It can be hard to get kids to do anything, but the ones at The Music Studio in Albany show a work ethic that is rarely seen.
The studio is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and will look back on several years of performances with the Albany Symphony Orchestra, concerts in the community and various charity events.
The studio is made up of a group of pianists with ages that range from 7 to 18 years old. Their duties are not simply constricted to just piano. The students also do vocal performances and take part in playing what are known as Orff instruments, inspired by Carl Orff, a 20th century German composer. The instruments used consist of xylophones, glockenspiels and big bass instruments.
“They’re teaching them piano, rhythm and music skills,” said David Alan Miller, conductor for the Albany Symphony Orchestra. “They’re also teaching them the beauties and uniqueness of music… It’s an amazing music resource in our community.”
Noel Liberty, director of the studio, said students performed an Orff-like piece in the lobby of the Albany Symphony Orchestra’s Magic of Christmas show at the Palace Theater as a way to introduce audiences to the composer. Liberty said a piece could not be found for the students to perform with the orchestra, so a composer was commissioned to write a piece for the kids.
“We used Paul Geriki because we could not find anything appropriate for Orff instruments on the theme of Christmas,” Liberty said. “He writes for the kids and ends up coming out each year after he had written it and works with them a little bit before the concert. It’s good that the kids learn there are composers that are alive and breathing, and not old and dead.”
Albany Symphony Orchestra Conductor David Alan Miller said his two children went through the program. He said The Music Studio is a unique program that introduces children to the many facets of music.
“They’re teaching them piano, rhythm and music skills,” he said. “They’re also teaching them the beauties and uniqueness of music… It’s an amazing music resource in our community.”
He said many of the kids exude a sense of professionalism at such a young age. Much of this could be due to the amount of practice and preparation that goes into their performances. Liberty said the kids may practice for about 30 hours a week for only a half hour or hour performance. All of this includes learning the vocal melodies, learning the words and even the choreography, which is taught to them by Abby Todd, the choreographer for the studio.
The kids spend a lot of time together, Liberty said, and they soon start acting as family. The older students will begin mentoring the younger students and the younger students start to look up to their elders in the studio.
Philip Ruggirello, 11, is a student of The Music Studio. He said that he has made several new friends during his time there, which he said he now calls several of them his best friends.
“I really like The Music Studio because the kids are really nice and Mrs. Liberty is a really generous person,” he said. “I like it so much and that’s why I do it. That’s why every other kid does it.”
The Music Studio also plays around in the Capital District with around 30 performances a year. Most recently, the students performed at the Macy’s Shop for a Cause on Aug. 27 at the Colonie Center Mall. The students have even toured around various retirement homes in the Capital District where they did choir performance for the residents.
Liberty said the kids will play anywhere, as long as time allows, because they love playing in front of people and sharing the gift of music. The residents at the retirement homes really enjoyed watching the kids perform, she said, and the students even stuck around to chat with some of them.
“I think we have a responsibility to share music with people because it brings such joy to people,” she said. ‘You can see it during the performance when they feel it and see the faces of the people listening to them .They enjoy watching their audience smile.”
Ruggierello said he loves performing and getting up onstage in front of people. He said that it was great to perform for the folks at the residence homes because he felt he was doing something good for other people.
“They really loved it,” he said. “They would take pictures of us and talk to us after… It was really cool because they would ask us about or other hobbies.”
There are several kids who go through The Music Studio, Liberty said, as there are probably over 10,000 graduates. She said she continues to hear back from many of her students after they have left the studio and she said she loves to hear what they’re currently doing.
“There are many, many kids here that start when they’re 4 and leave when they graduate from high school and then come back and telling us about their lives,” Liberty said. “There are so many who have started here saying, ‘Now, I’m a composer.’”
