Thank you to Josh Marcum for giving bass lessons to Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson as part of their Fund for Teachers project! Josh's expert knowledge of the bass is helping the WHEELS music teachers develop a scope and sequence for 6th-12th grade bass students.

Last week Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson had the privilege of studying with three members of Paquito D'Rivera's rhythm section: pianist Alex Brown, bassist Zach Brown, and percussionist Paulo Stagnaro. With Paulo they learned Afro-Cuban 6/8 patterns on conga, bongo, bells and drum set. With Alex and Zach they learned montunos on the piano and tumbao patterns on the bass, in 2-3 and 3-2 clave, to fit with danzón, bolero, cha-cha-chá, guaguancó, and merengue styles of music. Thank you to all of these musicians and Fund for Teachers for their generosity.

Thank you to the Fender Music Foundation for their generous grant to the WHEELS music program!

Thank you to Paulo Stagnaro and Marcos Torres for conducting a Latin percussion master class for WHEELS students last Wednesday! That same evening Paulo taught Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson how to play bolero patterns on bongos, congas, timbales and maracas. Paulo also taught the two WHEELS teachers how to tune bongos, congas and timbales, and how to play fills on timbales. Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson look forward to continuing their studies of Latin music, made possible by a Fund for Teachers fellowship!

Last Thursday, The WHEELS Performance Ensemble, which consists of 7th-12th grade students, had the honor of performing at NYC Outward Bound Schools' 2013 Gala Dinner honoring Governor Cuomo and Capital One Bank. Check out photos of the event here! The Performance Ensemble got listeners dancing with Latin and jazz standards like "Ran Kan Kan," "Chucho," "Oye Como Va," "Bruca Manigua," "Blue Monk" and "Second Line." Check out video of the performance here.

As part of their Fund for Teachers fellowship, Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson saw the great Paquito D'Rivera perform with Alex Brown, Zach Brown, Diego Urcola and Eric Doob on Sunday night at The Iridium. Dr. T. and Mr. Johnson look forward to studying Latin music with Alex and Zach Brown. Thank you to all of these musicians for their generosity and inspiring music!

Our band family meeting last Thursday night was a success! We discussed how families can be involved with our students' music education by attending concerts, auditions and band classes, and by listening to music together at home. Thank you to those who attended and to all of our band students and families for their ongoing support.