Distance Learning at Carnegie Hall
by Michelle Accorso

The students of Glacier Valley Elementary School in Juneau, Alaska were just finished with breakfast as the students from PS 34 in New York City filed into the Zankel Hall theatre in Carnegie Hall on a recent afternoon. The fourth graders, separated only by distance and a time difference, were ready to embark on an interactive educational video game journey whose emphasis was on music being the international language of the world. Disney Channel’s Greg Triggs in New York City co-hosted the event with radio program director Jeff Brown in Juneau.

Judy and Arthur Zankel Hall, equipped with advanced communication technology, was the perfect place to house the video game which revolved around the story of Ray Vega, the band’s trumpet player, who got stuck in Alaska after the band played a show there and was too afraid to fly home alone. Therefore, Ray needed help from the kids at Glacier Valley and PS 34 to overcome obstacles he inevitably faced by traveling cross-country. By answering twelve music related questions, the students guided animated Ray safely across the country and helped him conquer all adventures and tasks he encountered along the way. The live band at Carnegie Hall helped the students by playing along as well as providing entertainment for the entire audience. The event’s theme was “How do I get to Carnegie Hall” and the answer was simply the age-old joke, “practice, practice, practice.” Through answering an array of questions and learning vast musical knowledge along the way, the students were able to successfully bring real-live band member Ray home to play the final song with the band, none other than This Land is Your Land.

The Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall will serve as the umbrella for the Hall’s current music education programs as well as a catalyst for future educational initiatives. As Carnegie Hall moves forward in expanding its education projects, the creation of the Weill Music Institute will serve to bolster these efforts, creating an infrastructure capable of taking the Hall’s educational work to a national and international audience. This global outreach will enable projects to be a conduit for interaction and understanding.#

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