As many of you know, the Atlanta Music Project launched a second site in the fall of 2011. Once again we partnered with the City Of Atlanta Recreation Centers. AMP’s second site is hosted by the Coan Recreation Center in the Edgewood neighborhood. At Coan, AMP offers violin, viola, cello and bass, as well as classes in musicianship, choir and African Drum and Dance.

I’m very proud of our Coan Rec Center students for the work they’ve done this semester. They will be presenting their progress in public for the first time this coming Thursday December 15 at 7:00pm at the Coan Rec Center. I hope you join us! See concert details here.

Here are some pictures and videos to show you what’s been happening at the Atlanta Music Project’s Coan Recreation site. Enjoy!

As per usual, we always introduce our students to music and ensemble through African Drum and Dance. Above and below you can see the students performing their African Drum and Dance concert in September 2011, after only three weeks of rehearsals.

Following the African Drum and Dance we held instrument petting zoos so the students could try all of the string instruments. In the picture above AMP Teaching Artists, Dr. Bill Johnston and Jessica Kornhoff, present the viola and cello to some anxious students.

Jessica Kornhoff,  AMP Cello Teaching Artist, gives a student her first try at the cello during our instrument petting zoo.

The same AMP student as above, now tries out the viola with Dr. Bill Johnston, AMP Viola Teaching Artist. She eventually chose the cello.

In the picture above, Elizabeth Oladele, AMP’s Violin Teaching Artist at Coan Rec Center, teaches one of her very first violin group lessons.

Along with the group lessons, AMP holds musicianship classes where our students learn to read notation and rhythms. This helps facilitate the learning procress on their instruments. In the video below, one of our bass students claps a rhythm:

Katrina Roman, AMP Double Bass Teaching Artist works on posture and positioning with one of her beginner students.

In the above video, two of our bass students rehearse their part to Good King Wenceslas, which they will be performing as a string ensemble at their Holiday Concert this coming Thursday December 15.

Here at the Atlanta Music Project we are very big on mentorship and peer-to-peer learning. We believe these two elements help develop a sense of empowerment and ownership of the program amongst the participants.

In the picture above, AMP Music Mentor and rising high school junior Elijah Kirkland-Andrews, works with an AMP viola student.

In the picture below, which I love, we have one of our older students, teaching one of our brand new students her very first violin lesson. I love this picture because we have young people, safe and off the streets at one of the city rec centers. The older student has been busy learning the violin, so much so, that she is able to teach the basics to a new student. Together they will be performing this Thursday December 15 on a Holiday Concert. This is social change, AMP’s mission, coming to fruition right before our very eyes.

In this video above, students work on note reading and rhythm with xylophones. Led by AMP Musicianship Teaching Artist, James Dekle, they will be demonstrating the skills they acquired at their Holiday Concert this Thursday December 15 at the Coan Recreation Center.

Yesterday some of our Coan Rec Center students performed a couple of choir pieces at Atlanta City Hall! Here they are above, led by AMP Choral Teaching Artist James Dekle.

See you at the AMP@Coan Rec Center Holiday Concert this Thursday December 15, 2011!