​For over 50 years, the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute has been sharing the love of music with Staten Islanders. We offer group and private lessons for children and adults.
For more information on our programs, contact Ela Seeley at eseeley@sijcc.com​ or 718.475.5263
Follow us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DDKMusicInstitute

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Upcoming Programs: 

REGISTER HERE

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If you appreciate our programs and would like to donate to the music institute,  please 
​click here.

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Learn more about our programs by watching these videos!

The Magic of Violin

The Magic of Flute

The Magic of Piano

The Poetic Language of Jazz, Parts 1 & 2

The Unusual Glamour of the Harpsichord, Parts 1 & 2

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Check out this review of our Music Experience program!

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Safety Protocols

• Sharing instruments is prohibited. After each lesson, instruments will be cleaned and sanitized.
• Teachers will frequently wipe down touched surfaces such as door handles and spray the room with disinfecting spray, both before and after each lesson.
• The Music Institute rooms will be thoroughly cleaned by maintenance staff at the end of the program day.
• Please be on time for lessons as we are working on a tight timeline to ensure that students receive instruction time with their teacher. Lateness to a lesson will shorten the lesson’s duration.​
• The Music Institute lessons will be offered Sundays from 8am-1pm and Monday-Friday from 3pm-7:00pm
• The Music Institute is open to registered students only, JCC Members and Non-Members.
• Students may register minimally for 10 lesson increments.
• It is preferred that payments be made online through the JCC website.
• If you need to cancel a lesson, please do so via email or by calling. If you sign up for a lesson and do not show up, you will be charged for that lesson. Teachers are not required to provide make-up lessons for student absences.

About the Music Institute

Music instruction at the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island began in the late 1950s in affiliation with the Bronx House School of Music. In 1970, the Music Institute of the JCC was founded by its co-directors, Dorothy Delson Kuhn and Bertha R. Mandel, as an autonomous music school. The school received its current name, The Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute, in 1994.

Mission

The mission of the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute is to provide, in a community music school setting at the Jewish Community Center of Staten Island, exceptionally fine instruction in the performance, understanding and appreciation of music, particularly but not exclusively, to schoolchildren. Students learn in a non-competitive atmosphere. The Music Institute is a non-profit and non-sectarian music school. It is the only member of the National Guild of Community Arts Education on Staten Island.
Frequent student-faculty recitals provide an incentive for progress and an opportunity for students to share their accomplishments with their families, friends and other students. At these recitals, students are able to hear their peers and teachers play.

Private LessonS

Private lessons may be 30, 45 or 60 minutes.  Private lessons are available in:

• Bassoon
• Violin
• Cello
• Clarinet
• Flute
• French horn
• Guitar
• Oboe
• Percussion
• Piano
• Saxophone
• Trumpet
• Recorder
• Trombone
• Tuba
• Voice

Programs

Fall Programs

Harmony Road

• A parent-child music experience focusing on the development of the whole child alongside keyboard readiness.  

15 week 45 minute session Mondays starting 10/24
Join us for a FREE demo on Monday, October 3, 4pm
Bernikow JCC 
Ensemble Room #1
Ages 4.5-6, 4pm
Members: $245 / Non-Members: $290


​Music Together

• Parents and children will learn basic music skills and create special memories while making music together!

Classes start Tuesday, 10/25
​Join us for a FREE demo on Sunday, October 9, 11:30am 
9 week session, 10am, at the Bernikow JCC 
Ensemble Room #1
Infant - 5 years old
Members: $215 / Non-Members: $225

​*NEW* Intro to Ballet 

• This class will introduce young movers to the fundamentals of ballet, such as chasse, pirouette, and grand jete. We will learn the terminology, pairing it with fun creative imagery, playful prompts, and guided explorations - encouraging students to explore their own creativity through the lens of ballet.

This program is offered in collaboration with Ballet Imaginations
Ages: 4 - 6
10 weeks. Wednesdays, starting 10/12, 3:45PM
Join us for a FREE demo on October 9, 11am
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #1
Fee: $160 member / $200 non-member

Contemporary Dance

• In this class we will get familiar with moving the body in unique and non-traditional ways. We will introduce simple ideas of improvisation and choreographic development through different tasks and imagery research. We will learn what it is like to have free range of our body to dance and explore within the contemporary realm.

Ages: 5 - 7
10 weeks. Wednesdays, starting 10/12, 4:45PM
Join us for a FREE demo on October 9, 11:15am
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #1
Fee: $160 member / $200 non-member


Drama Adventures

• Bring a fairytale to life with theater games, songs, and stories! This class introduces children to stage presence and self-expression in a fun and supportive environment.

10 week session Tuesdays, starting 10/25
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #1
Ages 4-5 - 3:30pm
Ages 5-7 - 4:30pm
Members: $120 / Non-Members: $160
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​Youth Chamber Ensemble

• Take the next step and expand your repertoire while playing in an intimate group. Advance your skills to include balance, phrasing and intonation. Chamber music offers players the perfect balance between solo and orchestral performing.
  Ages 8-18
  Free for current music Institute students.
  10 week session starting 10/13
  Thursdays, 5:30pm Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #2

Members: $120 / Non-Members: $160


​Suzuki Violin
Our parent-child violin program follows the Suzuki Method, which is based on the idea that all children are innately musical.
Ages 3-5
10 weeks starting 10/9
Sundays 11am
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #2
Join us for a FREE demo on October 2, 11am
Fee: $120m / $160 Nm

Jazz Workshops for Youth

• Learn new skills, practice with a small group of young musicians

Ages 14-18
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #2
Starting 10/24
Mondays 7pm
FREE

Vocal Ensemble for Youth
Learn the basics of vocal training through age-appropriate vocal exercises and song preparation. Build healthy vocal habits, within a supportive and fun group setting. 
Ages 7-13
Wednesdays 4pm
Starting 10/12
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #2
Members: $120 / Non-Members: $160


Recorder Ensemble for Adults

• Musicians of all levels get together and enjoy playing multi-part music on an instrument that is easy to learn. Those who play compatible instruments or sing are also welcome.

Starting 10/14
Fridays 9:30am
Bernikow JCC Ensemble room #2
Members: FREE/ Non-Members: $50

Register here

Instrumental Lessons
In addition to our ongoing virtual music lessons, we are also excited to begin offering in-person private music lessons! All lessons will adhere to government guidelines and regulations. We will take all the necessary precautions to ensure our students and faculty members' safety. Learn more here! ​

Music Faculty

Faculty members of the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute are active in the cultural life of the community. They teach in Staten Island schools and colleges and they are performers and conductors for ensembles and orchestras locally and throughout the New York City area.
Piano:
Tatyana Cherepinskaya
Stella Rasporskaya
Aleksandra Sarest
Bo Wun Jeon
Guitar:
Fred Crisson
Lou Russo ​
Strings
Tamara Jaton​
Larissa Vollis
Woodwinds:
Nicole Auriti
Daniel Kelley
Jessica Sperato
Brass:
Alan Aurelia
Carolyn Clark
Voice:
Therese Panicali
Early Childhood Music:
Kelly Grant
Theory, Music Appreciation:
Yelena Khaymovich
Chamber Music:
Larisa Vollis
Percussion:
Thomas Baker

scholarships

Harmony Club
The Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute is accepting highly motivated music students in grades 9-12 to participate in a FREE comprehensive course of study. “Harmony Club” students receive private lessons and ensemble classes throughout the 2020-21 school year. In addition, students participate in master classes, and solo and group recitals. Students accepted to the program are required to fully participate in lessons and workshops and to represent the program through public performances.  

To apply, please email your 1-2 min performance audition to Ela Seeley, Music Institute Director, at eseeley@sijcc.com.  This program is made possible through a grant from UJA-Federation of New York.

Partial Scholarship Auditions
Audition for a partial scholarship to the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute! The program is open to students entering grades 5-12 who have some prior training on their instrument. These funds allow talented young musicians to take private lessons with professional instructors, as well as participate in recitals, ensembles, and music theory classes, at an affordable cost to their families. 
 
Scholarships are awarded on the basis of ability and demonstrated financial need, with a limited number of merit-based scholarships also available.
 
To apply, please email a 1-2 minute performance audition video to Ela Seeley, Music Institute Director, at eseeley@SIJCC.com.


Music Faculty
Faculty members of the Dorothy Delson Kuhn Music Institute are active in the cultural life of the community. They teach in Staten Island schools and colleges and they are performers and conductors for ensembles and orchestras locally and throughout the New York City area.
Piano:
Tatyana Cherepinskaya
Stella Rasporskaya
Aleksandra Sarest
Bo Wun Jeon
Guitar:
Fred Crisson
Lou Russo ​
Strings
Tamara Jaton​
Larissa Vollis
Woodwinds:
Nicole Auriti
Daniel Kelley
Jessica Sperato
Brass:
Alan Aurelia
Carolyn Clark
Voice:
Therese Panicali
Early Childhood Music:
Kelly Grant
Theory, Music Appreciation:
Yelena Khaymovich
Chamber Music:
Larisa Vollis
Percussion:
Thomas Baker