Ellen Fishman

As we began to plan for the 2020-21 school year, the recommendations for choirs from our national organizations (NATS, ACDA, PAMA) include social distancing of 12 to 24 feet and other drastic measures that impeded the learning that takes place in a choir rehearsal. We were also planning for the possibility of further quarantines which meant that students would be without a choir experience for another significant period of time. We proposed a partnership with the world famous, Crossing Choir as… Show more

As we began to plan for the 2020-21 school year, the recommendations for choirs from our national organizations (NATS, ACDA, PAMA) include social distancing of 12 to 24 feet and other drastic measures that impeded the learning that takes place in a choir rehearsal. We were also planning for the possibility of further quarantines which meant that students would be without a choir experience for another significant period of time. We proposed a partnership with the world famous, Crossing Choir as a way to shape a choir experience for students for the next school year.

Working with audio engineer, Brendan McGeehan, we found a way to make a video recording of the conductor while recording 4 professional singers at a time in a manner that is safe for the singers. Each group of 4 singers was added to a group of another 4 singers until we had enough voices to construct a choir within the computer. The choir recordings provided material for tiered lessons that focused on the sectional and full choir reinforcements that students need in order to learn repertoire and further their choral skills. A goal of this project was to provide a one in a lifetime opportunity for students to learn music through the master choral director, Donald Nally and the Grammy award winning Crossing Choir. We will work toward a performance when the pandemic guidelines make it possible but this method also provides the possibility of creating a tiled performance for the Internet.
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As a modern woman, Marie lives in a world of endless possibilities. But on her 30th birthday, she realizes how little she has actually achieved. The audience guides Marie’s trajectory in this interactive work, making choices for her at the end of each two- to six-minute scene to help her pull her life together.

StringFlo is a string quintet composition created to accompany yoga and Pilates sessions, inspired by Ellen Fishman’s personal experience with movement and mindfulness during a challenging period in her life. Written, performed, and recorded in 2022–23, StringFlo invites listeners to experience music through breath and flow. The work has been performed live in yoga sessions in Philadelphia, featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and in Strings Magazine, and released on streaming platforms including… Show more

StringFlo is a string quintet composition created to accompany yoga and Pilates sessions, inspired by Ellen Fishman’s personal experience with movement and mindfulness during a challenging period in her life. Written, performed, and recorded in 2022–23, StringFlo invites listeners to experience music through breath and flow. The work has been performed live in yoga sessions in Philadelphia, featured on NPR’s Weekend Edition and in Strings Magazine, and released on streaming platforms including YogiTunes. Show less

Remix Interactive was a large scale project in partnership with Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, Drexel University Excite Center, and Play on Philly! for a performance on the 2014 Philadelphia Science Festival. Students worked together to remix "Mambo" by Leonard Bernstein for performance by Play on Philly! In addition, SCH Academy students created a light show app that responded to the music in partnership with the Drexel University ExCITe Center… Show more

Remix Interactive was a large scale project in partnership with Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Boys' Latin of Philadelphia Charter School, Drexel University Excite Center, and Play on Philly! for a performance on the 2014 Philadelphia Science Festival. Students worked together to remix "Mambo" by Leonard Bernstein for performance by Play on Philly! In addition, SCH Academy students created a light show app that responded to the music in partnership with the Drexel University ExCITe Center.

Remix Interactive 2 was a large scale multimedia event staged especially for the International Society of Technology in Education Conference 2015 and created by students from Springside Chestnut Hill Academy, Boys' Latin of Philadelphia and String Theory Schools. Students created an sound producing app and video instructions so the audience could play along with the performance. This time students remixed Bach Cantata 140 performed by Play On, Philly! and singers from String Theory Schools conducted by SCH choir director, Christopher McGinley. Show less

A piece in memory of my composition teacher performed by Harvey Price and the University of Delaware Percussion Ensemble

The result of weeks of collaboration between students participating in a partnership between Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) and The Mural Arts Program, Mural in Motion wove student-created music, animation, and video into eight minutes of dynamic, creative, original footage. This digital mural was timed so that ISTE attendees would exit the 2011 conference on opening night for a powerful, sensory explosion of creativity in motion. On Sunday, June 26, 2011 at sundown (8:30 PM), Mural in… Show more

The result of weeks of collaboration between students participating in a partnership between Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH) and The Mural Arts Program, Mural in Motion wove student-created music, animation, and video into eight minutes of dynamic, creative, original footage. This digital mural was timed so that ISTE attendees would exit the 2011 conference on opening night for a powerful, sensory explosion of creativity in motion. On Sunday, June 26, 2011 at sundown (8:30 PM), Mural in Motion, the first student-created projection mural in Philadelphia, appeared on the exterior wall of the Fabric Arts Workshop and Museum Building at 1214 Arch Street. Show less