Check out our 7th graders' original protest songs, composed and recorded on Soundtrap!

https://padlet.com/gjohnson139/7thgradeprotestsongsfall2020

This music video was created by WHEELS students, teachers and alumni in collaboration with other NYC Outward Bound schools for the 10th Annual College March!

Thank you to Professors Kurt Gartner and Allan Molnar for hosting WHEELS at the virtual annual Johnny Pacheco Latin Music and Jazz Festival at Lehman College!

 Zoom music lessons!

 We are still having fun making, recording and composing music in both virtual and in-person classes!

The school year officially started this week and it's great seeing everyone, even if only on Zoom for now! On the WHEELS gallery on Padlet, we posted a video of our WHEELS lower grades friends singing "Make New Friends," recorded at the end of last school year: https://padlet.com/a_voulgarides/wheelsgallery

 Mr. Johnson will be part of this Arts Education Roundtable, hosted by Harlem Stage and TYA/USA, on Monday, August 17, 4:00-5:30 EDT. Please register for free here.

WHEELS 5th graders' compositions with Jessie Montgomery, composed during May and June of this year, will be highlighted as part of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra's virtual performance and fundraiser this Thursday.

Check out new music by WHEELS alumnus Saudy Familia on his new website! https://www.saudyfamilia.com/

Four WHEELS students are currently attending the virtual MSM Summer program and learning a lot about Latin music, pop music, and musical theater!

WHEELS 5th graders collaborated with acclaimed composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery, through our partnership with Orpheus Chamber Orchestra. Over the past two months our 5th graders, Ms. Montgomery and Mr. Johnson used Soundtrap, Google Meet and Zoom to compose and record the music featured here: https://padlet.com/gjohnson139/r786z3u4jnancnm7

Check out our 10th Annual (Virtual) Spring Concert!

Mr. Johnson is a quarterfinalist for the 2021 Grammy Music Educator Award! https://www.grammy.com/press-releases/216-quarterfinalists-announced-2021-music-educator-award%E2%84%A2-presented-recording-academy

Check out the high-quality work completed by WHEELS students in music classes and other classes during quarantine! https://padlet.com/a_voulgarides/wheelsgallery

WHEELS music students contributed to these two music videos created by EL Education:

Gratitude Anthem: https://vimeo.com/414036139
Make the World Better: https://vimeo.com/413100268

We miss each other and will help each other get through this. Thank you to our essential workers and everyone doing their part to help!

WHEELS has received a SupportMusic Merit Award from the NAMM Foundation for the fourth year in a row! It's one of only 148 schools across the country to win this recognition this year.

Though Carnegie Hall is closed for now, WHEELS 5th graders recorded the song they were supposed to perform there and shared it on social media! They recorded the song remotely using Soundtrap.com. Soundtrap for Education and the Save The Music Foundation shared the song on their social media as well: https://twitter.com/VH1SaveTheMusic/status/1247169561780260867

WHEELS 5th graders wrote a song inspired by Tracy K. Smith's modern interpretation of Friedrich Schiller's "Ode to Joy." The WHEELS students' song, "Let Our Song Bring Joy to Earth," was selected to be performed at this concert in Carnegie Hall! The 5th graders are preparing to play and sing their song with a professional ensemble. Thank you to Jason Marshall for visiting WHEELS to help arrange and rehearse our song!

Thank you to the Bachata Academy, from the Dominican Republic, for visiting WHEELS to play a concert for the second year in a row! Like last year, WHEELS students enjoyed dancing to the amazing bachata music.

Congratulations to Javy Polanco, WHEELS 9th grader and Manhattan borough winner of the 92nd St. Y Teen Arts Week Citizen-Artist Award!

Yesterday the great jazz pianist Bertha Hope, singer Antoinette Montague, bassist Kim Clarke, and drummer Lucianna Padmore performed at WHEELS thanks to the Jazz Foundation of America! WHEELS students sat in at the end and played "Mr. PC."

This weekend two WHEELS students performed with the jazz band in the Music Educators' Association of New York City (MEANYC) annual Middle School Festival. We are very proud of their hard work and the beautiful concert they performed in!

Last Tuesday 343 Labs showed WHEELS 5th graders and high school students how to use Ableton Live to compose and record music!

Thank you to Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and Access Orpheus for allowing WHEELS students to attend their rehearsal of Mendelssohn's Octet in E-flat Major! Seeing the rehearsal process of top musicians is truly inspiring!

Yesterday and today eight WHEELS middle and high school students and alumni performed with student big bands and combos at Jazz at Lincoln Center!

Last night WHEELS students got to see Orpheus Chamber Orchestra perform with violinist Vadim Gluzman at Carnegie Hall! Before the concert they visited a "musical instrument petting zoo" at the Carnegie Hall museum.

Last Friday at Community Circle WHEELS 3rd and 4th graders sang songs and presented their musical compositions about animals. They made connections between the songs they are learning and writing in music classes and their learning expeditions. One class is studying animal adaptations and other two are reading Peter Pan.

Congratulations to the over 100 WHEELS 6th and 7th grade students who performed in our annual Middle Grades Winter Concerts on Friday morning! Three groups of students performed original music as well as pop and Latin songs like "Oye Como Va" and "Happier."

A number of WHEELS students are part of Jazz Power Youth. Thanks to Jazz Power Initiative for visiting WHEELS last Friday and for all they're doing for NYC students!