Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, committed to our local community, transforms the lives of our students and their families through access to quality music education, while fostering teacher development and introducing performance to new audiences. Working with parents, other teachers and volunteers, their violin teacher, Roberta Guaspari, founded Opus 118 Harlem School of Music, a private, nonprofit organization, to save the program and to continue to serve public school students in low-income areas. Violinist Arnold Steinhardt, impressed by what he witnessed in these Harlem music classes, engaged colleagues Itzhak Perlman and Isaac Stern to organize Fiddlefest, a benefit concert at Carnegie Hall to keep the violin program alive. Not only did this first concert shine a bright light on Opus 118, it became the first in a series of Fiddlefests with acclaimed musicians such as Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Wynton Marsalis, Bobby McFerrin, and Mark O'Connor joining the Harlem students in performance. Roberta Guaspari’s passionate struggle to keep music instruction alive in Harlem's public schools has inspired two films: Small Wonders, a 1996 documentary produced by Susan Kaplan and directed by Allan Miller, and Miramax’s 1999 feature film, Music of the Heart, starring Meryl Streep; both films received Academy Award nominations. The New York City Schools Chancellor restored funds for Ms. Guaspari and for two more Opus violin teachers. Today, Opus serves in five New York public schools. In 2002, Opus 118 Harlem School of Music expanded on the success of its internationally recognized In-School Music Program and established a comprehensive community music school currently located at Central Park East II in East Harlem. Through this community music school, Opus 118 can meet the needs of this fast-growing and underserved community by offering opportunities for New York City public school students to obtain one-on-one and ensemble instruction after school, offering access to music education for children who may not have music programs in their schools at all, and offering instruction for adults who want to learn a musical instrument or advance their musical skills. In addition to Opus 118's traditional violin program, the expanded curriculum includes viola, cello, piano, and guitar. Opus 118 Harlem School of Music expanded their reach even further in 2008 by creating the Community Programs Initiative which partners Opus 118 with local communities, organizations and schools to bring music classes and performances to even more people in the community. Opus 118 students play for local hospitals and special events while the faculty brings music education to after-school programs and early childhood music education to Head Start Programs. What started in one Harlem classroom now affects thousands of children, here in New York and in other cities that have taken inspiration from the Opus 118 story.
