Who We Are
Our Story |
Neighborhood Studios was founded in 1978 by Patricia Hart, a musician who identified a need for music education for visually impaired students after she gradually lost her own sight. Ms. Hart pursued local foundations and the University of Bridgeport to provide space and funding for her endeavor and Neighborhood Studios was born. Neighborhood Studios believes art education enhances cognitive and social development in children, thereby increasing their chances for success in all areas of learning. While some program participants and graduates have pursued careers in the arts, it is not our purpose to produce professional visual artists, dancers, actors or musicians. Our goal is to provide educationally creative experiences in a supportive, structured environment where participants will thrive.
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Our Staff |
ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF
ARTISTIC DIRECTORS
Frank Derico is the Executive Director Previously he served as Program Director for eleven years and has been with the organization for sixteen. Under his management, the organization won the President’s Committee on the Arts and Humanities Coming Up Taller Award in 2005. Prior to working at Neighborhood Studios, he was a founding member of a seven-piece avant-garde rock ensemble, helping compose, arrange and promote the group throughout the Northeast. The group released three recordings and appeared on several compilations. Mr. Derico graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Bridgeport in 1998, where he received a B.Mus. in Performance. He holds a Credential in Afterschool Education from Charter Oak State College. In addition to his work at Neighborhood Studios, he has served as a consultant for the United Way Music Zone initiative and as a curriculum consultant for NAAM. Mr. Derico’s major instruments are soprano, alto, and tenor saxophones. An active performer, his professional experience includes Jazz, Latin, Classical, and Rock ensembles.
David Goldstein is director of the National Resource Center for Blind Musicians, a one-of-a-kind referral service at Neighborhood Studios. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Classics and English from Manhattanville College and a master’s in Literature from the American University. He considers his life shaped both by his wide reading and his family, which early on banded with other parents to create opportunities for people like himself who are blind and hard of hearing. An avid correspondent and fan of young people and classic children's books and recordings, he devotes much of his creativity and expertise to helping others find the means to meet their goals. David began sharing information about resources with a radio program he produced for the Connecticut Radio Information System. He gained knowledge and contacts worldwide through editing a magazine for users of the first refreshable braille systems in the 1980’s. Now, David takes most pride in the Resource Center’s Summer Braille Music Institute. This is a residential program held in Philadelphia, which over the past sixteen years has brought students from thirty-one states and four countries to master the skills necessary to transition to the college environment and continue studying music at an advanced level.
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Board Members |
Officers
Board of Directors
Founder Patricia P. Hart (1933-2016) |
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