Opus 118 Harlem School of Music’s well known In-School Program delivers music instruction to over 500 children each year through partnerships with Harlem’s public schools. Co-founder and Artistic Director Roberta Guaspari and accomplished Opus 118 string instructors teach violin, viola and cello in elementary schools, middle schools and in early childhood centers throughout Harlem. Over 3,000 students have been taught in the In-School Program since its beginning in 1991. The In-School Program began with Ms. Guaspari’s first violin classes in Harlem nearly a quarter of a century ago. Most In-School teachers and interns participate in a one-year internship with Ms. Guaspari to learn her pedagogical style, which combines the rudiments of traditional violin instruction with elements of the Suzuki method. Ms. Guaspari’s group method emphasizes technique, discipline, and concentration, skills which are important to music making and which have the added benefit of improving students’ study skills and focus. Her dynamic teaching method has been recognized nationally by CBS Television (Woman of the Year), the National Foundation of Advancement for the Arts (Arison Award), and Education Update magazine (Outstanding Teacher Award), among many others.
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