Past Projects
bachpacking
Bachpacking was born out of Simone’s desire to share the music she loves with New York City elementary school children. She joined the children in the comfort of their own classrooms, arranging with local piano dealers to provide a digital piano if the school didn’t have one. The goal was to teach children how to listen to classical music. She unpacked the music in ways that made the patterns understandable, creating fun and interactive listening exercises with the students.
What started in New York City expanded across the country as Simone traveled. Concert promoters coordinated with local public elementary schools to arrange Bachpacking visits around Simone's regularly-scheduled performances. Simone has Bachpacked from Brooklyn to Boulder!
Learn more here.
Neighborhood Classics
Pianist Simone Dinnerstein founded the Neighborhood Classics series in 2009 at P.S. 321, the school that her son attended and where her husband teaches. Neighborhood Classics built relationships at a local level between neighborhoods and musicians.
These one-hour, family-friendly performances, which were hosted by Simone and featured musicians she has admired and collaborated with during her career, were open to the public and raised funds for the school. The musicians performing donated their time and talent to the program, and the concerts were organized and administered by parent volunteers and faculty members.
Learn more here.