This class is specifically for students between the ages of 8 and 11 who have started violin lessons at school during the school year and wish to continue through the summer.
8-week session begins June 10 and will consist of a 1-hour class held twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays from 10:30a-11:30a.
This class will incorporate violin technique, reading and ensemble skills, Dalcroze inspired movement and general music theory.
Enrollment is limited to 8 and the cost of the class is $400 for the entire session ($25/lesson). Sign up by June 1st, and receive 10% off (that’s only $22.50 for each lesson!). Use Code: OPSA10
Classes are held at the Oak Park String Academy: 350 Harrison Street, Oak Park, IL 60304 and are taught by experienced instructors who are also active performers all around the Chicago area.
Come and hear OPSA students and chamber ensembles perform on stage outdoors at the “What’s Blooming on Harrison Street” Festival. This annual, family-oriented May event has highlighted the Arts District through artist demonstrations, live music, dance performances and an art fair featuring select guest artists and local craftspeople. 2018’s festival was a smashing success!
In 2019, What’s Blooming will be held on Saturday, May 18th. What’s Blooming takes over Harrison Street, from Cuyler Avenue to Humphrey, with the art fair and other Family Fun Activities including a children’s carnival, live music, dance, craft demonstrations and hands-on workshops. The festival will begin at 11 am with the art fair running until 7 pm. Music continues at the Taylor Avenue Beer Garden and Main Stage until 9 pm.
OPSA performs on stage at 11:45 and will be finished playing by 12:30p. Hope to see you there!
2018 Benefit Concert funds to go to Hephzibah Children’s Association.
Save the Date:
Saturday, December 15, 2018 at 2:00p at Grace Lutheran Church in River Forest
Dr. Shinichi Suzuki was a Japanese violinist and humanitarian. Witnessing the destruction of his homeland due to the second World War, he formed a vision to help nudge the world toward peace through its children. Through music, Dr. Suzuki hoped to build noble hearts in children all around the world.
With this in mind, we produce an event each year that connects our students from Oak Park and the surrounding areas to the larger world they live in. In previous years, our students helped to raise money through their music for the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) and the Heartland Alliance’s unaccompanied minor program. This year, our music students are collaborating with Hephzibah Children’s Association in Oak Park, IL. OPSA students will be performing a concert at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Oak Park on December 15 at 2p.
OPSA students and faculty will be collaborating with other Oak Park area musicians to create a global concert featuring music from around the world. In previous years, we performed music from Syria, Lebanon, China, Romania, and more. This year, the concert will include special faculty performances, global music, and even a holiday sing along. Local Suzuki students from neighboring studios will join to play music together and hopefully make the world just a little more peaceful and beautiful.
Hephzibah will be the recipient of the funds we raise. Last year, OPSA raised almost $2,000 for Heartland Alliance. We hope to do even better this year! You can make a donation right away!
Have a new baby or a toddler? Consider enrolling them in Suzuki Early Childhood Classes at the Oak Park String Academy! SECE classes for 0-3 years begin this September!
“If children hear fine music from the day of their birth and learn to play it, they develop sensitivity, discipline and endurance. They get a beautiful heart.” – Shin’ichi Suzuki
Suzuki ECE is an early childhood program that uses music to develop the whole child, including social, emotional, cognitive, kinesthetic, and musical skills. Through the use of a carefully designed music curriculum, we aim to nurture child development, parent-child bonding, and awaken the child’s readiness for learning. For schedule and more information, visit: https://www.secchicago.com/
Special Offers for Fall Term
Register before July 31 and receive a waived administrative fee ($10) and one free class ($24).
We hope you are all enjoying your summer activities!
Individual lessons are still going on at OPSA throughout the summer although on a much more flexible schedule. Be sure to check your lesson schedule!
Here is some beautiful music to enjoy on this summer day. This is young violinist, Soo-Been Lee, who won 2nd Prize in the Junior Division with her performances at the Menuhin Competition in Beijing in 2012. Our four OPSA violin students attending the Indiana Summer String Academy for four weeks this summer will all be playing this. We wish them fun with their beautiful music making!
Every June, Suzuki violin students from across Chicagoland come together for a Playdown-style concert as part of the Grant Park Music festival’s Young Artists Showcase. Plan on joining hundreds of other Suzuki children to play your pieces together on stage! Pack a picnic and stay to listen to the Grant Park Orchestra Concert afterward.
What a great way to kick off a musical summer!
Friday, June 29, 2018 | Jay Pritzker Pavilion | 5:30-6:00pm
Mandatory Rehearsal for Participants: Sunday, June 24, 11am-1pm, Polk Hall, Merit School of Music
2018 Repertoire
Book 1: Theme and Variation A; Lightly Row; Song of the Wind; Aunt Rhody; Long, Long Ago; Allegro; Minuet 2
Book 2: Chorus from Judas Maccabaeus; Hunter’s Chorus; Witches’ Dance; Gavotte from Mignon
