Meet Jee-Hoon: Wife, Mother, Scientist, Pianist

by Alice Hamlet, Associate Director of Marketing
Wharton Music Center

If you happened to visit Wharton Music Center on any given Friday afternoon this Fall, you might have run into Jee-Hoon Krska, Wharton parent and pianist, rehearsing with two faculty members for a rare piano six hands concert on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. as part of WMC's 2014-2015 Community Concert Series.

Jee-Hoon, New Providence resident and mother of three, is the Manager of Design Methodology and Automation at Avago Technologies. A graduate of MIT, Jee-Hoon was born in Malaysia where she quickly gained national attention with performances on Radio Malaysia and before the Sultan. Upon immigrating to the United States, Jee-Hoon entered the Juilliard Pre-College Division and later continued her studies in piano with David Deveau, all while earning a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Jee-Hoon has appeared at Lincoln Center, Boston Symphony Hall, and as a soloist with the Boston Pops under the baton of Keith Lockhart.

All three of Jee-Hoon's children study music, and have already gained recognition for their talents in the performing arts. William, age 13,  plays the drums and baritone; Lizzie, age 11, plays percussion, piano, and sings; and Grace, age 6, plays the piano. Lizzie has participated in the NJMEA All State Honors Choir and her piano and flute composition entitled "Believe, Dream, Inspire" won at the District, Regional, and State levels of the 2013-2014 Reflections Competition, advancing to the National Level.

Not to be banal, but tell us where you work and what you do there?
I work at Avago Technologies where I manage a team that designs chips that go into things like hard drives for computers.

How are you able to find the time to balance work, family, and performing?
I set a time budget for my week to protect my time with my family and also to make sure that my work does not become all-consuming. In seasons when I'm preparing for a concert, I do have to give up a little sleep and also time at the gym. My husband and kids are very supportive during these times (they tell me that they enjoy hearing me practice), which really helps!

What do you enjoy most, or get the most from, performing?
I love the sense of facing the unknown during a performance. You never know when adrenaline is going to hit you! Whenever that happens, I hear and perform the piece in ways which I've never done before during rehearsals.

Seeing the audience's enjoyment makes me want to perform again and again.

Pianists Christine Ciuffreda, Kristine Peters, and Jee-Hoon Krska

Jee-Hoon can be heard along with Wharton faculty members Christine Ciuffreda and Kristine Peters on February 8 at 3:00 p.m. at Wharton Music Center located at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. Tickets to the concert are $5, available by calling 908-790-0700. Read about the concert in NJ.com.

For more information about the 2014-2015 Community Concert Series and all of our programs, please visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.

NJYS Ensemble Feature: Flutes, Flutes, and More Flutes!

by Kristine Peters, Education Coordinator
Wharton Music Center

In addition to being Artistic Coordinator for the New Jersey Youth Symphony and the Director of the Orchestral Camp, Diana Charos Reilly is a flute instructor with a very large following. She is the loving owner of two dogs, Jack and Jeter, and a lizard named Thor. An alumni of NJYS herself and an ensemble director for just over a decade, Diana is always bringing the love and joy of music to the forefront.

Why do you like working with flute ensembles?
I find it a challenge working with a large group consisting of the same instrument. It’s an incredible challenge in regards to tuning, timbre and getting the kids excited about playing together like a symphony orchestra. We do have the benefits of having a bass flute, alto flute, and piccolo, and hopefully one day the contra-bass flute, too.

I enjoy working with these ensembles immensely. It becomes a chamber-music-slash-orchestral rehearsal because I’m able to help them with anything. I also like the challenge of discovering new music--oftentimes I will take older orchestral music and arrange it for flute ensemble, but flute choirs are becoming a fad recently, so there’s a lot of new works written specifically for flute ensembles as well.

It’s fun getting the students to love being in a flute orchestra, mainly beecause there has been a mindset for so long that you always want to end up in an orchestra. But now I’m getting a lot of flutists who want to join in sixth grade and never want to leave the flute ensemble until they graduate and go off to college. I’m always considering how to change it up for them--putting them on alto, bass, piccolo.

Why are the flute orchestras — Flute Choir, Flute Forum and Fortissimo Flutes—important to NJYS?

All sections of the orchestra perform at a very high level here at NJYS, but the woodwinds in particular have a distinctly elitist nature because of the demands of orchestral wind playing. Having a large flute population allows NJYS to truly get the best player for the ensemble.

Flute Choir, Flute Forum, and Fortissimo Flutes perform at NJPAC

What musical skills are you building?

Quite often with flute, as with violin, we’re accustomed to being the solo melodic line.  When you are then put in a room with 26 other flutes, the skills of blending, communicating, ensemble playing, bodily energy, moving and playing as one is what I am trying to teach them. It truly embodies teamwork. I want them to see that every link is just as important as the other, no matter what the age or the level of the player.

I’m also trying to show them how to play off of each other and act as a single unit so that could perform without a conductor, if ever need be. They could pull off a concert independently--no easy feat.

Finally, I am teaching them to respect each other. Respect in that rehearsal is not the place for practicing. Practice takes place at home, and the rehearsal is a collective experiences. 

What non-musical skills are you building?

I would say the most important take away from participating in the flute ensembles at NJYS is respect for all. I keep coming back to that word, but I really do think it is important in all facets of life.

This is especially challenging in the youngest ensemble, Flute Choir, and the oldest ensemble, Fortissimo Flutes. In Flute Choir, there’s a wide range of ages, from sixth to ninth grade. So I’m always asking the ninth graders to have the same amount of respect and understanding for the sixth graders as the sixth graders have for the ninths graders. I’m asking them to work together and help each other from within.

In the elite ensemble, Fortissimo Flutes, they are all rock stars. They’re not only the best in their school, but quite often the state—ranking in Regions and All-State. They each want to be the best of the best. So it’s fostering an environment that encourages respect for each other and the importance of community--no one exists in a vacuum.

What kinds of ways do the students surprise you?

One of the biggest surprises I received this year had to do with my studio space. My students often see getting ready for rehearsals, running around looking for music. My music has become what some might call disorganized because it’s all over the place. One day I walked in and my students had alphabetized all of my scores and put the photocopies with the originals. So I had completely organized and well-placed music. Their note to me said, “You might have been able to take it, but we couldn’t any more. Surprise!” It was such a kind and thoughtful thing for them to do. 

What is the repertoire for your upcoming concert in January?

We will be repeating the material from NJPAC, but with the youngest group, we added Pachelbel's Canon in D with hopefully hand bells and harp, and a piece called Swingin’ Safari, a jazzy tune. Flute Forum will perform a piece by a Japanese composer, Songs of the Ocean. Fortissimo Flutes will perform a piece from the Paris Conservatoire called Ski Symphony by Faustin Jeanjean. It’s a very challenging technical piece with a lot of runs--needless to say, it requires a lot of practice. I seized the opportunity of the high they got from performing at NJPAC for NJYS's 35th Anniversary concert in November to challenge them with harder music. 

Why is arts education important?

Students of music and the other performing arts have a responsibility to go out into the community and perform for audiences of all types. It’s also important to know what’s going on artistically within their own state. As our organization is becoming one of the most prestigious in the Garden State, we have to own the opportunity we have to bring eager young musicians to underserved venues like hospitals and nursing homes. And the NJYS flute ensembles really want to bring their gift of music back to the people.

Flute Choir, for grades 6-9, meets on Mondays from 5:15-6:45 p.m. Flute Forum, for grades 9-12, meets on Mondays at 6:45-8:00 p.m. Fortissimo Flutes, for grades 10-12, meets on Thursdays at 8:00-9:15 p.m. All rehearsals take place at 570 Central Avenue in New Providence. To inquire about auditioning for an NJYS flute ensemble, please call 908-771-5544 or visit www.NJYS.org.

Flute Forum and Fortissimo Flutes will perform on January 18 at 3:00 p.m. and Flute Choir will perform on January 25 at 3:00 p.m. Both performances take place at the Union County Performing Arts Center at 1601 Irving Street in Rahway. Tickets are $15/Adults, $10/Students & Seniors, available by calling 908-771-5544.

An Interview with Musical Theatre Arts Director Angela Beaton

by Alice Hamlet, Associate Director of Marketing

Wharton Music Center

How long have you been the Director of Musical Theatre Arts at Wharton Music Center?

I have served as the Director of Musical Theatre for two years and am in my first year serving as Director of Musical Theatre Arts at Wharton Music Center.

Tell us about your background in voice and musical theatre. How did you get started in the performing arts?

I have been singing since I was in competitive choirs in high school. I stated off with piano lesson at age 5, and ballet classes. I began drama studies in high school and performed in my school's musicals and dramatic productions. During and after high school I continued dance training in Manhattan in many different styles, including ethnic and world dance, and studied at the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. I continued my performance training and education by pursuing a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music in Voice. I began to love teaching during my numerous vocal pedagogy classes and decided to make that my main career focus. I traveled to France as a vocal instructor for the Franco American Vocal Academy as one of their primary instructors in French Mélodie during while in graduate school. As part of the Franco American Vocal Academy faculty, I performed solo recitals in the French Mélodie and Cabaret styles. 

I have been an active instructor of voice for over ten years, teaching in various community music schools including the Mason Gross School of the Arts Extension Division at Rutgers University. I served as the Director of Drama and Musical Theatre at the Allegra School of Music and Arts summer camp, during which time I directed and choreographed three to four shows each summer. During my graduate studies, I developed a strong interest in vocal health and vocology as they relate to singing and speech. In addition to my own pedagogical resources, I completed levels 1 and 2 of the Estill Voice Training method, a method that stems from scientific research of the vocal mechanism and uses exercises similar to those implemented by speech language pathologists. This training is applicable to all styles of singing, from opera to musical theatre, pop, and jazz and also assists professional public speakers. I was invited to lecture at the Mason Gross Extension Program on various vocal subjects during the summer of 2011. 

My approach to vocal pedagogy is holistic. I am an avid yoga practitioner and am currently pursuing certification as a yoga instructor. I plan to use this knowledge to assist my students in understanding their physical and energy alignment as it relates to singing and speech.

  

The Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition is coming up on February 8. Can you tell us a bit about the competition?
This is a wonderful event which gives young singers a platform to perform in a friendly competition, and is divided by age into two divisions. The junior division ranges in age from 9-13 and the senior division ranges in age from 14-18. There are a maximum of 16 students total in the competition, which is performed for a public audience and a distinguished adjudicator. 

Winners of the 2012 Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition Senior Division

How do you think competitions fit into a voice student’s overall performing arts education?

Any performance opportunity gives students the ability to put their studies into action on stage. The Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition gives students measurable feedback on their vocal arts progress by way of written comments from the adjudicator and the opportunity to win prizes and trophies. We provide a professional recording of the event to each student, allowing them to listen and learn from the experience. This recording can also be used as a demo recording for audition purposes. 

What do you hope the competitors take away and/or gain from the competition?

Many student begin to sing because they want to find a outlet for vocal expression. Many are terrified of performing in front of an audience, and only through public performances are able to break through the barriers and limitations created by this fear. I hope each competitor feels a sense of encouragement, challenge, and accomplishment after participating in the competition. The trophies are also really cool!

The WMC Musical Theatre Arts Department has a series of performances coming up in January. What are you most excited about seeing from your students this month?
I am extremely excited to see the artistic growth and development from many of my students who began with me in 2011! We have so many dedicated, talented and disciplined students who have blossomed through the years by taking our classes and passionately applying what they have learned in class to their performances. 

Wharton Music Center students in a past performance of Cats

Which show do you think demonstrates the greatest growth from the WMC students?

Definitely The Little Mermaid--we have students in The Little Mermaid who started at WMC four years ago in the youngest Broadway Kids Musical Theatre classes and now are in the advanced class. They have shown such growth and discipline. It will be  a very special performance!  

Which show was the most challenging for the students, and why?

Each performance has its share of challenges, but I would say that The Little Mermaid is the most challenging in terms of it being a junior level show with a difficult score arrangement, set and costume design, and script length. Many of our students are actually doubling or tripling character parts because the cast for the show is so large, and we only have 12 students in our production.

   

Are there any other exciting developments that we can look forward to from the WMC Musical Theatre Arts Department?

We are planning to have a new course offering starting in Fall 2015 which will be a by audition only, the Advanced Musical Theatre Conservatory. The program will meet weekly for two hours for 18 weeks. Students will be accompanied by a live band of student musicians, who will learn the score of the musical to be performed by the Advnaced Musical Theatre Conservatory with performances at the culmination of the course. Stay tuned…

Wharton Music Center is pleased to host the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition each year to showcase the vocal talent in the north-central New Jersey region. Up to 16 students are provided the oppurtunity to sing in all styles for a distinguished adjudicator in a public performance and receive written comments. Singers gain audition performance experiences in a supportive environment as well as the opportunity to win cash prizes, tuition credits and trophies. A professional audio recording will be provided to each contestant.

The registration deadline for the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition is January 25, 2015. The competition and performance will be held on February 22, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. in Wharton's black box theater at 60 Locust Avenue in Berkeley Heights. To register for the Nancy M. Wright Memorial Vocal Competition, please visit www.WhartonMusicCenter.org.

Taking It To the Summit Train Sation

by Alice Hamlet, Associate Director of Marketing
Wharton Music Center

This year, we decided to explore heretofore uncharted marketing territory through railway platform advertising at nearby Summit train station, one of Union County's busiest public transportation hubs. This was an exciting project from start to finish, including an afternoon spent capturing our fabulous model, New Jersey Youth Symphony parent volunteer Pingping, by photographer extraordinaire Alan Kaufman, who very generously volunteered his services for this project. Look for us at Summit train station and read Pingping's story below.

Where are you from originally?

I was born and raised in Beijing, China. 

What performing arts education did you have as a youth? Did you take music lessons as a child?

I didn't have the privilege to take any music lessons as a child because of the Chinese Cultural Revolution. During this period of time, Western music was banned altogether, conservatories closed, and many artists and teachers were sent to do physical labor in remote areas. The performing arts experiences I had were not aimed at creating art, but mainly served as revolutionary propaganda. 

When did your children get involved in music?

When my children were four years old, they began music lessons at the Sundance School, a nursery school in North Plainfield, where they started group violin lessons with Dr. Ted Schlosberg. He used the Suzuki method, in which parents are actively involved in the child's musical development. Once a week, some of the parents and I attended his lessons for parents at the New Jersey Workshop for the Arts in Westfield. He told the children, "Playing music is making magic!"

WMC NJYS Summit train station advertisement, running December 2014-February 2015.

How did your children choose the instruments that they play?

After talking to my two nieces who loved playing violin and excelled on it, I took my son to a group lesson, and he liked it. My daughter, who was two years younger, was inspired after hearing her brother play and decided to play the same instrument as he did.

When did they join the New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS)?

My son, Alex, joined NJYS when he was starting third grade, with Ms. Barbara Barstow, in OSTE (now Preparatory String Ensemble). My daughter, Emily, was in fourth grade. They looked forward to joining the orchestra because they had heard great things about NJYS from their teacher's older children. 

How do you hope the arts will have impacted your children in the long run?

I hope they learn to listen to their own hearts and be great contributors to society. My husband and I will support them fully if they choose to be a musician or an artist. We hope music remains an important part of their life if they choose not to be a musician. I hope that they can connect the dots between music, life, and their other interests, and become significant and lifetime supporters of music and musicians. 

Pingping's son, Alex, concertmaster of NJYS Youth Symphony.

Why do you think arts education is important?
I think that the humility that comes from arts education is important; my children have learned many important virtues from music, whether it be developing a diligent work ethic or always striving to improve their playing. An education that incorporates the arts enables us to embrace our own imagination and creativity, to work hard and be the best we can be, and to be kind, tolerant, and thoughtful. The feelings performers bring out of the music transcend even spoken words. Furthermore, through orchestra, my kids have learned so many life skills from cooperation to understanding. From their private studies, they have learned how to approach a problem creatively and with integrity and to expect quality from themselves. From chamber music, they have learned how to listen and accept opinions as well as how to adapt quickly. They have made lifelong friends through music as well, who are all not only accomplished players but also some of the best students. To me, an arts education is synonymous to success in life and work because it provides many important lessons. It solves problems we face from the core and motivates us from deep inside. 

Wharton Music Center offers introductory group classes through its Pathways program, including Pathways to Cello, Pathways to Dance, Pathways to Piano, Pathways to Ukelele, and Pathways to Violin. To learn more about our programs and offerings, please visit www.whartonmusiccenter.org and www.NJYS.org.