Marching to the Beat of a Very Big Drum

As a few of you may already know, there's a vibrant community of Taiko drummers in Philadelphia, and Settlement is a big part of it. And if you don't know what we're talking about? Taiko is a traditional Japanese drumming that uses specially designed drums and incorporates stylized movement into each performance.

Need a visual? Check out members of Settlement's Taiko ensemble in action at last year's Philly Fashion Week.



That's Taiko teacher (and new Mary Louise Curtis Branch Director) Kris Rudzinski leading off the performance. If you like what you see, being a part of it has never been easier.

Just this week, we announced a series of 5-week Taiko classes at our West Philadelphia Branch on Wynnefield Avenue. You can see the full offerings here.

These classes start October 3, but there's still time to get involved. If you have any questions, call our West Philadelphia Branch for details at 215-320-2640 or leave a comment below!

PA First Lady Susan Corbett Visits Settlement

Pennsylvania First Lady Susan Corbett, Chair of the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, stopped by Settlement's Mary Louise Curtis Branch on June 2 to take a tour of the Kaleidoscope Preschool Arts Enrichment Program. Along with Executive Director Helen Eaton, Early Childhood Program Director Tarrell Davis, and West Chester University professor Dr. Eleanor Brown, Mrs. Corbett watched a performance, sat in on dance and art classes, and participated in a music class.

Here, Mrs. Corbett and the aforementioned group took in a dance class.

She really got into the spirit of the music class!
One of the great advantages of the Kaleidoscope program is that through its arts-focused curriculum, students enter kindergarten more prepared than children in traditional preschool programs. Dr. Brown's study found that students from Kaleidoscope had vocabulary scores three times higher than their peers from traditional programs.

Later, the Kaleidoscope students presented Mrs. Corbett with a banner celebrating her visit.

For more photos from the event, check out our Facebook page!

Settlement's 103rd Anniversary Gala Featured in Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia has a busy social calendar this time of year, and the School's 103rd Anniversary Gala happens right in the thick of it. The Gala, along with the first-ever Luxury Raffle, was a great success, and our guests danced long into the night.

If you pick up today's Philadelphia Inquirer, you can see a few of the Gala attendees on the Social Circuit page. And if you're impatient, you can see them online, right now, by clicking here.

Of course, if you 'like' Settlement on Facebook, you've already seen a wide array of photos from the event. You do like Settlement on Facebook, don't you? Don't miss out! Visit our page and hit the Like button today!

While you're there, take a look at photos from a recent collaboration between our Gleeksman-Kohn Children's Choir and the Chicago Children's Choir.

Advanced Study Ensembles Hit the Stage

In case you missed it, our Advanced Study Ensembles performed this past Sunday, March 6. As always, the students did not disappoint; it was a rousing evening of classical and modern music.

As is our custom lately, we've posted video of the concert on our YouTube channel. Each of the Advanced Study groups is represented, so take a look and let us know what you think in the comments section of each video.

And don't forget to check out the gallery of photos from the concert on our Facebook page.

If you're following us on Twitter, you'd have all this info already, since we tweeted the photos as they were taken, and we tweeted the videos as they were uploaded. Useful thing, Twitter. Take a second and follow us, if you haven't already.

Settlement Music School is Closed Today, Thursday, January 27

Due to last night's snowstorm, Settlement Music School will again be closed for lessons and classes today, Thursday, January 27.

Updates will be posted on the Settlement website, www.smsmusic.org, on the recorded messages at each branch, and on KYW. The Philadelphia emergency closing number 154 applies to all branches.

We anticipate opening as usual on Friday, January 28, but check the sources listed above to find out for sure.

Settlement is Closed Today, Wednesday, January 26

Due to the current snowstorm, Settlement Music School will be closed for lessons and classes today, Wednesday, January 26.

Updates will be posted on the Settlement website, www.smsmusic.org, on the recorded messages at each branch, and on KYW. The Philadelphia emergency closing number 154 applies to all branches.

All of these sources will be updated as soon as possible on Thursday morning to let you know the status of the School.

Thanks, and stay warm!

Kicking Things Off at Willow Grove

On Saturday, January 8, at the close of the first full week of lessons and classes at the Willow Grove Branch, the School held two performance hours. Not so unusual, as performance hours are a regular Saturday tradition at Settlement. These performance hours were special, though, because they were the first performance hours held at the new Willow Grove Branch.

The performance hour is a special part of the Settlement experience, as it gives every student the opportunity to practice the their skills in front of an audience. A more relaxed setting than a formal student recital, the performance hour is a great opportunity for students of any age and skill level.

You can see more photos from the performance hour at our Facebook page, and videos of some of the performances on our YouTube page.

But the performance hour wasn't the only thing happening at the new Branch this weekend. The School held an exclusive first look for its board members, faculty and staff. A few brave souls ventured out into the Saturday's snow to see the new facility first hand.

Leonard Mellman, pictured above with Executive Director Helen Eaton (left) and Branch Director Marsha Hogan (right), stopped by to take a look at the recital hall that bears his name.

Chair of the Central Board of Trustees, Joseph W. Waz, Jr., also dropped by, along with his wife, Ann Stookey Waz. Along their tour, they surveyed the new percussion studio. An improvement over the basement studio at the Jenkintown, faculty members have noted that students are initially distracted by the room with a view.
Haven't seen the new branch for yourself yet? Stop on by! Check the web site for hours of operation!

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/