PM Takes Youth To GRAMMY SoundCheck with Yanni

>June 23, 2009

Hi, this is Philip again, the Project MuszEd summer intern. Today, Project Muszed coordinated an opportunity through The Grammy Foundation to attend another exciting Grammy Soundcheck, this time with award winning artist, Yanni. The students, ages 13-18 were able to participate in a Q&A session with the amazing artist. The questions were insightful and interesting. Yanni was very genuine and his passion for music shone through when he answered their questions, trying to give them as much information that he could within the allotted time. He was very pleased with the questions as he stated, “You kids are great!” during the Q&A session. In addition, the kids were able to speak with Yanni’s production manager. This gave them additional insight into the music industry beyond the artist’s point of view. After the Soundcheck, the kids were given complementary tickets to the amazing concert. With the support of the Grammy Foundation, Project MuszEd, was able to once again give these fortunate kids an excellent opportunity to speak with Yanni, and an opportunity to see him in concert.

PM takes kids to observe Sound Check with Andre Rieu

Hi, my name is Philip Ragler and I am spending my summer in Los Angeles interning for Project MuszEd. We recently coordinated an opportunity for 30 kids from A Place Called Home to attend a sound check with renowned violinist Andre Rieu, who has been dubbed by media as the "King of Waltz." It was an amazing experience for the kids to speak to a professional musician. The students asked Rieu questions and listened intently as he expressed the experiences that he has had from many years of being a musician. The students also got to speak with members of the Rieu's Johann Strauss Orchestra, where they were able to gain even more valuable information and insights into the lives of professional artists.

After the Q&A session , the kids were treated to backstage access and dinner with some of the members of the orchestra. Here, they were able to ask questionson a more personal level. Rieu then treated everyone to tickets to attend the concert later that night! With the support of the Grammy Foundation, Project MuszEd was able to give these kids an excellent opportunity to speak with and see a world renowned musician and his orchestra in concert. Special thanks to The Grammy Foundation for extending this exciting and educational opportunity.

Look out for future blogs from me as we extend resources and opportunities in music education to more kids.