- - - - - - - Announcements - - - - - - -

6.18.2020
Scheduling for the fall 2020 semester begins July 1st! Get your scheduling preferences and studio policies returned by July 15 to have first priority in scheduling your slot.

5.18.2020
Enrollment for SMS online summer workshops is now open! Sign up today.

Stellar Music Workshops Summer Workshops w/ Stellar Music Space Ages 5-11 • with Samantha Bassler, Rena & Scott

The philosophy at Stellar Music Space prioritizes each student’s individual goals and abilities! Samantha founded Stellar Music Space to serve communities in Brooklyn and further afield, with creative and personalized music lessons that put the student’s talents and educational goals in music first. We include music theory, aural skills, note-reading, and music history in our lessons, all tailored to our students’ interests.

- - - - - - - Announcements - - - - - - -

6.18.2020
Scheduling for the fall 2020 semester begins July 1st! Get your scheduling preferences and studio policies returned by July 15 to have first priority in scheduling your slot.

5.18.2020
Enrollment for SMS online summer workshops is now open! Sign up today.

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MUSIC LESSONS

For children & adults. At our Fort Greene studio, your home, or via video conference.

Stellar Music Space, founded by Samantha Bassler in 2011, offers high quality, affordable music education to students of all ages. Located in the heart of Fort Greene, Brooklyn,at 765 Fulton Street, Stellar Music Space provides lessons in piano, voice, guitar, violin/viola, music history, music theory, aural skills, composition, and performance coaching, as well as summer music camps for ages 4-12. Samantha Bassler, founder and principal teacher, started teaching private music lessons in 2000. More recently, Stellar Music Space has added Scott Fish (guitar, piano, voice, and composition) and Rena Slavin (piano, violin, viola, and voice) to its roster of skilled music instructors. Graduates of Stellar Music Space have pursued further study in music as performers and scholars at LaGuardia School of the Performing Arts, Columbia University, the University of Oxford, Dartmouth College, Princeton University, New York University, Queens University in Toronto, Westminster Choir College, Rutgers University, the Navy College program, and other prestigious schools in the US and abroad.

Samantha Bassler

Owner, Principal Music Teacher
piano | voice | violin
aural skills | music theory

The philosophy at Stellar Music Space prioritizes each student’s individual goals and abilities! Samantha founded Stellar Music Space to serve communities in Brooklyn and further afield, with creative and personalized music lessons that put the student’s talents and educational goals in music first. We include music theory, aural skills, note-reading, and music history in our lessons, all tailored to our students’ interests.

Teachers:

Samantha Bassler

Owner, Principal Music Teacher
piano | voice | violin
aural skills | music theory

Samantha Bassler is internationally-known as a music scholar, educator, performer and activist. Educated at Nyack College (Bachelor of Sacred Music with major instrument of piano and minor instruments of voice and organ), Merton College of the University of Oxford (Master of Studies in Music), Rutgers University (Master of Arts in Musicology) and the Open University (PhD in Musicology).

While Samantha was originally trained as a classical pianist, organist, and singer, she has also performed as a jazz and rock musician, as an organist for church services and special occasions, and as a choral conductor. As a private music teacher, Samantha has over fifteen years of experience teaching as private piano, voice, guitar, and violin lessons. As a scholar, Samantha has given conference papers throughout the United States and Canada, and also in England, Italy, Belgium, Northern Ireland, and Spain. She researches and writes about such diverse topics as the reception history and politics of early English music, intertextuality, disability and femininity in the early modern period, analysis of rock music (specifically – but not limited to – the music of David Bowie, Brian Eno, the Clash, Opeth and Radiohead), and disability activism. As an educator, Samantha has taken pedagogy courses at the university level and with the Pennsylvania Music Teachers’ Association, and is a member of the College Music Society, the National Guild of Piano Teachers, and the Music Teacher’s National Association, and has over a decade of experience teaching at the college level.

Samantha currently teaches music history, music theory, and aural skills as an adjunct professor at New York University, Rutgers University at Newark, and Molloy College. Past appointments as adjunct faculty of music include Princeton University, Westminster Choir College of Rider University, Seton Hall University, and William Paterson University. She serves as chair of the Music and Disability Study Group of the American Musicological Society and as a member of the Development Committee of the North American British Music Studies Association. Samantha regularly performs as a musician throughout the New York metropolitan area, and is available as a substitute organist or pianist for churches, and also as a singer, pianist, or organist for other special occasions.

Samantha Arten

Administrative Director
soprano | music historian

Samantha Arten Administrative Director of Stellar Music Space, is a professional soprano and music historian whose activities range widely in both areas, though she is most at home in early music. She performs as a soloist and choral singer for repertoire that extends from medieval chant to contemporary barbershop singing. Samantha is currently a principal singer with the Bach Society of St. Louis, a principal artist with the Women’s HOPE Chorale of St. Louis, and a staff singer in the choir of St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, and she also maintains an active schedule of solo recitals.

Samantha holds a Ph.D in musicology from Duke University, where she studied early music vocal performance with Penelope Jensen, and a Bachelor of Music degree in music history from Washington University in St. Louis, where she studied voice with Christine Armistead and Jolly Stewart. She is a Lecturer in Musicology at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a Faculty Affiliate in the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. Her musicological research is centered in the music of the English Reformation, and in addition to sixteenth-century congregational hymnody, her other interests include Reformation theology, print culture and book history, early music performance practice, and contemporary sacred vocal music. Her research has been published in Early Music, the Yale Journal of Music and Religion, and in The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Bible and the Arts.

Samantha lives in St. Louis, MO, and when she’s not busy with professional singing, arts administration, or musicological research, her hobbies include yoga, ballet, knitting, and science fiction. You can read more about Samantha’s many interests and hear recordings of her singing at her website, www.samanthaarten.com.

(request a consultation for) Music Lessons:

This is to request a consultation, this does not guarantee enrollment. Please await a response from us about availability.

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STELLAR MUSIC SUMMER WORKSHOPS

With music instructors Samantha Bassler, Scott Fish, and Rena Slavin.

EVERY SUMMER Stellar Music Space has offered a summer music camp with an interdisciplinary curriculum that integrates music, singing, dance, and art together, to teach basic musical concepts and also singing of melody and harmony in a group setting. In this summer of COVID-19, we want to continue to offer our summer music-making fun and so we are going online! Instead of in-person summer camps, we’ll have remote music workshops that will get your kids making music and making friends. These workshops will help your kids stay active and energized this summer, staying in touch with their community at Stellar Music Space, learning new skills, and making the most of their creativity.

TOPICS:
See below for the list of topics for each week, which include musical theater, rock band, music theory, how to perform your best at recitals, introductions to singing or other instruments, and even a whole series on preparing a future music major for high school auditions or for their first year of college.

Logistics and Schedule:
Each workshop will take place via Zoom (we’ll email you a Zoom link a day or two before the class). Morning sessions will run from 9:30 am-11:30 am, and afternoon sessions from 1-3 pm, letting kids spend their mornings or afternoons (or both!) with music and fun without need for parental supervision. You can sign up for whole weeks, or for individual days (we recommend signing up for whole weeks for maximum fun and education, since sessions will build on each other).

Open to all ages!
Workshops are open to kids of all ages and will be specially designed for the ages and interests of those that enroll. (Audition prep weeks are geared more towards older kids.)

Tuition:
In celebration of Samantha Bassler’s 20th year of teaching private music lessons, this year’s summer music workshops will be Pay What You Wish! We realize this might feel kind of vague, so we have some suggested donations...but these are only suggestions. We hope everyone can take advantage of this opportunity to schedule fun and dynamic learning experiences for their kids this summer, regardless of financial status in these uncertain times.

Suggested Donations:
Suggested donation per week (for morning or afternoon sessions): $150
Suggested donation per week (if you want to take both morning and afternoon sessions): $300

Or if you want to drop in for individual days: Suggested donation per day (for morning or afternoon session): $30
Suggested donation per day (if you want to take both morning and afternoon sessions: $60

Priority Enrollment for Fall 2020:
By enrolling in at least one week of summer music workshops or at least four summer music lessons, you receive priority scheduling and tuition rates for Fall 2020.

SESSIONS 2020

Join Stellar Music Space for summer music-making! In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, we won’t be holding in-person summer camps, but instead, we’ll have remote music workshops that will get your kids making music and making friends. These workshops will help your kids stay active and energized this summer, staying in touch with their community at Stellar Music Space, learning new skills, and making the most of their creativity.

Schedule and Topics:

  • - - - June 29-July 3 - - -
    Write a song in a week! mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructor: Scott Bring your passion and creativity to this class with our composition teacher Scott Fish and practice the art of songwriting. You’ll have written your very own unique song by the end of the weeklong workshop. For all ages, instruments, and experience levels.
  • - - - July 6-10 - - -
    Write a song in a week! mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructor: Scott Bring your passion and creativity to this class with our composition teacher Scott Fish and practice the art of songwriting. You’ll have written your very own unique song by the end of the weeklong workshop. For all ages, instruments, and experience levels.
  • - - - July 13-17 - - -
    Musical Theater mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena All the world’s a stage! Explore the excitement of musical theater by learning selections from famous musicals including song, dance, and instrumentals. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.
    Rock Band afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena Together the kids who sign up for this workshop will form a rock band and spend the week expressing themselves through music. They will learn about the role of each instrument in the rock band and will write their own song as well as learn how to play a rock song of their choosing. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.
  • - - - July 20-24 - - -
    Music Appreciation & Listening mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructors: Scott, Rena Learn about the elements of music and explore different popular genres of music. Learn to listen attentively and write or talk descriptively about what you hear. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.
    Music Theory & Reading Music afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Scott, Rena Learn the rudiments of music as a written phenomenon and level up with ear training, aural skills, and transcription. This course is a kid-friendly version of music theory and ear-training courses Samantha teaches at NYU. For all ages, and tailored to the level of the child. Younger children will get a firm grasp of note-reading and keyboard/guitar identification; older children will learn about scales (western & non-western), keys, chords, etc.
  • - - - July 27-31 - - -
    String & Guitar Technique mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena Learn the basics of string instruments including violin, viola, and guitar, in a group setting. Geared towards absolute newcomers to these instruments or beginners who have up to two years of experience with string instruments.
    Singing & Piano Technique afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena Learn the basics of singing and playing the piano in a group setting. Geared towards absolute newcomers to these instruments or beginners who have up to two years of experience. We especially encourage anyone who plays guitar or string instruments to give singing and the piano a try!
  • - - - August 3-7 - - -
    Audition Prep Week #1:
    preparing for music school
    (We strongly recommend signing up for both mornings and afternoons this week since the workshops will build on each other.) mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena These workshops are for anyone about to start music at the college level, or looking ahead to high school or middle school auditions. The first week will focus on preparing for music school, and the second week will focus on aural skills and culminate in a series of mock auditions for practice and feedback. Intended for older kids who want to get more serious about their music.
  • - - - August 10-14 - - -
    Audition Prep Week #2:
    aural skills and mock auditions
    (We strongly recommend signing up for both mornings and afternoons this week since the workshops will build on each other.) mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena These workshops are for anyone about to start music at the college level, or looking ahead to high school or middle school auditions. The first week will focus on preparing for music school, and the second week will focus on aural skills and culminate in a series of mock auditions for practice and feedback. Intended for older kids who want to get more serious about their music.
  • - - - August 17-21 - - -
    Music Appreciation & Listening mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena Learn about the elements of music and explore different popular genres of music. Learn to listen attentively and write or talk descriptively about what you hear. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.
    Music Theory & Reading Music afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Scott, Rena Learn the rudiments of music as a written phenomenon and level up with ear training, aural skills, and transcription. This course is a kid-friendly version of music theory and ear-training courses Samantha teaches at NYU. For all ages, and tailored to the level of the child. Younger children will get a firm grasp of note-reading and keyboard/guitar identification; older children will learn about scales (western & non-western), keys, chords, etc.
  • - - - August 24-28 - - -
    Musical Theater mornings: Mon-Fri, 9:30-11:30 am Instructors: Samantha B, Rena All the world’s a stage! Explore the excitement of musical theater by learning selections from famous musicals including song, dance, and instrumentals. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.
    Rock Band afternoons: Mon-Fri, 1-3 pm Instructors: Samantha B, Rena Together the kids who sign up for this workshop will form a rock band and spend the week expressing themselves through music. They will learn about the role of each instrument in the rock band and will write their own song as well as learn how to play a rock song of their choosing. This workshop will be tailored to the ages and experience levels of the kids who sign up.

(enroll in) STELLAR MUSIC CAMP:

This is to request a spot, this does not guarantee enrollment. Please await a response from us about availability.

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Stellar Music Space is located in Fort Greene between S. Portland & S. Oxford, above The Greene Grape.

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