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Participant Details
- Community Arts Partner Name
- Erin Wight
- Partner Type
- Individual
- Profile Photo
- Individual Bio or
Organizational Statement
- Seattle-based violist Erin Wight is an active chamber musician and avid performer of new music. Giving performances the New York Times describes as “surehanded,” “engrossing” and “rich,” she plays frequently as a member of the New York City ensemble Either/Or and has appeared as a contemporary music soloist on four continents. Deeply committed to community engagement, Erin has over a decade of experience working as a Teaching Artist and curriculum writer for leading arts organizations. She has been a Lead Teaching Artist for the faculty of the New York Philharmonic's Philharmonic Schools program and has also served as a Teaching Artist for the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Additionally, Erin is a founding member of the Toomai String Quintet, and with Toomai has brought interactive concerts to listeners across the United States. Toomai was honored to be one of the pilot ensembles in Carnegie Hall’s groundbreaking community engagement program Musical Connections. Erin is currently a Music Curriculum Specialist for The Juilliard School, where she completed her Master of Music degree studying with Paul Neubauer.
Grade Levels Preferred
- Grade Levels Preferred
- Pre-K, K-2, 3rd - 5th, 6th - 8th, 9th - 12th
Artistic Disciplines
- Discipline
- 3, 6
- Type
- Music: my performance background on viola has led me through many string traditions (and non-traditions!) including Western "classical" music, rock, American folk, contemporary/avant-garde chamber music, and Cuban descarga, to name a few. Whatever the genre, my educational work is aimed at:
- providing opportunities for students to develop their skills as perceivers and creators through musical composition, improvisation, and deep listening
- designing preparatory experiences to set students up for immersive listening during live or filmed performances
- supporting teachers in finding authentic connections between classroom content (particularly history, visual art, language arts) and musical repertoire
Experience
- Previous School Partnerships
- After a decade partnering with schools throughout the NYC area I'm looking forward to getting to know the education and arts communities in Seattle!
- WA State TAT Lab Graduate
- No
- Other Trainings or Certifications
- Music Curriculum Specialist for K-12 Programming, The Juilliard School
- Curriculum Writer and Educational Consultant (partners include: The Juilliard School, New York Philharmonic, The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall, the Orchestra of St. Luke's)
- Former Lead Faculty Member, New York Philharmonic
- Former Teaching Artist, The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall
- Sample Lesson Description: Student / Classroom Residencies
- Lesson Example: Listening for Gestures
- Age: Grade 6 Time: 45 min
- Focus: students will use physical movements and visual art to make connections to the idea of musical "gestures."
- Sample Workshop Description: Teacher Professional Development
Areas of Experience and Expertise
- Approved Professional Development Provider
- Yes
- Approved Classroom Residency Provider
- Yes
Lesson Plan
- Integrated Art
- Cultural Art
Teaching Approach
- Teaching Philosophy + Approach
- My biggest aim is always to support students in growing their own personal relationship with music.
- Curriculum Integration Possibilities
- Performing Arts (Dance, Drama); Visual Art; Language Arts; History/Social Studies; Geography
- Special Skills and Areas of Expertise
- I have extensive experience with curriculum creation, both as an individual author and as a collaborative thought-partner for teachers and organizations. Recent work includes ongoing lesson creation for the Juilliard Creative Classroom, Teacher Guides for the New York Philharmonic's Young People's Concerts for Schools (including the most recent one found here) and for the educational programming at The Orchestra of St. Luke's.
In my decade as a Teaching Artist with the New York Philharmonic I worked with literally thousands of students in Grades 3-5, and have a special affinity for this age range and all they can imagine and accomplish.
Through Carnegie Hall I developed a particular expertise with students in grades K-2, serving as a Teaching Artist and curriculum author for their Musical Explorers program (focused on vocal-based global music traditions) as well a developer and demonstrator of resources from their Music Educators Toolbox.
- Testimonials from Schools
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