Rosedale Center
(A Division of the South Bronx Educational Foundation)

1724 East 174^th St., Bronx, NY 10472 *** Tel/Fax: 718-328-4090
rosedale@sbef.org

Making Music at Rosedale 

Photo: Gregory Harrington performing at Carnegie Hall

Rosedale Achievement Center believes in the dignity of each person and tries to help each student develop her own sense of worth and mission.  The student-to-staff ratio is kept low – generally one-on-one – and staff and volunteers are trained to adapt their teaching methods according to the needs of their pupil.  It is a challenging program for our educators; they must constantly re-evaluate their lesson plans in the light of each new student. 

Since 1998, professional musicians have come to the Rosedale through the Concordia College Conservatory, to share their talents with students in the Bronx. Gregory Harrington has just completed his first year of teaching at Rosedale. A seasoned violinist from Dublin, Ireland, he studied at the Mannes College of Music in Manhattan. On February 17, he performed at New York’s prestigious Carnegie Hall.  When asked to evaluate his experience, he wrote us the following observations:

"Last October, when I first walked into the Rosedale Achievement Center, I really did not know what to expect. In the course of the past months, I have been pleasantly surprised at the impact it had on me as an individual, both inside and outside the classroom. In essence, I found a wonderful willingness to learn in my students that was refreshing.  As a teacher, I discovered a whole new panorama: to approach each lesson with each girl differently.  I have always believed that, if you can give unconditionally without expecting anything in return, the rewards can be amazing.  In this case – when you do receive something back – it is a wonderful bonus.  

 I had just graduated from the Mannes College of Music and I began teaching at two schools - Rosedale and the Spence School in Manhattan. The first thing that struck me about Rosedale was the close community atmosphere that you do not find in other schools.  With the benefit of a very low teacher-student ratio, there is a “comfortableness” or trust between faculty and students that is not always present in larger establishments.  Almost home-like.  There is an inherent feel of “family” about it - a community that watches out for one another in so many different ways. It was wonderful to see and experience this “family,” and as the weeks turned to months, it was even better to slowly become part of it.

The Center has been in wonderful hands during my short spell: from Irene Dorgan, who had such a complete control and a wonderful way with the girls, to Vicky where everyone feeds off her energy and vitality. Then there are the girls themselves, the reason that everyone is there. They are wonderful students; when I started, nearly everyone was a complete beginner. The violin is probably one of the most frustrating instruments to begin to play, since it takes so long to make a decent sound. It is easy to play “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” on the piano at first try; the sound just comes out. If only that was the case with the violin!

The most challenging aspect was to get the girls to trust me long enough to get over the drudgery of the basic exercises, so that we could start having fun and learn some nice pieces. I have worked to build their confidence slowly over a long period of time, and now violin lessons are becoming “fun.” I get a great thrill to see improvement from week to week - especially when their eyes light up because they have “got” what we have been working on. For the upcoming concert we are going to perform a series of duets for two violins that my students are looking forward to performing... I know I can’t wait!"

published April 2003

A Place to Blossom   rosedale@sbef.org