Learn about bows, bridges, pegs, and why the giant bass sounds so low at the Music Conservatory of Westchester’s first Kids on Central concert of the season, “The String Family,” on Saturday, January 30 at 3 p.m. “The String Family” offers children a fun, informative, and hands-on introduction to the orchestra’s largest section – the strings.

Each Kids on Central concert includes instrument demonstrations by a member of the Conservatory’s distinguished faculty, as well as a musical storytelling activity with music performed by Conservatory students. “The String Family” features student performers Eugene Bender and Angela Griffin, violins; Priscilla Martinez, viola; Matthew Holt, cello; and Michael Martinez, double bass; in a performance of Aesop’s “City Mouse, Country Mouse.” The musical story will be narrated by voice student Emma Boisitz, with voice students Victoria Ryckman and Nora Mark as the mice.
 
Prior to each concert, starting at 2:00 p.m., children also have the opportunity to see, touch, and try out the different instruments. The hands-on string instrument display will be provided by Atelier of Greenwich, CT.

Performances are held in the Conservatory’s Helen Demetrios and Michael Stadther Recital Hall. Tickets are $15; $10 for students and senior citizens; and free for Conservatory students and faculty. For tickets or more information, call the Box Office at (914) 761-3900 x155. All tickets are held at the door and may be retrieved one half-hour before a concert. Reservations are recommended.

The Conservatory’s Live on Central series continues on Friday, February 26 at 7 p.m. with “Serious But Not Stuffy,” featuring faculty violinist Joanna Jenner, founding member of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and double bassist Jon Deak of the New York Philharmonic.

The following day, on Saturday, February 27 at 3 p.m., “Piano, Percussion, and Harp” will give children an introduction to various styles of music and highlight three instruments used to play them. Conservatory faculty guitarist Thomas Flippin performs works by living composers in “The Modern Guitar” on Wednesday, February 24 at 12:10 p.m. as part of the Noonday Getaway Concert series at Grace Church in White Plains.

The Music Conservatory of Westchester is located at 216 Central Avenue in White Plains, NY. They can be reached at (914) 761-3900 or by visiting http://www.musicconservatory.org/

About the Music Conservatory of Westchester:

The Music Conservatory of Westchester a non-profit community school of the arts, providing outstanding music, musical theatre, and music therapy programs for people of all ages and abilities. The Conservatory’s 36,000-square-foot facility in White Plains offers a Recital Hall and 43 acoustically designed classrooms and teaching studios. Their comprehensive programs include performing ensembles, musicianship classes, music therapy, student performances, master classes, workshops, and more. All students receive free admission to the Conservatory’s annual “Live on Central” concert series of faculty recitals and children’s concerts. This year, the Conservatory awarded $110,000 in scholarship support and tuition assistance to more than 115 of its students. The Conservatory is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, a member of the National Guild of Community Schools of the Arts, and is one of only 19 non-degree granting institutions in the country to be fully accredited by the National Association of Schools of Music.