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The World Community SCHOOL of Music |
Directors' Bio (Brief)
| Brother AH (Robert Northern) Founder - The World Community
School of Music / Founder and Artistic Director - The World Music
Ensemble, a performing group with musicians and dancers from the Americas,
Africa, Asia, the Caribbean and Europe. Musician, composer,
arranger, lecturer, and educator in Western and non-western musical
traditions. He has composed and directed numerous extended works
including "Ode to Creation", "The Forces of Nature",
and "Tribute to the Ancestors". He specializes in French
horn, flute and percussion instruments.
He has performed with such jazz greats as Miles Davis, Thelonius Monk, Dizzy Gillespie, Sun Ra, Freddie Hubbard, McCoy Tyner, Eric Dolphy, Max Roach, John Lewis, and many more. His classical performances include the New York Metropolitan Opera (stage band) w/George Solti conducting; The symphony of the Air, w/Leopold Stokowski conducting; Radio City Music Hall Orchestra, w/Raymond Page conducting; symphony orchestra of Vienna, Austria and West Germany and Broadway Theater orchestra in New York City. He has studied at the Vienna State Academy of Music in Vienna, Austria; the Manhattan School of Music in New York City and graduated from Howard University in Washing, DC He was a faculty member at Dartmouth College (3 years), Brown University (9 years) and Talladega College (Alabama) He was a lecturer and faculty member at the Levine School of Music for eight years and member of Long-Term Planning Committee; Instructor - The Sewell Music Conservatory, New York City School System, DC, MD, VA public and private schools. Lecturer - Howard University, UDC, University of Maryland, Smithsonian Institution, and Kennedy Center |
Brief History
The World Community School of Music, Inc. (the School or WCSM) began in the basement of the Executive Director's home in 1986. The first students were little girls and boys 5-7 years old whose parents desired a positive musical experience for their children. Within one year the school outgrew the basement, and needed more space. Fortunately, the Anacostia Museum came to the rescue by offering free space that was gratefully accepted. The School utilized the museum space for three years before again requiring more space due to increase in enrollment. The next move was to a space provided by St. Augustine Church on 15th St., N.W., where the School operated for two years. Then, the School moved to the Sewell Conservatory for one year. It was at this point that rental options seemed to exhaust themselves, and thus, the School decided to continue to give lessons to community children from the programs in DC Public Schools, such as, Buckner Hill Elementary, Jefferson JHS and others. WCSM incorporated in the District of Columbia on April 28, 1992, and received its 501-(c) (3) Tax Exemption from the IRS on September 1, 1993. Predictably, from the period of 1989 to the present WCSM has remained committed and very active in the Greater Washing Area facilitating lectures, workshops, demonstrations, musical performances too numerous to mention, while still consistently working with young people assisting them to realize their talents, hone their skills, and reach their full musical potential. During this period, the Executive Director of WCSM (Robert Northern) was instrumental in working with key founders of the Levine School in moving the musical program or this will-known entity to new levels. He was a member of the faculty at Levine for eight years, and served as a member of the Long Term Planning Committee. All with the focus on helping the youngsters. And while much of this proved to be necessary for WCSM's growth and visibility...still what was left to be accomplished was the establishment of a music school to call home. |