Tag: community

On a Wednesday afternoon, eleven From the Top young musicians gathered in Boston to begin a 4-day residency. They arrived as strangers; some having traveled across the country to be there. One goal was clear – the young musicians had to prepare for a performance and recording for NPR’s From the Top radio show. (In fact, the group […]

As a recipient of the Deitch Leadership Institute Fellowship for students at the Boston Latin School, Christine has been working with Austin Boyer in our marketing department for the past seven weeks. Out of the seventeen Boston organizations she could’ve chosen, From the Top was her top choice — and we’re so glad she got […]

Friends, Federal support for the arts, humanities, and public broadcasting has been getting a lot of attention these days, and, unfortunately, it’s not because of all the wonderful things we do. If you’re wondering what you can do to help, check out our 3 Actions You Can Take Right Now. (And, Alumni – we need you!) What’s Happening The […]

What happens when 8 classically-trained musicians, 8 vocalists, 10 visual artists, and one rap artist come together? The answer is our latest music video, a cover of Jon Batiste & Stay Human’s “Express Yourself (Say Yes)”. We filmed this video at the Epicenter of Artists for Humanity, a non-profit here in our hometown of Boston. […]

“Jump right in!” a young lady with long brown hair belts out from the stage, her foot tapping as she dances along with the music, “Let the music pull you in, jump right in!” The more than 500 middle and high school students in the audience here in Hazard, Kentucky are very familiar with this […]

Each of the performers on Show 280 attended an Arts Leadership Orientation Workshop, where they explored their own personal leadership pathways. Learn how they are taking their music beyond the concert hall in their own communities: Hannah Wang is reigniting an idea that she tabled in the fall. She plans to bring together local musicians […]

It’s 7:30 AM on a Monday morning at the Columbia Campus of Pope John Paul II Catholic Academy in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Kids grades K-8 have filed into the gymnasium for their usual morning meeting. Sitting in rows with backpacks and coats still on, they suddenly hear a saxophone above them play, “Oh When the Saints, […]

Six years after appearing on From the Top, 22-year-old alum Eliodoro Vallecillo is paying it forward in his hometown of Salinas, California. Through his own after-school music program and traditional Mexican band, he hopes to develop new audiences for Mexican music and offer new opportunities for kids in Salinas. Eliodoro wowed audiences on both From […]

We think music is powerful stuff and we love sharing that message with the different communities we visit on tour. While taping in Mesa, Arizona in February (Show 269), we had a number of opportunities to do just that. It all started the day of our show with a morning trip to Archway Classical Academy in […]

9-year-old violinist Elizabeth Aoki charmed listeners when she appeared on Show 261 in Boston, Massachusetts. During a visit to Phoenix, Arizona with her mother, Elizabeth’s musical talent also won the hearts of residents living at the Freedom Plaza Retirement Community. She worked with a family friend to organize the event and played some violin favorites […]

While on tour, we have visited some really inspiring music programs in schools across the country. For our taping with the Colorado Symphony this January, we had the opportunity to connect with El Sistema Colorado – a program dedicated to “transform[ing] the lives of children through music.” They are in residence at the Garden Place Academy […]

Nicholas King is a Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Award recipient who appeared on Show 177 in New Albany, Ohio, and the experience was life-changing. He says, “From the Top and the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation showed me the importance of supporting young musicians. Without the scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation I wouldn’t […]

…many times, people in nursing homes might not have opportunities to listen and experience the passion of music…I [was able] to share the wonders of music with others and bring happiness in to someone’s life. Even at the age of 10, pianist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Avery Gagliano (Show 251) can see the positive influence […]

15 year-old violinist and Jack Kent Cooke Young Artist Jieming Tang (Show 251) found a “second home” with the parishioners at Saint Colman Catholic Church in Cleveland, OH – their support was truly helpful during his transition to the United States. Jieming shares more below: As newcomers to America from China, everything was new to […]

We love having the chance to meet with other young musicians whenever we’re on tour for a show. This past April brought us to Potsdam, NY, where we were able to meet with two groups of high school music students. Performers John Lee (cello) and Margaux Filet (flute) joined us for these events. We first […]

We had an exciting array of outreach events around our radio taping earlier last month in Ogden, Utah! Thanks to our presenter Weber State University (WSU), our staff and performers had the chance to make some inspiring connections with students, ranging from elementary school to college, in the Ogden community! Within hours of arriving in Ogden, […]

The day after taping Show #228 in Athens, GA, our Education Team traveled with performer and harpist Angelica Hairston to the Clarke Central High School. They met with twenty orchestra students, ranging from 9th to 12th grade, and teacher Eunice Kang in the school’s orchestra room. Angelica is the recipient of From the Top’s Jack […]

The morning before we taped Show #227 in Opelika, AL, From the Top’s Education Team traveled to Opelika High School with performer and guitarist Jiyeon Kim. They visited a classroom of 25 beginner guitar students studying with guitarist and teacher Patrick Bruce. Guitarist Jiyeon Kim currently attends the Cleveland Institute of Music and studies with […]

From the Top Alum and past Roving Reporter and violinist Caeli Smith just sent us another great update. These days Caeli is studying at Juilliard and is a founding member of Rayos de Canción (Rays of Music), a group of students committed to raising awareness about the power of music to facilitate healing, especially in […]

The day after we taped Show #225 in Yountville, California, the From the Top Education Team visited the beautiful Blue Oak School with performer and clarinetist Perry Choi. The team spent time with 35 third to fifth graders who take music from teacher Kim Markovich. Despite being only 18 years old, Perry runs a non-profit […]