of worship, and at meetings of community groups in the mid-Atlantic region, prospecting for a core group of like-minded musicians to form a chapter.

Having been approved by IRS for 501(c)(3) status, we are sending our members into public schools to give demonstrations to beginning instrumental music students in over-crowded classrooms. This elevates our public profile, helps understaffed music programs, and is a prospecting mechanism for our choirs as classrooms and private lesson teachers.

We continue to refine our programs and attract talent into our Richmond chapter, having recently added instrumental teachers and a former public school music teacher who specializes in popular music genres.

Our goal is not to compete with music schools, but to fill gaps. Our target is not the talented over-achieving music student, but the under-served “next 10 percent”, who lack a venue where they can express the music inside them.

Need for Marketing Infrastructure

The existing model for music education is elitist, exclusionary, and consumer-driven. Only the elite survive; lesser students are eliminated and become consumers of music only.

The Da Capo model is participatory, inclusive, and performance-driven. There is a place for everyone.

We welcome this opportunity to win the help of Madison+Main in our campaign to raise awareness of our work in the local area and position us for growth in other markets. We need marketing and advertising infrastructure to help us evolve to the next level.

Next Steps

We commend you for reaching out to connect with nonprofit organizations, including Da Capo. This brief document cannot adequately convey the depth of the need nor the joy of the human connections that music can bring to communities.

We thank you for considering out application and would welcome an opportunity to speak with you in person. You, too, are invited to become part of the Da Capo story. Come help us sing our song. Wear your shirt.

Musical charter circa 2006

2010-09-22T06:31:00.000-07:00

Back in 2006, when Da Capo was formed, we wrote all sorts of documents(Mission, Vision statements, ByLaws, Charters, etc) . It seemed to me, that a musical community/music school should also have a musical "Charter" which supports our mission and vision. The list above was an iTunes Playlist I assembled for our first ever board meeting. We listened to it and used it to spur thoughts and discussion.

Admittedly, it is more a statement of my personal vision for Da Capo at the time but it is certainly -- A bit of history, a musical window into our founding principles and artists' positions on the WHY for Da Capo's founding.
--Jeff

We Sail the Ocean Blue!!

2010-09-18T09:59:00.000-07:00

And we're off....so much ahead on this musical voyage!

Songs like: We Sail the Ocean Blue, The Captain of the Pinafore, I'm Called Little Buttercup, Ding Dong the Witch is Dead, Somewhere Over the Rainbow, The Lonely Goatherd, and So Long, Farewell....all have tons of material in them to reinforce music concepts, great singing, and performance training!

This fall, Da Capo will focus on learning music through the lens of OPERETTA! All private students and members of Vivo, Prima Volta, Cantare, and Animato will learn lots of music fundamentals while studying music from HMS Pinafore, The Sound of Music, and The Wizard of Oz! How fun will that be?!

Making music will make your life better! You will gain more self-confidence, motivation, grow interpersonal skills, develop better discipline, and become an excellent musician! Come join us!

New partner...Greenfield Elementary School!

2010-09-18T09:40:00.000-07:00

GreenField Elementary School

Da Capo is proud to announce a new partnership with Greenfield Elementary School in Chesterfield County!!!

Monday afternoons will be full of music making at GES! Students can register for Animato, children's choir for grades 3,4,5 and Vivo, music for special needs students! These students will merge with the other Da Capo ensembles for community concert events.

We are excited about being able to connect with so many new students and even more excited about the impact that those students will have on their school music program! What a great opportunity for all involved!

Come join us for an incredible 10 weeks of music making!

Plan of action for making a difference NOW, TODAY!

2010-09-17T08:19:00.000-07:00

http://dacapova.org

Vivo Americana!

2010-09-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Another session has come and gone at Da Capo Virginia and what a great one it was. We concluded the 2010 summer session with a "Concert of American Music" for the residents of the Alzheimer's Unit at Southerland Place Assisted Living in Salisbury. I could not have been more proud of my Vivo students!
The kids worked very hard this summer, learning about American composers, folk songs, and patriotic tunes. The concert was a showcase of some of that hard work with a boomwhacker accompaniment to "This Land is Your Land", sign language and illustrations of "America the Beautiful", percussion accompaniment for "Yankee Doodle" (pictured here), and even an Orff arrangement of "Charlie Over the Ocean" by our older students. All of that along with performances by several private students and faculty members, as well as the singing of "The National Anthem", came together to make the concert a true experience of music making in community! Great job everyone!

Brass "BUZZ" expands with addition of Jack Price on Trumpet!

2010-09-06T11:47:00.000-07:00

Da Capo VA is proud to announce the addition of Jack Price, trumpet to our teaching faculty as our services expand into new regions, the public schools and partnerships for the upcoming year.

Welcome aboard Jack!

Jack Price (Trumpet)

Jack Price is an active trumpet player in the Richmond, Virginia area and provides private trumpet lessons and group instruction to students age 13 and older.

Trumpet Lessons
Jack believes that music should be fun. His goal as a trumpet teacher is to equip his students for a lifetime of trumpet playing, whether they aspire to a career in music or wish to pursue music as an avocation. By teaching correct principles and best techniques, he helps students avoid the bad habits that can limit their ability to develop skill on this demanding instrument.

Trumpet Genres
His diverse musical background includes experience in classical, jazz, rock, pop, and church music.

Musical Organizations
Jack has played in orchestras, concert bands, wind ensembles, stage bands, and combos. He particularly enjoys playing in brass ensembles and once had the privilege of performing in an ensemble consisting of 27 trumpet players.

A partial list of organizations with which he has performed includes:

The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra with Lee Cassel
The Les Elgart Big Band
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
Adelphi Chamber Orchestra
Ridgewood Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company Orchestra
North Jersey Symphony
Ridgewood Concert Band
Richmond Concert Band

Solo and Duet Performance
While living in Teaneck, New Jersey, Jack was for 20 years a member of the Teaneck United Methodist Church. It was one of the great honors of his life to have, as “duet buddy”, fellow church member John Ware, Co-Principal Trumpeter of the the New York Philharmonic. They performed together frequently in church and in several volunteer music organizations in New Jersey. Jack was a popular performer in many churches during his years in New Jersey.

Trumpet Teachers

Carl F. McMath, Trumpet Teacher and Band Director, Spartanburg, South Carolina
Carlton Clay, Trumpet Instructor, Brevard Music Camp, North Carolina
Pat Garnett, South Carolina Band Director and Professor of Trumpet, University of South Carolina
Dr. Elmer White, Professor of Trumpet, Appalachian State University, Boone, North Carolina
Roy Stevens, Stevens/Costello Studios, New York City; and Associate Professor of Music, Columbia University, New York City

Education
Jack Price graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree from Appalachian State University. He continued his education with private instruction with Roy Stevens, while working as a professional musician in the New York area.

Other Music Activities
Author of the Rhythmic Mastery Sight Reading Course, Jack leads music sight reading workshops for junior high school instrumental music students and conducts one-session music reading courses for adult choirs, in which participants learn to read music in one evening.

Personal
Jack resides in Colonial Heights, Virginia with his wife, Betsy. Jack and Betsy enjoy performing together, she as a soprano singer and he as a trumpet player and singer. Their daughter Stacy Price is a licensed attorney, now teaching special education in a Maryland public school. Stacy carries on the family music tradition, performing with the choir and as soloist at Norbeck Community Church.

Blues, Jazz Guitarist joins Da Capo Va as our services expand!

2010-09-06T11:40:00.000-07:00

Da Capo Va is proud to announce the addition of VA local favorite, Cy Taggart to the faculty. Cy will be teaching guitar as well as spearheading our support of blues and jazz programs in local public schools arts enrichment programs. Contact us immediately, if you are interested in engaging his and Da Capo's support in your school or local program....

Welcome aboard CY!!!

Cy Taggart (Guitar, Blues, Jazz)

Music has always been an important part of my life. I sang in the church when I was very young. Attempted cello, trumpet, and drums through grade school. I finally found the guitar in High School along with a changed voice. Did the singer strummer thing during the first couple years of college.

Enter the choir.
A life changing experience (thanks Dr Burswald and John Luziak) caused me to switch schools and major in music. As a guitarist I along with all the other non band orchestra instrumental majors had to be in choir. I was sold. I ended up studying conducting, founded the Mt Prospect Community Choir and ultimately earned a teaching certificate. Developed an excellent middle school choir program in Lake Bluff IL from 84 to 91. In 1992 I moved to the newly combined Waukegan High School and laid the ground work for their choir program from 92-95.
In addition to teaching full time I also did choir clinics, judged contests, directed musicals, got married, had two wonderful children, went back to school and earned a Masters in Music, played in a couple of "weekend warrior" bands, and helped start "The Bog Theatre" in my home town of Des Plaines IL.

Next Stop Richmond VA.
My better half's job took us to Richmond Virginia. With two young children I became a stay home dad. Then I started playing with the band Solid Gold Fish Bowl. Stayed with them for two very enjoyable years. We produced a CD, opened for Los Lobos, and regularly played at many of the larger venues in Richmond.

Proof is best, but promises matter!

2010-09-03T07:09:00.000-07:00

For four years, we have been quietly working in our communities and now our own musical community is growing. I am proud to share this small collection of shared experiences in hopes that more will join us. -- Jeff

“Vivo is so neat because it’s not a music therapy class,The organization sees children with special needs as wanting to make music just as much as children with-out special needs” -- faculty
“My son went from covering his ears to a smiling and happy participant. Why, I was even told he has become a "Leader"...” -- parent
“...it all started when my piano teacher told me to write a song. So I did....right now, all that really matters, is that I’m here today with all of you and I’m playing a song I wrote and I’m proud of that.” -- student
“Writing as an interested and musically-oriented dad. It has been great to see Catherine feel her music, rather than just mechanically punch-the-keys. Making that move to a different plane has been great. The environment lets her enthusiasm really roll—a great match for her” -- parent
“I wish I had the Da Capo approach during my early years of development. I would have progressed faster, with less effort, and developed those all important interpersonal skills earlier in life.” -- parent
“Da Capo instructors... showed a genuine love for working with young people. I am particularly impressed that they offer music instruction for children with special needs."-- Swift Creek Middle School, CCPS“
“I particularly enjoyed the opening fall concert of Da Capo during which the children of the audience stood around the organ to watch the pedal solo. Their curiosity and wonder at the instrument and my ability to demonstrate it yielded one of the more fulfilling performance experiences of my life. Even if none of those children take organ or become interests, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my gift and skill in that particular manner.” -- faculty
“...she was impressed to hear that sharing music with the community in this way is part of the foundation of our mission. Sarah commented that in particular regard to nursing home concerts, how gracious it was of us to provide through music, a time of encouragement and solace to the often-forgotten nursing home community.” -- staff

--------------OUR PROMISE!--------------

As a Da Capo student your child will...

have more self-confidence and be self-motivated.
be able to relate to others better as interpersonal skills develop.
demonstrate creativity and critical thinking skills in their school work and daily life.
appreciate the value of regular practice/discipline as part of a successful work ethic.
seek to improve themselves and “hit the ever moving target/high bar” in our modern society.
be inspired and embrace a personal journey towards excellence.
BECOME AN EXCELLENT MUSICIAN!

HOW DO WE DELIVER ON OUR PROMISE?

! GOOD: Private Instruction

!! BETTER: Group Instruction

!!! BEST: Community Instruction (dynamic combinations of private and group teaching models, coachings, and performance/application events)

Partnerships are the foundations for community activism.

2010-08-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Da Capo VA has launched its Fall 2010 fundraising and support/advocacy campaign. Please consider helping us make musicians and make a difference!

PARTNERSHIPS MATTER
We are privileged to partner with public schools, local churches and wonderful community music advocates. Please support our partnering organizations and thank them for their support of Da Capo Va.
Bon Air Presbyterian Church, River Road Presbyterian Church, Huguenot Road Baptist Church, Chesterfield County Public Schools, Henrico County Public Schools, Faison School

YOUR DONATIONS MATTER!
Please consider a gift to Da Capo Virginia in an amount appropriate for you. If you are capable, consider sponsoring an ensemble or special needs music at a church or school with a larger gift of $1000 or more.

We hope to double or even triple participation in existing ensembles with your support. Smaller donations ($25, $50, $100) matter as they help us to provide scholarships, and tuition assistance to those in need. All donations are fully tax deductible and they make a difference for musical communities immediately. From families in need, to students with special needs, to schools and churches, our musicians and offerings make a difference in difficult days.

We will continue to make a difference in our community and world and look forward to counting you as a special contributor to music and the arts “in communities”.

Sincerely Yours,
Jeff Prillaman, Executive Director

Da Capo's first ever commercial..

2010-08-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Had a lot of fun putting this together last week and going through memories, photos, and ideas. What a journey we have been on, and will continue on. Very Exciting!

Recently, we've been interviewed by WTVR's Virginia this morning

and even featured on Henrico County Public Schools Television,

but this short video is ALL US and highlights the excellent work done by so many in the last 4 years! Hope you like it.

What exactly do we do at Da Capo Virginia?

We teach you to PERFORM! -- from music to the , classroom, to the office, to the board room..
We PROMOTE the VALUE of MUSICIANS!! -- for building communities.. musical, and non musical alike.

MUSIC IS LIFESTYLE... NOT JUST A LESSON!!

Update on 8/13 -- Forgot to mention this other EXCELLENT video on the Richmond Times Dispatch site in the previous post content....
featuring Mike Zuk and pianist Josh. Way to go Guys!!!

Henrico County Public Schools & Da Capo Va at Holladay = Music Matters

2010-08-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

DaCapo faculty Tracee Prillaman and Heidi Thurmond recently made a difference with music education for students at Holladay Elementary.

Da Capo Va is actively seeking more places to make a difference... Tell your music teacher, principal about us.. and contact us for more on how...

To learn more about this AWESOME DAY.. read Tracee's make a difference story here...

Julie plays a lot of keys at Bon Air Presbyterian Church for Da Capo Day

2010-07-28T16:16:00.000-07:00

I had a wonderful time working with the BAPC music camp kids!

My fellow Da Capo faculty members Tracee, Jeff and Heidi had just finished singing an acapella trio before Heidi took the stage to show the group a flute and piccolo close-up. I accompanied Heidi at the piano while she played a patriotic medley on the piccolo, and then I had the chance to share my clarinet and accordion with the kids.

Tracee had told me ahead of time that one of the songs the group was learning was "What a wonderful world", so I asked the children to sing along with me while I played the melody. It was really cool- the kids really sang out. Then out came the accordion, and the kids' eyes lit up. BAPC's music director, Steve, shared with me during the class that he had taught the kids just yesterday about all of the many reeds that produce sound in an organ, so I was able to tie that in to the reeds that produce sound in the clarinet and accordion.

I'm still learning the very basics about how to play the accordion, so I couldn't answer all of the questions about what each part of the instrument does, but we got the chance to learn together as Tracee pushed various buttons and I played a few notes for the group. It was great fun for me, and the childrens' questions motivated me to figure out what exactly those mystery buttons did when I got home later. Thank you for inviting me to participate! It was great! -- Faculty, Julie Boltz

Sharing our music with the Summer School kids at Holladay Elementary

2010-07-28T09:45:00.001-07:00

What a treat! Heidi and I were privileged to share our passion for music with the older special education students at Holladay Elementary's summer school this morning! We explored the song "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", utilizing singing, streamers, color-coded scarves, sign language, and flute accompaniment! This exploration was intermingled with some rhythm work, using clapping and hand held percussion instruments, on the song "Get On Board". The students sang and played the song in an antiphonal fashion with the group as well as in pairs...a neat way to encourage communication amongst the students. We also played two musical movement games, incorporating solo singing and movement. This class was jam-packed with activities...the forty-five minutes flew by so quickly!

Our students were so responsive and well mannered. They were able to make connections with their learning, and move each activity on to the "next level". Accountability was key...for their individual and group singing, the specific role they played in "Somewhere Over the Rainbow", the level of effectiveness they displayed in forming a circle, returning to their seats in a set amount of time. Each student was expected to participate, produce, and contribute today. They certainly met expectations, and in some areas of the lesson, even exceeded our expectations! Our modifications went in the direction of increasing the difficulty level, rather than having to simplify. What a nice treat!

Today, we loved, learned, and lived our music....all of us....teachers and students!

And to boot, a local Henrico newspaper and the HCPS cable channel were there also to witness our music making! They took lots of photos and video, in addition to doing interviews with each of us and the core teacher at Holladay ES. Our video will air next week, and be posted on the internet...don't worry, we'll add it to our website for all of you to see!