Since the fall of 2008, the Iowa Makes Music (IMM) project has encompassed a number of live events and education programs. This included From the Top radio tapings in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Davenport, Iowa City, Ames, and Cedar Falls, dozens of school visits led by Iowa teens, and classroom tools for Iowa teachers. A large part of the residency has also included the IMM Arts Leadership program, which has provided a yearly cohort of high school age classical musicians with intensive arts leadership training and one-on-one mentorship. Our aim has been to empower students to develop and lead their own arts leadership project in their home communities, and the resulting music outreach and community service has been overwhelming!

The Kennedy Quartet did music outreach in a local middle school.

As the long-term Iowa residency draws to a close, the IMM Arts Leadership program finished a fantastic spring of community service and music with a final celebration in Amana, Iowa. The 2011 arts leaders even braved tornadoes in the area to share their arts leadership journeys with friends and family! The evening was filled with food (including musically-inspired cupcakes), family, friends, and fantastic displays of each outreach project. In short, it was a perfect evening.

Music note cupcakes!

Check out this year’s projects on the Iowa Makes Music blog.

Congratulations to all for a fantastic spring, and for a wonderful three years!

Bryanne and Simon Estes

From the Top Alum Bryanne Presley, oboist from Nevada, Iowa, participated in two performances with renowned opera singer Simon Estes as part of his Roots and Wings tour. The Roots and Wings tour has a goal to provide outreach to all ninety-nine counties in Iowa and raise funds for the Simon Estes Iowa Educational Foundation, which provides college scholarships to outstanding students.

Bryanne states, “I enjoy performing for others and knowing that my performance impacts others of all ages. After the performances, I was greeted kindly with praising comments from people who did not know what an oboe was or have even heard it played well. I am honored to be able to share the singing sounds of the oboe with others.”

Simon Estes was present at the “From the Top” Show #216 recorded in Ames, IA where Bryanne was performing. After the performance, Simon asked Bryanne and another Iowan on the show, Caroline Weeks, to perform with him on his Roots and Wings tour. Bryanne performed on October 30, 2010 in Vinton, Iowa (Benton County), and again on November 13, 2010 in Manning, Iowa (Carroll County).

His latest project is the “Wings and Roots” tour, where he’s pledged to present concerts in each of Iowa’s 99 counties.

“I want to share the gift of voice God has given me and give something back. I want to introduce audiences to classical music and a trained voice, and I want to raise funds to provide scholarships for outstanding students. The cost of college is high and many families need help. I know when I was young, I struggled. I scrubbed floors, shined shoes, carried luggage and anything I could do. I want to help young people because I believe in the value and importance of education,” Estes said.

Simon attended our From the Top Show #216 in Ames, Iowa this spring, where he met From the Top alums Caroline Weeks (viola) and Bryanne Presley (obeo), both of whom he ultimately ended up inviting to join him to perform at several concerts this fall! So far Bryanne is scheduled to perform with Simon on October 30 in Vinton, Iowa, and November 13 in Manning, Iowa.  Caroline will be performing with him this December. Stay tuned, as we’ll post more information about those concerts as we get it.

Bryanne on From the Top in Ames, Iowa

Caroline on From the Top in Ames, Iowa

From the Top is taping the next Iowa show in Davenport on October 12 at 8pm. If you’re in the area, come on down and grab a seat in the Adler Theater. Tickets & info here.

Thomas Burrill, Freshman

When you hear the words “Alzheimer’s Benefit Concert,” you wouldn’t normally think of two high schoolers.  But this year Thomas Burrill (who’s father died over a year ago of the disease) and his friend Linda Xiong have been toiling over an intense project – producing a classical music concert and raising $5,000 for the University of Iowa’s Alzheimer’s research.

This dynamic duo teamed up a couple of months ago and charged full speed ahead with creating an exciting concert and raising $$$.  First order of business? They got the Englert Theater (where From the Top taped a show!) to donate space for the concert.  With one win in the bag, Thomas and Linda set out to create marketing materials, find sponsors, and raise money.

Linda Xiong, Sophomore

The final results? Over 130 concert attendees, 16 sponsors, and $5300 in donations – they surpassed their goal!  One concert-goer came up to Thomas after the show and thanked him for setting an example for “all the folks, young and old, in Iowa”

Linda posted some great clips from the concert and you can read more about how they made this project a success on the Iowa Makes Music blog.

Check back later to hear about some more projects from Iowa youth musicians!

Aside from the reflection piece, the kids also get to learn more about From the Top’s mission of service and our Arts Leadership program.  As you read from Anna DeLoi’s blog, this can inspire the young musicians to take their talents to the next level and help others around them!

Check out the shout out video below, directed by the performers of Show #216. This group of kids aptly named themselves “Show Awesome” and in a quick 16 seconds you can tell how much fun they had with each other!

“I thought it was most likely the end of the project,” said Balsom, referring to the Iowa Makes Music program piloted by From the Top this year. Over the course of the past nine-months this residency has integrated broadcast tapings of the NPR show with educational outreach programs, curriculum development and peer leadership trainings for teens to generate increased enthusiasm and participation in classical music throughout the state of Iowa.

Yet in June 2008 the likelihood that this ambitious program would get off the ground was grim.

In the midst of the residency planning, Cedar Rapids suffered a devastating flood. In downtown Cedar Rapids, 100 blocks were underwater and 24,000 people were forced to evacuate their homes. The flood not only destroyed Orchestra Iowa’s concert venue, the Paramount Theatre, it also wiped out their offices. The floodwaters topped nine feet, resting just under the marquee at the theater, leaving $25 million in damage. The symphony lost their computers, hard drives and archives, they lost their Steinway concert grand, their organ and other valuable instruments. Despite this obstacle, Orchestra Iowa continued their plans for the residency.

Just weeks after the flood, Orchestra Iowa’s Music Director Tim Hankewich wrote in his blog: “While the waters have washed away our home in the Paramount and our offices next door, in its wake, the river has also given us the gift of opportunity and re-birth.”

The symphony rescheduled their concert season at various venues in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Cedar Falls, broadening their reach to new communities in the process. They also announced that Orchestra Iowa would be partnering with From the Top for a statewide residency.

“After the flood, it was clear that the people of Cedar Rapids needed something positive to cling to. It was an opportunity for us to fulfill our mission by reaching out to our community and inviting more people to participate in our programs,” said Orchestra Iowa Executive Director Robert Massey. “Partnering with From the Top was an important part of our recovery. From the Top showcases what our community has to celebrate, and that’s a great thing. We can look back a year later and say this has been an incredible season.”

“From the Top became that much more important to us. It’s all about reaching out to new audiences, bringing up young talent and celebrating the next generation of great musicians, to create interest and enthusiasm for classical music. That’s why I’m so glad you came,” said Tim Hankewich.

From the Top visits Johnson Elementary in Cedar Rapids

This year, the Iowa Makes Music partners – From the Top, Orchestra Iowa and Iowa Public Radio -have taped radio broadcasts in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, presented more than a dozen school visits led by Iowa teens, developed new curriculum with Iowa teachers, and trained high school musicians as peer leaders to create their own community outreach programs. These NPR broadcasts have been shared with millions of listeners in Iowa and across the country, and this is only the beginning. Iowa Makes Music will continue through the fall of 2010.

In the meantime, the Paramount Theatre continues to be restored, and Orchestra Iowa has just returned to its recuperated downtown office  after a year in satellite offices.

The Iowa project has been an important pilot for From the Top, who will take this model to Hawaii next January. The residency has also given From the Top the opportunity to build on its existing arts leadership program that encourages young musicians to give back to their communities and fulfill their potential as leaders and artist citizens.

LINKS:

From the Top Tour Producer David Balsom caught up with Orchestra Iowa’s Tim Hankewich and Robert Massey at the Paramount Theatre recovery site one year after the flood to talk about the residency program that nearly did not happen. Watch now.

Listen to our Iowa broadcasts from Des Moines and from Cedar Rapids the week of June 15 on participating NPR stations.

Visit the Iowa Makes Music web site.