Here's a video of a spontaneous jam session at a holiday celebration in one of our 6th grade classes. ¡Feliz año nuevo!

WHEELS elementary and high school music students performed together in our Winter Music and Movement Performance on Friday morning. First and second grade students danced, played keyboards, ukuleles and hand percussion instruments with a small ensemble of high school students backing them up on "Lean On Me," "Oye Como Va," "C-Jam Blues," and "Let It Be." We're very proud of all of the hard work our students did to put on a successful show.

On Friday evening high school music students performed at a holiday party at the Lotte New York Palace Hotel.

Check out this video of one of our senior guitar players performing with the 2016 NAfME All-National Honor Jazz Ensemble!

WHEELS music students in 2nd-12th grades performed in a samba percussion ensemble and a Latin jazz band at performances that were part of our annual College March. Congratulations to all of our seniors on their way to college!

Yesterday WHEELS music students and families were fortunate enough to see Orpheus Chamber Orchestra play a concert with pianist Fazil Say at Carnegie Hall. Thanks to Access Orpheus for providing tickets and introducing students to a variety of musical instruments in the instrument "petting zoo!"

Earlier this week we had our first middle grades and upper grades awards ceremonies of the school year. Congratulations to the band students on great performances and to all of the students that received awards for academics and character!

Last week two bands from WHEELS performed at the annual Johnny Pacheco Latin Music and Jazz Festival. We're grateful for the opportunity to perform at this educational festival, to hear other bands perform, and to receive excellent feedback from festival director Mr. Allan Molnar and festival guests.

Some WHEELS music students took the initiative to form their own band and book professional gigs, including a weekly gig at a restaurant on 173rd street!

Percussionist Isidro "Boba" Bobadilla, who has recorded with many artists including Juan Luis Guerra, played tambora and guira with WHEELS music students last Friday during a class where he discussed the history of merengue music. WHEELS students are now fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take weekly classes with Boba!

WHEELS 1st and 2nd graders have been studying percussion and playing a cha-cha-cha groove in music class. Here are some of the 2nd graders practicing reading and playing their parts in groups.

Meanwhile, returning middle and high school band students have been working hard coaching new band students.

A trio of WHEELS band students performed on live TV at WNET's (Channel Thirteen New York Public Media) studio for National Voter Registration Day last Tuesday!

WHEELS band students performed salsa music for an enthusiastic crowd at SSEU371's Latino Heritage Celebration on Friday evening, opening for Ray De La Paz!

Our tenor sax player that performed at this event just started a GoFundMe campaign to buy a professional quality tenor sax: https://www.gofundme.com/keepitswinging/

The school year is off to a strong start! All three bands are busy rehearsing, and the elementary and middle school general music classes have started learning to play a cha-cha-cha groove on Latin percussion instruments.

WHEELS alum Saudy Familia, now studying drums and composition at Berklee College of Music, recently released his debut Latin Jazz album, Someone To Hold featuring his own compositions. Check it out on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, CD Baby or wherever you buy music!

Seven WHEELS Music students performed in the Latin Band, Jazz Band, Guitar Ensemble and Saxophone Ensemble at the incredible final concert for Camp MSM last Friday! They had the opportunity to work with some of the best student and professional musicians in the world, and after such a fun and inspiring experience at Camp MSM WHEELS students and teachers are ready to carry that inspiration into the new school year.

It's been a great summer so far! One of our rising 9th graders attended the Junior Jazz Academy at the Juilliard School! Meanwhile, seven more WHEELS Music students are currently attending Camp MSM, and Mr. Johnson had a great time jamming, learning and presenting at Modern Band Rockfest 2016.

Here's a photo of WHEELS students rehearsing with the Latin band at MSM!

Last week we finished off the school year with performances by all of our band students at the WHEELS 8th Grade Moving Up Ceremony and the WHEELS High School Graduation Ceremony. Congratulations to the WHEELS Class of 2016!

Stay tuned for updates about WHEELS music students' summer adventures, including performances at Manhattan School of Music!

After submitting more than a dozen original compositions to the Little Kids Rock 2016 Songwriting Exhibition, WHEELS Music students were the lucky winners of a PA system and loop pedals from Little Kids Rock!

Yesterday, WHEELS Music students got to see pianist Nobuyuki Tsujii rehearse with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra!

WHEELS band students performed yesterday at the TAC-D Summer Institute at NYU for the third year in a row. It was great to see many people in the audience singing and dancing along!

Last weekend nine WHEELS students performed with middle and high school bands at Jazz at Lincoln Center! Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra trombonist Vincent Gardner even sat in! We're very proud of our students' hard work.

This evening one of our eighth grade music students had the honor of playing viola with members of the New York Philharmonic as part of the Harmony Program All Stars! It took a lot of hard work to get to this level and be selected for this performance.

Yesterday WHEELS had the privilege of hosting the jazz big band from La ENA (Escuela Nacional de Arte), the top music school in Cuba. This band of talented high school students is performing in New York City throughout this week thanks to collaboration between La ENA, Jazz at Lincoln Center and Horns to Havana. WHEELS middle and high school students got to hear an incredible concert of jazz standards and Afro-Cuban music, and were also fortunate enough to have time to meet the student musicians and ask them questions.