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Regan Leslie Ford, Director, Southeast Washington, DC Campus at THEARC. Photo: Courtesy
The Levine School of Music
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It’s a new year and with it comes a desire from many of us to do new things and to take advantage of fresh opportunities offered in our community. There’s so much to do in East Washington, but often residents don’t take advantage of what’s being offered because they are not aware of all that is going on. In light of this, I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Regan Ford, the new Director of the Levine School of Music’s Southeast Campus and to ask her about what’s going on at the Levine School at the ARC.
Tell me about the Levin program here at the ARC.
The Levine school of music is the oldest community music school in DC. We are a non-profit organization and we rely heavily on grants and donations. Our program was established here in Southeast, DC in 2005. We came on as one of the inaugural partners of The ARC. Our goal was to offer a program in music and voice to the Wards 7 and 8 communities – also known as the East of the River community.
On a personal level, this job is very fulfilling for me. I remember what it was like to grow up in Ward 7 as a 13-year-old who liked art. Unfortunately, there were very few outlets in the East Washington community to nurture my interest in art and that is what Levine seeks to provide. Our goal is to provide a healthy nurturing arts-inspired environment where relationships can be established that will last for a lifetime.
What does “THE ARC” stand for?
The Arc is an acronym for Town Hall Education and Arts Recreation Campus. THE ARC is a state of the art facility and several partner organizations provide programming within the building -- the Levine School of Music, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Washington Ballet, the Washington Middle School for Girls, Trinity College, and the Boys and Girls Club of Washington.
What type of programs do you offer?
We have an Early Childhood Elementary Music Class (ECEMC) for youngsters from four months to five years old – it is one of our most popular programs. This program introduces young people to music. It provides an opportunity for children not quite old enough to begin a specific instrument to get immersed in music and once they have completed this class, by five years of age, they often lean toward a certain instrument.
We also offer piano, flute, guitar, percussion, violin, Suzuki piano, cello and voice lessons for children and adults. Furthermore, we offer cultural programs. For example, Esai Barnwell with the group Sweet Honey and the Rock, recently came to our recital hall and did a community choir sing which was open to the public.
Who are some of your noteworthy faculty members? We have Joyce Lundy, a very well know opera singer who is very rooted in the community. She teaches vocals. We also have Dr. Jacob Clark who teaches piano.
Why don’t more people in Southeast Washington take advantage of the ARC and the Levine programs?
I don’t think the members of our community fully realize that our programs are here for them. This facility belongs to the community; however, I don’t think that most members of the community understand what the ARC and our programs are all about. We do have fees associated with our classes, but we also have a tuition assistance program that people can apply for. We also are working to provide more programming that is of interest to the community. For example, we have found a great interest in guitar and percussion lessons and so we have begun to offer a broader range of classes.
What are some of the challenges that you face in the new year?
The real challenge is to get members of this community to take ownership of the ARC, and to register and attend classes. We also want to showcase the talent that we have in our community. We have so much talent in Ward 7 and in Ward 8 and we want to be more involved in giving this talent an outlet.
How can someone find out more information about your programs?
If someone wants more information about the Levine School of Music or THE ARC they can call Regan Ford at 202-686-8000, Ext 1201 or find us on the web at www.levineschool.rog/southeast or www.thearc.org |
