Class Acts Arts 8720 Georgia Avenue, #303 Silver Spring, MD 20910 301-588-7525 • 866-458-8966 toll-free
[email protected] Description: www.classactsarts.org During this program, Pittsburgh -based cello rock band Cello Fury performs, demonstrates, and leads discussions with students aboutwww.classactsarts.org classical/rock crossover music. Emphasis is placed on encouraging students in the study of traditionally “classical” instruments and applying those skills to play in various musical styles. Classically trained cellists Nicole Myers, Ben Muñoz, and Simon Cummings, along with jazz/rock drummer Dave Throckmorton, perform high-energy, original music along with classical pieces and cover songs, allowing students to connect the dots between musical genres and relate to their own musical experiences. Program Objectives: Students will explore the idea of genre by comparing and contrasting the genres of classical and rock music, the relationship between percussion and strings, the interplay of rhythms, and technology involved in producing a live show. They will identify various tone colors produced on the cello and drums. About the Artists: Cello Fury is a rarity in the music world: three classically trained cellists and a rock drummer performing high- octane music in locales ranging from concert halls to rock clubs. Continually developing their own unique style of cello rock, cellists Simon Cummings, Ben Muñoz, and Nicole Myers unleash new vitality and rhythmic drive in their music and dare to venture past classical expectations. Cello Fury has performed the half time show for the Pittsburgh Steelers, premiered music by classical composers, performed at the PMEA Music Educator’s conferences, collaborated with dance companies, and toured in Italy the summer of 2012, premiering an opera score with solo parts written especially for the ensemble.