Developing potential, enriching lives and creating community since 1944 
FIVE WEEK PROGRAM | JULY 1 – AUGUST 2, 2024
For students entering 1st – 9th Grade
Students may enroll for any three or more consecutive week period within the program.
MORNING, AFTERNOON AND FULL DAY OPTIONS | EARLY DROP OFF AND LATE PICK UP
Hoff-Barthelson Music School is the ideal setting for a stimulating, challenging, and fun-filled summer of creative exploration. Our Summer Arts Program offers rich, individually tailored experiences in music, movement, and visual art. Participants benefit from expert instruction; a nurturing environment; learning and practicing with peers; exploring new instruments, styles, and art forms; growing in their understanding of the language of music (music theory); developing performance skills; and forming lasting friendships.
Our exceptional faculty — made up of top teaching artists — provide personalized attention to each student.
DONNA ELAINE AND RIE MATSUMOTO, DIRECTORS
Group Instruction in Strings, Winds, Brass, Guitar, Piano, Percussion • Piano as a Second Instrument • Creative Keyboard
Chorus • Simple Symphony • Orchestra • Wind Ensemble • Jazz Band • Crossroads Ensemble • Chamber Music • World Drumming Chimes • Music and Movement • Reading, Writing, Listening: Building Music Literacy • Composers Corner • Music History Through the Ages • Music Technology • Visual Arts
Regular Friday morning recitals take place on July 5, 12, 19, and 26 at 11:00 am. A finale performance will be presented on the last Friday, August 2, at 10:30 am for morning performance classes and at 1:30 pm for afternoon performance classes. All recitals and concerts will be live-streamed and recorded in HD for friends and family who cannot attend in person.
Schedule of Sessions
Please note that the following classes are near capacity: Visual Arts, World Drumming, and Reading, Writing, and Listening. We may not be able to accommodate requests to join these classes.
MORNING PROGRAM: 9:00 am – 12:00 pm – Students select four classes from the list below
Music and Movement (grades 1-3)
A fun and effective approach to teaching music to children through movement. Students gain a strong rhythmic foundation leading to enhanced musical expression and understanding.
Chorus (grades 4-6) *
Students explore richly diverse repertoire as they develop singing and ensemble skills.
Group Instrumental Instruction (grades 1-9) *
Daily small group classes on student’s choice of strings, winds, brass, percussion, guitar, and piano. Students are grouped into beginning, intermediate, and advanced classes.
Visual Arts (grades 1-9)
Students explore creativity and personal expression through a variety of arts and crafts projects. Classes leveled by age.
Jazz Band (grades 4-9) *
Explore the world of jazz! Open to wind, brass, percussion, piano, guitar, and bass players, students discover a world of performance styles and develop their ability to improvise. For early intermediate and above.
Music Technology (grades 4-9)
Acquire the skills needed to use hardware, software, and app technology while creating your own compositions in our music technology lab.
Simple Symphony (NYSSMA Level 1- Early Level 3) *
A first orchestral ensemble experience for young string players.
Orchestra (NYSSMA Level 3-6) *
String instrument ensemble for intermediate and advanced players.
Wind Ensemble (grades 4-9) *
Wind, brass, and percussion ensemble for intermediate and advanced players.
AFTERNOON PROGRAM: 12:30 – 2:45 pm – Students select three classes from the list below
Composers Corner (grades 1-3)
Music history comes alive as students explore the life and times of the great composers through listening and storytelling.
Chamber Music/Piano Ensembles (grades 3-9) **
A small ensemble experience for wind, string, and piano students. Students are assigned one person to a part. Ensembles are organized by student performance level and experience.
Piano as a Second Instrument (grades 1-9)
Group instruction for students who already play another instrument and would like to learn foundational keyboard skills. An excellent and fun opportunity to study the piano as a secondary instrument. Classes leveled by age and ability. Note reading and rhythm skills are required. Students who have more than one year’s experience playing piano as a second instrument may opt to join the Creative Keyboard class.
Creative Keyboard (Pianists with at least 1 year experience; grades 1-9)
Exploring keyboard skills: piano theory, sight-reading, improvisation, basic keyboard harmony. Not for beginning piano students.
World Drumming (grades 1-9) **
Students use percussion instruments from around the world to explore rhythm, timbre, and a cross section of world music styles as they discover song form, ensemble playing, and improvisation. Concepts of meter and note values are explored and reinforced.
Chimes (grades 4-9) **
Students learn to play beautiful bell-like tone chimes. An exciting approach to the study of pitch, rhythm, music notation, and playing in an ensemble. Students must attend at least weeks 3, 4, and 5 to participate in this ensemble.
Crossroads Ensemble (grades 4-9) **
An ensemble for students of any instrument that focuses on playing arrangements of popular music, the Great American Songbook, jazz, and world music with an emphasis on improvisation. Inspired by classical musicians including Yo-Yo Ma and Joshua Bell who have embarked upon projects that bring classical musical skills together with a wide variety of music and musicians. Students write songs and make their own arrangements using Finale or Garage Band notation software – no experience necessary!
Music History Through the Ages (grades 4-9)
A guided tour through all eras of music history designed to make connections between composers, their landmark compositions, and the societal, artistic, and intellectual trends that influenced them.
Reading, Writing, and Listening – Building Music Literacy (grades 1-9)
Through a sequential, progressive, highly engaging approach, students develop competence and confidence reading, writing, and listening to the core elements of music. Subject areas include key signatures, pitch and notation, rhythm and meter, intervals, scales, chords, melody, and musical form. Classes are leveled by age and experience.
* This class may perform on any Friday morning recital. ** This class will perform only on the last Friday afternoon concert.
EARLY DROP OFF: 8:15 – 9:00 am
Supervised time prior to the start of classes.
LATE PICK UP: 2:45 – 5:00 pm
Supervised quiet time.
How to Register
Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis. Early registration is encouraged!
To secure your spot, each student must submit a non-refundable deposit of $150 upon registration.
Step 1: Select the option that you would like (Morning, Afternoon or Full Day) and register online. This includes paying your $150 deposit. Please note that the deposit amount is the same regardless of which program option you select and the number of weeks you will attend.
Step 2: Once you have registered, you’ll receive a questionnaire where you can specify the number of weeks you plan to attend and select the classes in which you are interested. You will be invoiced for tuition based on the number of weeks you will attend. Not sure which to choose? We’ll be happy to guide you!
Step 3: To ensure appropriate class placement, we request a brief video showcasing your child’s current skill level on each instrument they’ll be learning. This video should be 30 seconds to 2 minutes in duration. Videos are not necessary for beginning instrumentalists and choral singers. You can record the videos using a cell phone; professional quality is not expected. Memorization is also not required. The Questionnaire provides instructions for how to share your video(s).
Tuition for Five Week Program
A non-refundable deposit of $150 per student is required at the time of registration. Registrations received after May 25, 2024, are subject to a $100 surcharge. The balance of tuition is due by May 25, 2024; after this date, tuition is non-refundable. Tuition includes music, art materials, and a T-shirt.
Tuition for four consecutive weeks is prorated at 85% of the five-week tuition rate; tuition for three consecutive weeks is prorated at 70% of the five-week tuition rate.
Partial need-based financial aid available. Learn more here.
Need to rent an instrument? Check out the list of suppliers in our Student Handbook.
Questions? Contact us at summerarts@hbms.org or 914-723-1169.
Photos by Mark Jessamy and Steven Schnur
