Tag: community

Yesterday we recorded an episode of From the Top in Abilene, Texas, which will air the week of December 27. Our presence in the town actually inspired 2nd and 4th grade classes at Allie Ward Elementary School to put on their own radio project! You can listen to the podcast about this production by Zane […]

We love when From the Top performers take Arts Leadership to the next level – 14 year-old violist Isabella Markham, a Jack Kent Cook Young Artist, has done just that by organizing a small concert series for a retirement center with the help of her brother and seven friends.  She titled the performance “Bella Palooza” […]

We have been avidly following the progress of Musical Diplomacy, the brainchild of From the Top’s Margaret Stewart Lindsay Arts Leadership Grant recipients Brian Kaufman and Michael Reichman. After an entire year of planning and organizing, their dream of using music to bring together leading policymakers, teachers, musicians, and concerned citizens was finally realized at the […]

Arts Leadership is an important part of From the Top’s experience for young musicians. We encourage all our performers to give back to their communities through their music. Sahun “Sam” Hong who performed on Show #206 in Dallas, Texas, has been doing Arts Leadership outreach continually since his show taped in November, 2009.  He’s setting a […]

We just got a neat update from composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (aka DBR).  A few weeks ago we featured a blog he wrote on Musical Diplomacy and Good, Long Hugs.  These days he’s been collaborating with the Boston Pops to work with young musicians in Boston area schools.  Check out this video for an overview […]

For the past two years, From the Top and Orchestra Iowa have collaborated on a project called Iowa Makes Music. One component of this residency is our Arts Leadership program, which provides high school age classical musicians with intensive arts leadership training and one-on-one mentoring to help them develop and lead their own music-inspired service […]

From the Top isn’t just about broadcasting phenomenal music.  An integral part of our program is the Arts Leadership Orientation, which follows every performance. What’s that, you ask? The performers gather with From the Top’s Education staff after the show to reflect on their experiences – what were they thinking before the show started? What were their favorite moments […]

Kanu o ka ‘Aina, one of the schools we visited in Waimea, recently received a large federal grant from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund’s Native American assistance initiative. The program supports native institutions that address the development and needs of native communities. Kanu o ka ‘Aina is a bilingual, Hawaiian-focused charter school that integrates […]

In January, From the Top partnered with Hawaii Public Radio to bring our radio show and education programs to the island of Hawaii. It was the first time a program like ours has been recorded on the Big Island for national broadcast, and we were greeted with open arms and that famous Aloha spirit. During […]

Last Friday, we gathered 3-5th grade students from our Boston Public School partners (Philbrick, Edison and Winthrop elementary schools) for a special concert at Boston’s Roland Hayes School of Music. The goal was to link the  elementary students who have participated in our three year program, Turn it Up!, funded by the Wallace Foundation, with […]

We are pleased to announce the first recipients of the Margaret Stewart Lindsay Arts Leadership Awards, a new program that encourages high school and collegiate musicians to give back to their communities through the arts. Through this program, From the Top will provide grants and mentoring for three community projects this year. A shared grant […]

– by Lauren Chipman “Look at her hair!” “I think she’s in a rock band.” “Whoa….” I don’t look like your typical classical musician getting ready to work with a group of 4th grade violinists, but my appearance reflects who I am and what I do for a living. I lead a very eclectic life […]

Today is National Arts Advocacy Day! Our friends at Americans for the Arts have organized hundreds of dedicated arts supporters from across the country to come together in Washington, DC to tell Capitol Hill how important culture is to our communities, how much arts education means to our children, and how much the arts improve […]

On this week’s broadcast of From the Top, we honor Honolulu piano teaching legend Ellen Masaki and Honokaa High School Jazz Band (Hawaii) Director Gary Washburn. Tell us about a music teacher that has made a difference in your life. We’ll feature some of our favorite entries  right here on our Green Room blog. Send […]

The day after our taping at Stanford University’s Dinkelspiel Auditorium, From the Top had the opportunity to visit the Boys & Girls Club of East Palo Alto for a special family performance. 16-yr-old cellist Nathan Chan, 16-yr-old pianist Jade Huang and 13-yr-old violinist Stephen Waarts , all performers on the show, were joined by local […]

In early November, From the Top spent a whirlwind week in Texas with radio tapings and school visits in Waco and Dallas. From the Top alumni and brother and sister team Robbie, 18, violin, and Allie Switala, 16, violin from Grapevine, TX, launched our Texas road shows with a visit to Lakeview Middle School in […]

On November 12, From the Top visited the G.W. Carver Academy in Waco, TX with performers Nathaniel Smith, 15, cello, Mia Orosco, 16, fiddle, and Simon Stipp, guitar. The 50 middle school students were engaged from the moment the musicians walked in to the classroom, pressing them with television theme song requests and questions about […]

In early November, From the Top provided two Atlanta middle schools with an interactive demonstration before taping a From the Top broadcast at Emory University’s Schwartz Center. We brought Hally Davidson, 15, flute, from McDonough, GA and Bryan Anderson, 16, piano, from Stockbridge, GA,  members of the flute and piano duo “Music Two Share”, to […]

Irineo Cabreros has been described as hard to peg. Featured on From the Top’s Mobile, AL taping last winter, the phenomenal 18-year-old musician says it best when he describes himself as “a dreadlocked, birkenstocked, teenage flutist who loves to play soccer and beat-box.” Currently enrolled in the Harvard University and New England Conservatory (NEC) dual […]

In early October, From the Top traveled to Salt Lake City, Utah to tape a radio broadcast at Libby Gardner Hall with Utah Chamber Artists. While we were there, From the Top had the opportunity to visit the Waterford School in Sandy, Utah and introduce students to 16-year-old violinist Will Hagen, a From the Top […]