Left to right, standing: Anna Maria Ruiz (flute), Albairis Rosa (trumpet), Juan DeLos Santos (trumpet), Kelvin Eusebio (flute), Diana Ortega (bassoon), Douglas Deguire (percussion), director Aaron Flagg, Christopher Waller (percussion), Camilo Molina Gaetan (percussion), Hasheem Cates (percussion), Nieves Veras (horn), and Celinet Duran (trumpet). Kneeling in front are clarinetists Temitayo Ademuwagon and Druv Das. Photo by Joanne Colosi

Since 1990, the Music Advancement Program (MAP) has been providing quality music education to African-American, Latino, and Native American children from the five boroughs of New York. One of the exciting traditions of this Saturday program is the annual winter concert, which takes place this year on December 14 in Paul Hall at 1 p.m.

Each year, every MAP student performs at least five times at Juilliard in solo, small ensemble, and large ensemble settings. Third- and-fourth year students in the PATHS (Preparing Artists Through High Standards) program, which extends the original two-year MAP for qualified students, organize their own outreach performances twice a year. One of last year's performances took place at St. Paul's Chapel for a private audience of firefighters, rescue workers, and police officers. MAP small ensembles have also been heard at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

The concert on December 14 features all 15 small ensembles in the program. There are single instrument ensembles (clarinet, flute, percussion, piano, trumpet, and violin), as well as mixed ensembles (one brass, four string, and three PATHS ensembles). The groups perform a broad repertoire including such composers as John Philip Sousa, Shinichi Suzuki, Miles Davis, Edward Grieg, and Robert Schumann. Several ensemble directors write pieces or arrangements specifically for their groups. The event culminates with a program-wide reception in the Marble Lobby, where students, parents, faculty, and friends gather to celebrate the semester's achievements.

MAP students love the opportunity to "show their stuff" in such a professional and intimate setting as Paul Hall. "During concerts at my school, the audience is sometimes loud and not really interested in the music," says second-year trumpet player Albairis Rosa. "Here we talked about concert etiquette in our classes, and I notice how different the audiences at Juilliard are. They are really focused. You can feel that they want to hear the music. It's so exciting, and a little scary sometimes."

One of the goals of the program is to encourage students and their families to participate in the arts in many ways. Understanding the experience of performing in a classical concert is just one of them. Students also take an annual trip to a New York Philharmonic Young People's Concert, to experience together what it's like to attend a professional concert. These experiences help them reflect on their other experiences and focus their perception skills. Second-year MAP flute student Kelvin Eusebio says, "At regular school, we only play in large bands in 'boomy' halls. Every instrument is blasting. Here I can really hear what a choir of flutes can sound like. It's so beautiful."

Music Advancement Program Winter Concert Paul Hall Saturday, Dec. 14, 1 p.m. No tickets are required for this free event.

Friends and family come, of course, to applaud their child. In the process, they are inevitably taken by the talent and determination of every child. "The winter concert is an opportunity for us to bond, focusing on the children's progress and our shared belief in their bright futures," says Leslene Cates, a member of the MAP Parent's Association and mother of percussionist Hasheem Cates. I also enjoy seeing public school music teachers, whom I remember seeing at auditions, beaming with pride at their students' progress. They have a stake in this work, as well.

As a past faculty member and current director, I can attest to all the wonderful sensations of these concerts: the nervous energy in the green room, the hush in the audience, the onstage focus of every student, the smiles after a job well-done, and the warm community feeling from the beginning of the concert through the reception.

The December 14 concert is free and open to the public. The second and final small ensemble concert of the season will be on May 10 and will feature a new work written especially for the PATHS students by 10-year-old composer Jay Greenberg, a student of Samuel Zyman in the Pre-College Division.

It exciting to see these beginning and intermediate students learn about the thrill and responsibility of performing. Juilliard can take pride in playing such an important role in the development of children.

Aaron Flagg, director of educational outreach and MAP, has also been a MAP trumpet faculty member.