The Music School at the Rye Arts Center nurtures the talent of over 200 students each week.

By Janice Llanes Fabry

The Music School at the Rye Arts Center nurtures the talent of over 200 students each week. Coming from Rye, Rye Brook, White Plains, Mamaroneck, and Larchmont, students of all ages take private and group lessons with a faculty of highly accomplished musicians, singers, and composers.

“We are community-based, so we tailor our lessons to meet the needs of every student here,” explained Music School Director Anne Bach Fumasoli. “We’re here for enrichment, to help them with their music programs at school, or to help them with auditions.”

The teens are having a particularly special night this evening. Supported by Richard and Eileen Neiman, the Center’s board president, the second annual FRYEday Night Live will feature an open mic night. Teens will have the opportunity to perform on stage in the Performing Arts Room from 7:30-9:30. While some are enrolled in the Music School, others are high school students who would like to try their hand in front of an audience. Rye High School faculty member Mike Limone has been working with seniors Alec Hufford and Brooke Stetler to organize the evening, from the line-up to decorations.

“It’s a way for teens to come together and share their talent in a venue other than school,” said Fumasoli. “We’re tapping into a group of teenagers that I think will create an energy about the arts.”

Other teen programs at the Music School are RACapella, where students have the opportunity to become part of a creative and original vocal ensemble, and Beat Boxing Workshops. For ages 6 through adult, group lessons are available for voice, piano, and guitar. Private and semi-private lessons are offered in piano, guitar, drums, woodwinds, strings, and brass, as well as songwriting and composition.

Parent/child lessons are available for children as young as 4. Suzuki guitar and violin emphasizes the traditional Suzuki rote method of instrumental instruction. Piano and Guitar Pals teaches adult and child to play beautiful music together.

Also the Director of Public Outreach, Fumasoli strongly believes in making the arts more accessible to everyone. MusicOutreachNow is a student-driven program, coordinated through Rye High School, whereby music students perform at area nursing homes.

HeadStart, private and federally funded, reaches out to 175 preschoolers in Port Chester and offers classes in the arts five days a week. In another outreach program, the Rye Arts Center works with Rye’s pre-schools to extend the kids’ days with music and art programs.

“We’re very family-oriented and we’re a good resource,” said Fumasoli. “It’s important to keep the community connected through the arts.”

For more information, call 967-0700 or visit www.ryearts-center.org.