An Annual Tradition: Settlement's Scenes from The Nutcracker

Every year Settlement dance students perform scenes from Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, and this year is no exception. This year brings two free opportunities to enjoy the holiday piece, with a performance at the Kardon-Northeast Branch on Saturday, December 18 at 11am, and a performance at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch on Sunday, December 19 at 3pm.


The performance at our Kardon-Northeast Branch features choreography by dance faculty and Settlement 100 honoree Olga Blumenkrantz, while the Mary Louise Curtis Branch performance is choreographed by dance faculty Kaye Fernandez.

These photos were taken at a dress rehearsal at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch earlier this week by West Philadelphia Branch Board Member Sean Kardon. For more photos, check out our Facebook page.

Irvin Kersher (1923-2010), Director and Settlement 100 Honoree

Irvin Kershner, director of classic sci-fi films The Empire Strikes Back and Robocop II and James Bond film Never Say Never Again, passed away earlier today. Settlement honored Kershner back in 2006 as part of the School's Settlement 100, a roster of diverse individuals whose time at Settlement Music School helped shape their lives.

Below is an excerpt from a profile on Kershner in the Fall 2006 edition of Settlement's Notes newsletter.

Millions know him as the man who directed what is widely considered to be the best of the Star Wars movies - The Empire Strikes Back. And while Irvin Kershner, who studied violin, viola (as suggested by “headmaster” Johan Grolle) and composition at Settlement Music School, is best known as a movie man (he’s directed Connery, Woodward, George C. Scott, Streisand, Dunaway and Richard Harris among others), he has done a little bit of everything and he credits it all to his first exposure to the arts at Settlement. First, he wanted to be a composer, but World War II broke out. When he came back after 3 years as a fighter bomber, he studied visual arts at Tyler School of the Arts at Temple, then to NYC, then to Provincetown where he studied with Jackson Pollack. After that, Kershner accepted a job as a still photographer on a State Department film project in Iran which ultimately led to an assignment as a director and cinematographer of documentaries in Iran, Greece, and Turkey with the Unites States Information Service. Later, as a film teacher at USC he met a student named George Lucas and the rest, as they say, is history.

One of “Kersh’s” most memorable Settlement Music School experiences came when he was 10 years old, nervously awaiting his student recital. In the second row was Albert Einstein, then a board member of the School, smiling. “I was sweating, shaking. He was the most famous man in the world and I played for him. Afterward he told me how good I was — which wasn’t true. But I got through it.”

Kershner attended the School's 98th Anniversary Gala, and continued to speak well of his time here. Here he is pictured with fellow Settlement 100 honoree opera singer and vocal coach Badiene Magaziner.

How You Can Support Settlement and Local Music

Around these parts, we like to talk about how many people have been influenced by their time at Settlement Music School. When you've been around for more than 100 years, you're bound to have some kind of effect on your community. We hope that our Settlement 100 project a few years ago showed just how influential the School has been in Philadelphia.

But part of the reason we've been able to have such an impact is because of where we are. Philadelphia is a musical town. And not just classical and jazz, either, although the city is no slouch in that department. From American Bandstand to The Sound of Philadelphia, Will Smith to The Roots, Chubby Checker to Hall & Oates, Frankie Avalon to The Hooters, tons of great music has come out of this city.

David Uosikkinen, drummer from The Hooters, is celebrating that musical history with a project he's called In the Pocket: Essential Songs of Philadelphia. He's put together a revolving lineup of local musical talent, and is revisiting songs recorded in Philadelphia or written and performed by Philadelphians.

And the best part is that proceeds from the sale of these recordings come back here to Settlement Music School, supporting the kinds of programs that make Philadelphia's music scene the vibrant thing that it is today.

Dave was recently featured on CBS 3's Talk Philly, talking about the project and Settlement. Click here to see the video.

For more info on In the Pocket, and to purchase check out: http://songsinthepocket.org/

Everything but the Bathroom Sink. (Actually, we're working on that, too.)

There's been a great deal of progress on the Willow Grove Branch in the last 30 days. A quick perusal of the September photo album on our Facebook page shows all the changes inside and out. For instance, 30 days ago, we didn't have much of a parking lot. Now, we not only have a beautifully paved lot, we have landscaping!
Incidentally, if you ever wanted to know how to plant an entire lot full of trees quickly, here's a hint: Mechanical Assistance.
An auger attached to a Bobcat will make quick work of just about any landscaping project.

Inside the building, contractors are working on multiple fronts. Although the plumbing isn't quite in place yet, we do have counter tops in the bathrooms.
This next picture represents just how plans can change from the architectural drawings to the finished product. This stairwell between the first and second floors originally was envisioned as an open air space (with railings, of course), but once the stairs were in place, we discovered that fire codes required that it be completely enclosed by a wall and a door. Thus, a wall was built and a glass vestibule was designed to keep things up to code while still maintaining an attractive open-looking space.
Finally, work has begun on the actual stage (the Monroe Levin & Cameron McGraw Stage, to be specific). Looks pretty sturdy, doesn't it? It won't be too long, and we'll have a few dozen choir kids, a grand piano, and some dancers on hand to test it out.

A Sky High Welcome for Settlement's New Executive Director

Last week Settlement's new Executive Director, Helen Eaton, was welcomed by the Philadelphia community at a reception on the 43rd floor of the Comcast Center. Settlement Music School board members, donors, faculty, Settlement 100 honorees, staff and students were all on hand to ensure the event was a lively one.

Joe Waz, Chair of the School's Central Board, greeted the gathered guests, and introduced the new Executive director.

For her part, Helen shared her enthusiasm for her new role, and thanked the crowd for the warm reception. She also acknowledged that her arrival in Philadelphia is a homecoming of sorts, since she graduated from Penn, her mother and father grew up in the area, and her grandfather, Thomas McBride, was a prominent defense lawyer and Philadelphia attorney general for a time.

The new director and her husband, violinist Guillaume Combet, stopped for a photo with Settlement 100 Honoree Beth Haas, and Chair of Settlement's Development Committee, Steven Haas.

Recent Settlement alumni Peter Dugan, keyboard, and Michael Dahlberg, cello, were on hand to provide the evening's entertainment. Of particular note, Peter and Michael, who attend Juilliard and the New England Conservatory respectively, between them have more than 25 years training at Settlement Music School.

Included in the guest list, as mentioned above, were a number of the Settlement 100. (If you'd like to see a full list, click here.) A few of them were even kind enough to stop for a picture with the new executive director.
From left to right, new Settlement Music School Executive Director Helen Eaton, real estate entrepreneur Leonard Mellman, mezzo-soprano Florence Quivar, attorney and founder of the Young Friends of Settlement Music School Beth Haas, retired English teacher and Jenkintown board member Fredda Levin Segal, founder of radio empire Entercom Joseph M. Field, and bass player and founding member of hip-hop group The Roots Leonard Nelson Hubbard.

Views from all Over (The Willow Grove Branch)

Work at the Willow Grove Branch has continued on multiple fronts over the last several weeks. Now that the building has a roof, walls, windows and a facade, workers are moving forward with projects all over the property.

Sidewalks, curbs, driveway aprons are getting attention just off Davisville Road. The parking lot at the rear of the property has an edged area for landscaping, and in the shot from the roof of the building, you can see the newly completed storage shed.

On the interior of the building, soundproofing and insulation has made its way into the walls of the recital hall. Soundproofing is a significant challenge in the construction of a music building. While it's great to hear the strains of an aria waft through an open window of a second floor studio while you drive by the branch, it's another thing entirely for a student practicing her oboe to hear the same sound traveling through interior air ducts.
And file this next picture next to the nifty machines we showed you a few months ago. The main purpose of this roving robot (and it is remote controlled) is to tamp down earth and stone ahead of pouring concrete. It's basically a really heavy RC car, although it sort of looks like tiny version of something out of Star Wars.
As always, more photos from this month are available on Facebook. And if you have any questions, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments.

Camden Branch Summer Camp Takes a Bow

The Camden School of Musical Arts Branch featured the final performance of its annual Summer Music Theater Camp a few weeks ago, and the video is really worth a look. Students at the Camp wrote and performed their own show incorporating songs from the Disney songbook.



For three hours every day for a month, these students ran vocal exercises, learned dance moves and performance techniques, and eventually put together a wide-ranging show featuring songs new and old. They even wrote a few commercials for Campbells Soup, whose foundation provided principal funding for the camp.



More videos from their performance and the rest of Settlement Music School's summer camps can be found on Settlement's YouTube Channel.

If you're interested in learning more about the Camden Branch of Settlement Music School, a Back to School Open House will be held on the first day of classes, September 20, from 4pm-7pm. Prospective students and parents can talk to faculty about instruments, participate in a Children's Music Workshop or dance class, and listen and sing along with with the Gleeksman-Kohn Children’s Choir. If you're already planning to attend, bring a friend, or share the event on Facebook.

As Summer Winds Down, So Does Summer Camp

Just before the School shut down for Summer Break, a few of the Summer Camps had their final performances. In fact, a few of the camps finished up on the same day. We had folks running all over the place trying to snap cool pictures and take some video we could share.

At the Kardon-Northeast Branch, Jen Halas, one of our branch board members, managed to get some great video of a few of the performances.

We've been posting a lot of videos from the Summer programs at Settlement, and hope you take the time to peruse the Settlement YouTube channel. If you follow us on Twitter, we'll send you updates each time we add video.

Here's another one:


You can find more video from Summer Guitar Camp on our YouTube channel.

Pillars, Pianos and Patios

Just before the school closes for the summer break, we've got pictures fresh from the camera of our facilities manager, Bob Giannone. The builders have finished the brick facade, windows are being installed, and a front entrance is taking shape.As we've noted before, this front entrance is actually at the rear of the building, if you're looking at the structure from Davisville road.

From street side of the building, we've just finished the support columns for the walk-in gate that sits to the left of the branch. There will be a wrought iron fence that wraps the property, with a drive-in gate just to the left of these pillars.
With the outside of the building coming rapidly together, planning for the interior of building has become a priority. Before the branch opens, we'll be introducing 34 pianos and a harpsichord to the space. Heading up this endeavor is Art Jones, our piano technician. Yesterday, he and Jenkintown Branch Director Marsha Hogan visited the Willow Grove site to get a jump on piano planning.Here, they're viewing the layout of the second and third floor studios to figure out what goes where.

The School's summer break starts today and ends August 16. But while the School may be closed for a week, work on the Willow Grove Branch will continue unabated. For more photos, including the beginnings of the recital hall patio and cranes delivering drywall to the third floor, check out the School's Facebook page.

Skylight Serenade

With its new brick facade, the Willow Grove Branch not only looks a lot more like a building, it's actually kind of pretty. Not that raw construction doesn't look good, per se, but you can see now the promise of the architectural drawings we've been looking at for a while. Just try to see past all the dirt and construction equipment, and there's a quite attractive building underneath.

And if that wasn't enough, take a look at what's just been installed on the roof of the building:
Not the HVAC unit. The skylight in front of it. There you go. Not to discount the beauty of a properly installed heating and air conditioning system, but the skylight probably has it beat in terms of pure aesthetics. Here it is from another angle:

And the view from the dance studio? Pretty spectacular, especially on a day as beautiful as the one on which this picture was taken. The skylight is centered right above the dance studio floor.

More pictures of the construction can be found on our Facebook page, including some shots of the acid wash used on the brick facade, and a closer look at that HVAC unit.

Summer Jam Closes on a High Note

If you follow Settlement on Twitter, or like us on Facebook, then you already know that Summer Jam went out with a bang this year. Held at the Germantown branch from June 21-July 2, and at the Mary Louise Curtis Branch from July 6-16, the two camps helped nearly 40 young musicians hone their songcraft, improve their playing and learn how professional musicians prepare for studio recording and live shows.
All eight bands formed at Summer Jam got the chance to lay down an original tune in a professional studio. The Germantown musicians headed to The Studio, where performers such as Will Smith, AC/DC and Al Green have recorded. The bands from the Mary Louise Curtis branch headed to Sine Studios, and worked with studio owners Matt Teacher and Mike Lawson (who regularly work with local Philly bands, and have done work for Bon Jovi).
Both camps ended in a finale performance held at Urban Outfitters corporate campus at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The bands played original tunes written at Summer Jam, as well as covers ranging from Nirvana and Green Day to Bill Withers and Miles Davis.
Photos from both camps are available on Facebook, and we've posted tons of great video to YouTube. Subscribe to our channel to get the latest performance videos. Summer Guitar Camp and Summer Music Theatre Camp both give final performances this week, so keep watching this space for more info.

Settlement Music School gratefully acknowledges goods and services donated for the benefit of our students received from:

Audio Technica/Tracy Brefka
Sine Studios/Matt Teacher
The Studio/Larry Gold
Urban Outfitters
The Fender Foundation

A Month of Updates

Both a little and a lot has happened at the Willow Grove construction site over the past month. A small snag with connecting our water and sewer pipes to the main lines in the middle of Davisville road slowed things down for a few days. Turns out when the road was widened a few years back, a few diagrams detailing where the lines were located weren't properly updated. It took a few days of poking around, but that pesky water main couldn't hide for long.

In more interesting visual news, nearly all of the building has been covered on the outside, with just the doors and windows letting in any light from the outside world. The covering, which we just started seeing applied in our last post, is a type of gypsum wall board. Basically, it's drywall. This isn't your father's drywall, though. This exterior gypsum is both harder and hardier.

Things get even more interesting when you look a little more closely at what happened after the gypsum board was fastened to the metal studs. While the contractors are very good at making the boards fit snugly against one another, there will always be very small gaps. Which brings us to the blue tape you see in the last photo. All of the gaps are covered with this blue tape, then a special sealant is applied over the tape. This weatherproofing goo then needs a full two days to cure before the next step.

After the sealant in the gaps is fully cured, the whole building gets covered in the same blue stuff. Makes for a pretty sight. Vaguely purple drywall, slowing converted to a bright blue. Even the concrete foundations get painted.

And while the blue is certainly a very attractive color, and would garner the School no small amount of attention, rest assured that a much more traditional facade will soon present itself.

And remember, more photos are posted on our Facebook page. You don't need a Facebook account to see the photos, but if you do have one, be sure to hit the Like button while you're there. Be sure to check out the pictures of the music studios, recital hall, bathrooms and elevator shaft.

Lastly, we leave you with this parting image. Last week, our new executive director, Helen Eaton, had the chance to visit the Philadelphia area. She spent most of last Thursday on a whirlwind tour of all six current branches, but was also able to check out the construction site, along with Settlement Music School President Barrie Trimingham and Jenkintown Branch Director Marsha Hogan. For those of you unfamiliar with the faces of Settlement, from left to right, it's Barrie, Helen and Marsha.

An Open House

The Willow Grove Branch draws ever closer to being a real building, with not only a roof, but also fully enclosed walls nearly ready to keep out the elements.

Not all of the elements, mind you, as you can see below. Of course at this point, the water is little more than a nuisance, and it looks much deeper than it is, given the extraordinarily smooth surface on which it sits. It almost seems like a reflecting pool.

As you can see, earlier this month aluminum studs were affixed to the frame, followed shortly by a layer of insulated sheathing.

If you live in the Willow Grove or Jenkintown area, be sure to stop by the Jenkintown Branch of the School on June 5 between 10am-1pm. As part of the School-wide Open House, we'll have on display a timeline of pictures from the Willow Grove construction project.

Of course, all six branches will be hosting Open Houses that weekend, and we encourage you to visit your local branch to check out the festivities. If you're already attending regular lessons that day, bring along a friend who's interested in music lessons. It's a great way to share your love of music. Contact your local branch to learn more about specific activities.

And as always, an expanded gallery of Willow Grove images is posted at Facebook. Head over there now to see photos of the under-construction stairwells.

The Beginnings Stages of a Stage

In late April, workers poured the concrete that will form the basis of the Monroe Levin & Cameron McGraw stage in the Leonard Mellman Recital Hall. Of course, it's far from finished, and it will certainly get steps, layers of subflooring and wood to complete the job.

In fact, the entire first floor received a layer of cement shortly after the stage dried.

You'll notice layers of gravel, plastic sheeting and mesh that create a base for the cement to adhere to.

On the second and third floors, you can see that the base looked a bit more complicated because it was built on a platform, rather than the solid ground.



The cement truck that makes all this possible actually pulls up just outside the wall of the building, but a small trolley is used to bring the cement inside.

As always, click over to Facebook to see an expanded gallery of photos from this phase of contstruction.

A View from the Top (and the Bottom)

One of the unfortunate realities of building a large structure is that from a certain angle, not much changes from day to day. We could post daily photos from across the street from 318 Davisville Road, and it wouldn't look like much is changing.

Look a little closer, though, and you'll see there's a lot going on. The photo on the left, taken last month shortly after the building frame was complete, shows the decking being added to the third floor.

The photo to the right shows the current view from the ground floor, where the School's offices and recital hall will be located. As a matter of fact, the photo was taken from about the position of the Branch Director's office looking toward the lobby. The entrance to the branch will be to the right at the rear of the building, and recital hall will be to the left.

Head up two flights on a construction ladder in the elevator shaft, and you're standing on smoothed, finished concrete that's been poured on the decking you see above. The recessed area in the center will be the dance studio, which will have a special floor inlaid.

Wondering how poured concrete gets so smooth? Picture for a moment some sort of mutant cross between a Zamboni(TM), an air boat and a riding lawnmower. You know what, you don't need to picture it. Just click on the next photo for a better view of these fantastic looking machines.

Click over to our Facebook fan page for an expanded gallery of photos, including the elevator shaft, the decking before concrete has been poured, and a view from the top floor looking down.

Keeping a Large Retainer

One of the challenges of the lot on which the Willow Grove Branch sits is that it initially sloped down to railroad tracks at the rear of the property. We noted the beginnings of the retaining wall necessary to level the property in an earlier post. In addition to that purpose, it also creates a separation between our parking lot and the railroad tracks.

In the photo that opens this post, you can see the entire length of the wall along the back of the property. And we're still not done. The wall currently stands about 19 feet, and when it's completed, it should be around 25 feet tall.

The thing about a wall is that it's not nearly as simple as it might first appear. For instance, you can't just stack a bunch of cinder blocks on top of one another and expect it to hold against even a small weight, nevermind the tons of dirt that are pressing against this wall. Each semi-hollow block is carefully placed then filled with material. After a line of blocks is placed, a layer of geofabric is laid on top, and the next layer begins anew. This fabric (which you can see to the right) prevents the water that trickles down the interior of the bricks from displacing the fill material (stone, dirt, etc.) within each brick. The water travels freely, the fill material stays where it is instead of getting washed away. Then after a certain number of layers of brick are placed, dirt is filled in against the wall. That's essentially what the wall is retaining: a whole lot of dirt on which a parking lot will be built.

This last photo gives a sense of how the wall wraps around the rear of the property, and shows just how high it is.

As a reminder, all of these photos and more are featured on our Facebook fan page. Check them out here.

The Gala: After the Fact

Saturday's 102nd Anniversary Gala held at the Hyatt at the Bellevue was a great success. With more than 400 guests in attendance, both the cocktail hour and dinner were comfortably cozy without feeling overcrowded.

Glamorous ladies and dapper gentlemen enjoyed the sounds of Settlement students and alumni alike. From the solo student guitarist who greeted guests at the entrance to the Grand Ballroom, to the Kardon-Northeast Jazz Band who played during the cocktail hour, to the Gail W. Snitzer Advanced Study String Quartet (see the group onstage in the above photo), Settlement students acquitted themselves well throughout the evening's festivities.

And following those stellar performances, guests danced the night away to the orchestra of Settlement alumnus and Settlement 100 honoree Joe Sudler.

For a full gallery of photos from the event, visit Settlement's Facebook Fan Page. Have story from the Gala to share? Let us know in the comments.

The Gala Approaches

Settlement's 102nd Anniversary arrives this Saturday, April 10, but the first signs of celebration occurred in early March at the Gala Benefactor Party. Held at Jacobs Music of Philadelphia, this year's party featured three floors of gorgeous pianos, great wine, and thrilling music.

On hand providing that music were the Myer Schwartz Advanced Study Piano Trio, coached by Sandra Carlock, Arthur Judson Distinguished Faculty Chair. The trio is comprised of Kathleen Sun, violin; Samuel Soltoff, cello; and Christianna Bates, piano.

Co-chairs Don & Lynn Haskin, Konnie & Paul Stark (pictured left to right) joined Central Board Chair Joseph W. Waz, Jr. (back center) in "tickling the ivories."

And as always, Moore Brothers Wine Company was on hand to provide some truly spectacular wines. Greg Moore played bartender for the evening, and the guests couldn't have been happier.

To see more pictures from the event, and to keep up-to-date on the latest Settlement news and events, visit our Facebook Fan Page. Be sure to become a fan, and you'll get alerts when we post new info.