I was simply amazed at the fruits of all the hard work and dedication these young musicians put forth. First time performers, seasoned rockers, inspiring family bands...I don't have many words except, "WOW - that was super awesome!" Congrats to each and every one of you. All you hard work and dedication is amazing. Take a look at a few great images - thanks to Benji Hegg, Libby Catron-Gingerelli, and Amelia Thornton!
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The intermediate Cello Mafia class (ages 10-14) performed at Meadow Hill Middle School on Wed 2/5/20. They, along with the Viol Conspiracy, were invited to join the concert with Southside Symphony. I unfortunately don't have video of Viol Conspiracy rocking "Hand Clap" by Fitz & the Tantrums, or both groups playing "I Love Rock & Roll" by Joan Jett, but here is "Bad Guy" by Billie Eilish! All arrangements are made specifically for these groups. Check it out! *Thanks Maggie W. for the video. A little blast from my past surprised me today! It was FUN to see this. I got to play with FUN! That's my back on cello. This was my life in Los Angeles... FUN fact: My 1st son was just 7 months old and I brought him with me to this session! Why is this relevant? Well, I've been updating my arrangement of FUN's incredible song "Some Nights" for the Cello Mafia to play this semester. We recorded that song with them on this iTunes session, too!
Check it out here (links to where you can hear it): The Top Hat performance on Friday 11/22/19 was a highlight of my teaching year, for sure! Each of the 19 cellists shone brightly during our 2-hour long (!!) performance. I am so proud of these kids' hard work and dedication. Here are some choice pics from the night...(thanks, Janet M. and Bill R.!) The next round of Cello Mafia classes are now posted and open for registration!
New tunes, new ensembles, new friends, lots of fun. CLASSES PAGE A big shout out and thanks to Katherine Porter at the Play Network of Missoula for having us! Jessica enjoyed giving a Tiny Fiddlers demo class to our youngest friends. We had a blast! Here are some fun shots from the day. This crew of amazing young cellists take center stage for Family Friendly Friday at the Top Hat on Friday, November 22nd. 6-8pm, free all ages show.
We have some fresh new songs and will be pulling out our favorite classics to share! We will see you there! What a magical and beautiful night it was in the Enchanted Forest, a fundraiser for Turning the Wheel. We were honored to be a part of the event! Thank you for having us!
New class offerings to enrich students interested in new music and healthy performance practices!
First, a brand new class called "Music & Movement" that encompasses movement, yoga, stretching, and performance techniques. It looks great and will be happening on Saturday mornings. This class is a collaboration of movement specialist, Laurel Sears, and violinist/educator, Amelia Thornton. Check it out here: www.artworkstrings.com/electives >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Secondly, the next round of the "Creative Music Ensemble" is currently enrolling. This class is a collaboration of Naomi Siegel and Wave & Circuit here in Missoula. It draws from Jazz, Afro-Cuban music and other improvised music traditions to develop rhythm/groove, listening, interacting, dynamics, theory, and phrasing. Check this class out here: http://lakebottomsound.org/workshops Cello Mafia performs our arrangement of Joan Jett's "I Love Rock n'Roll." We claim no rights to this song, but we sure do like it!
What can I say? These kids ROCKED Out To Lunch today at Caras Park. Both the Cello Mafia and Viol Conspiracy played and were in top form. I'm beaming like a proud parent of...uh...26 kids? They're all fantastic and an integral part of the musical fabric that makes these tunes so fun.
Many thanks to Downtown Missoula Partnership for having us. Huge thanks to Anna Walter for her leadership in Viol Conspiracy. Thanks to Dr. Adam Collins and David Harmsworth for adding their expertise to Cello Mafia today. Thanks to Amelia Thornton and Pam Hillygus for their wonderful talents in Viol Conspiracy. Thanks to Jeremy Drake for playing guitar today and Lydia Garrick and Gabe Kantor for being our student leaders. Bravo to all! Alice Merton's "No Roots" performed by the Cello Mafia at Out To Lunch on 8/21/19. Forgive the feedback, this was essentially still our soundcheck!
On Wednesday, August 21st both groups will be showing off the fruits of their hard summer work learning new tunes. Out To Lunch at Caras Park. 11-2pm is the Cello Mafia performance. Viol Conspiracy will play 1-1:30pm - FIRST EVER PERFORMANCE of this brand new group. FREE FAMILY FUN! Hope to see you there! Another round of Little Fiddlers is in the books. They've already got awesome rhythm skills!
Ms. Anna is such a great teacher - we are lucky to have her talents and kindness in sharing music with these kiddos. : ) We are very excited to be performing at this wonderful event again! 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 20th. Free and fun for all!
Another three very successful concerts are in the books! These fabulous kids opened up for the Missoula Symphony Orchestra in the 2009 Holiday Pops concerts. There were over 40 kids involved and they sounded amazing! Thanks to the Suzuki Institute for having us join in the fun! Addie is in 4th grade and already a hotshot musician. We put together a little holiday ditty for you to enjoy. She's holding down her own part - so impressive! Go, Addie! update: I just looked into the blogged past and found this! >>>
March 2016 student spotlight Cello Mafia plays Blondie's ATOMIC at Out to Lunch in Caras Park, Missoula on Wednesday, Aug 22. Easily a favorite of ours! The Cello Mafia wil be providing music for the 30+ building teams for our 4th year at Home ReSource SponCon. This is an all day, free family fun event that promises to be an annual favorite! We're on at 12:40pm! Here's a video of our last show at Caras Park in August.... The Cello Mafia is a multi-level cello ensemble in Missoula Montana. The ensemble will be performing at Caras Park on Wednesday, August 22nd for Out to Lunch. This is a free, family-friendly event that runs from 11 to 2 p.m. Come check it out! This summer the Cello Mafia split into two groups. Each group worked on their own music, along with several mixed group tunes, and are excited to share what they've prepared. Both groups perform arrangements of current and classic pop hits made specifically for the performers involved. We have a blast putting this music onto our instruments and we can't wait to perform for you!
We've been busy over at MCT getting our fingers limber and our rhythm sharp! Tiny Fiddlers, oh my! Can they get any cuter?? And our Little Fiddlers are excellent this summer. Go, team! And kudos to Anna, their wonderful teaching artist!
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