In Harmony: the Kaufman Center Newsletter
Graduating Seniors Represent Kaufman Community
Spring was a time of passage at Kaufman Center as Lucy Moses School seniors and––for the first time––Special Music School seniors took their next steps. For the Center, the 2008 graduation proceedings were a significant milestone in the evolution of its arts education mission––both within the Center and in the larger community.
Special Music School senior Anna Huettel with Music Director Jenny Undercofler at the June graduation ceremony
As a leader in community arts education through its Lucy Moses School, Kaufman Center has offered a range of educational options for beginners, casual learners and serious students since its founding in 1952. In 1996, the Center took its dedication to arts education to the next level by establishing the Special Music School (P.S. 859)––the only public school for musically gifted children in New York City, indeed in the nation. Says Kaufman Center Executive Director and Special Music School President Lydia Kontos, “Graduating this year’s Special Music School seniors has brought the Center full circle as a provider of music education in New York City. When we founded the Special Music School we were breaking new ground and now, looking back, I can’t imagine it not being there for New York City students. We answered a need and, in so doing, extended the range of services offered by the Center. Literally, anyone seeking a program of study in the performing arts––adults and kids, beginners and advanced students, even professionals––can find something here.”
While it might be the reputation of the Center that attracts students, it’s the community within that holds their interest. Theater Wing Director Sean Hartley describes the Center as “a place where children learn how much they can do and develop the confidence to follow their own path, whatever it is. Though we are a large Center, we get to know each student individually and try to keep in touch even after they leave the Center.”
Seven students graduated from Special Music School this spring, including cellist Valeriya Sholokova (student of Vladimir Panteleyev) and pianist Elina Akselrud (student of Irina Morozova). Akselrud, who will attend the Mannes School and continue her piano studies, had some advice to offer to younger students that speaks to the supportive community that exists at the Special Music School: “Believe in yourself. Don’t hesitate to be happy for your friends and always help each other.” Sholokova will attend The Juilliard School in the fall on a full cello scholarship. She credits her Special Music School music training with teaching her to think critically. Special Music School Music Director Jenny Undercofler says, “There is a natural connection between sharing music and creating community. Through chamber groups like our contemporary teen ensemble Face the Music, Special Music School fosters the urge students naturally have to share when it comes to music. We instruct students to develop a sense of personal excellence when it comes to their music, but in the end they probably learn the most from playing with each other.”
The Center’s Young Artist Program––an alternative course of study for highly motivated young musicians from both the Lucy Moses and the Special Music Schools––is a prime example of this community of learning. Says Lucy Moses School Director Igal Kesselman, “With the Young Artist Program, Kaufman Center has created an opportunity for older kids to play chamber music together regardless of which school they attend. Whether or not these young musicians go on to use music professionally, most of them will carry their interest in music with them through life. The Center has not only given them musical skills, but also outlets to explore their talents and develop their confidence.”
Violinist Peter Robertson is one of this year’s Lucy Moses School graduates. Robertson studied violin with Nurit Pacht and also participated in a chamber ensemble, coached by Kesselman. “Playing music with the students at the Lucy Moses School made me want to continue music at college because I enjoyed the connection with people that happened when I played. That connection is sort of regardless of talent, but it is something you can learn and get better at with practice. The Lucy Moses School provided me with the opportunity for such connection, and for that I am very grateful,” says Robertson.
As we say farewell to Lucy Moses School and Special Music School graduates, we know it’s not goodbye. Executive Director Lydia Kontos says, “I expect to see many of these students from time to time as their paths cross with the Center, either as mentors to younger students, as alumni performers or––some day––as performing adults on the stage of Merkin Concert Hall.”
