Summer Strings Academy with the Long Island Philharmonic

Nassau BOCES and the Long Island Philharmonic’s newest partnership, the Summer Strings Academy (SSA), a unique one week string camp for Long Island high school string players, was held at the Long Island High School for the Arts in Syosset during the week of August 18-22.

The SSA was designed to prepare string player for the start-up of the school year, giving the students the opportunity to fine tune their skills. Students attending the camp compared this experience to high school sports teams gearing up for the first game with pre-season practice.

Jillian Dooley – violin, Long Island High School for the Arts & Mt. Sinai High School
Douglas Kenny – violin, Sayville High School
Neil Miller – violin, Sanford H. Calhoun High School
Victoria Pietrzak – violin, Garden City High School
Tashauna Dyer – cello, Elmont Memorial High School
Dexter Golbourne – cello, Westbury High School
Shana Landau – cello, North Shore Hebrew Academy
Laura Schaefer – cello, Division Avenue High School, Levittown
 

   
 

Coach Vivian Israel and the cello section: Laura, Shana, Dexter and Tashauna


  

The cellists study Mozart’s Table Music for Two in which the second player reads the music upside down!


 
   

 
  Doug shows what he’s learned in conducting class.  

Carol Kushner coaches Neil Miller on an excerpt from The Magic Flute.

  
     
 

David Wiley instructs Dexter on conducting methods.

  Jillian learns conducting from Maestro Wiley.  

Highly motivated and talented string players, grades 9-12, from both Nassau and Suffolk counties participated in five days of intense coaching and rehearsals led by Long Island Philharmonic Music Director David Wiley with string players of the Philharmonic serving as coaches and mentors. The students were instructed in conducting technique, orchestral repertoire, music history, string technique and ear training.

     
  Victoria, Douglas, Shana, Dexter and Valerie Levy (coach)  

The SSA ensemble performs the Toy Symphony with soloists Valerie Levy, Carol Kushner and Vivian Israel playing the toys.

  
     
 

Nassau BOCES Arts in Education Supervisor Kelly Good introduces the SSA at the concert.

   The SSA ensemble performs Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C.  
The week culminated in a wonderful Friday evening concert during which the students, joined by their coaches and Maestro Wiley, showed off the results of their hard work. The concert included Haydn’s Piano Concerto in C, the Toy Symphony with the coaches playing the solo “toy” instruments, and an eclectic program of chamber works arranged for various ensembles including one of Beethoven’s piano trios, “Memory” from Cats, Debussy’s Golliwog’s Cake-walk, Led Zeppelin’s “All My Love,” a Mozart string quartet and Bugler’s Holiday arranged for three violins and piano.
     
 

A violin coaching session breaks for a photo op: Neil, Victoria, Valerie Levy (coach), Jillian, Carol Kushner (coach) and Doug.

  

“What’s a camp without a watermelon!” said Maestro David Wiley, as he arrived at camp one day with watermelon in tow. The musicians enjoyed it during a break: Victoria, Jillian, Neil, Dexter, Doug, Laura, Tashauna and Shana.

  
     
 

Shana accepts her certificate at the concert from Stephen Belth (left) and David Wiley (right).

  

Doug poses at the concert with Stephen Belth (left) and David Wiley (right).

  
       
 

David Wiley, Jillian and Tashauna pose following a rehearsal of the Beethoven trio.

      

Both the students and coaches had a great time in spite of all the hard work. One student commented, “I wish the camp had been longer. It made me want to aim for the skill level of the coaches.”

The 2009 Summer Strings Academy is scheduled for August 17-21. 
Contact Nassau BOCES at 516-396-2345 or Long Island Philharmonic at 631-293-2223 ext. 118 for more information.