AMERICAN SIGN LANUGUGE COURSES 2009 -- December 8th 2008 --
A new beginner’s course will be starting Jan. 14th, 2009.  An ASL II course will be starting on Jan. 20th, 2009.  Click here to find out more. 
People want to learn sign for a variety of reasons:  to sign with deaf family members, clients or co-workers; to sign with infants and toddlers; to aid communication with people who have a language inhibition or delay; because they themselves have lost hearing or speech ability; or simply because they’re curious and attracted to the language itself.

Cold River Band Is Back in the Studio -- February 21, 2008 -- The second session of recordings for the new album, "Shindig," is complete. Marcos Levy and Mary Barron are preparing arrangements of traditional tunes from all over the map. Their interpretations are original and appealing. Their sweet and seamless blend of voice is reminiscent of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Look for Cold River Band's album this summer!

Contradance --
The Dream Team Does It Again!
Feb 16, 2008 -- Mary Barron, Marcos Levy, and Dan O'Connell continue to bring great contradancing to Farm and Wilderness Camps in Plymouth, VT.. "People hit the floor as soon as you start playing! It's great!" Marcos and Mary are members of Cold River Band and Extra Stout.

Irish Music at The Mountain Top Inn -- February 16, 2008 -- Pat Max and Marcos Levy, two members of Extra Stout, performed for the cross country ski crowd at the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden VT. They bring the rich history of Irish music to life with ballads, rebel tunes, humorous songs, and much more. Extra Stout runs anywhere from two to seven members. No matter which of the talented crew is there it is a guaranteed good time! Check out Stout Dates on the Calendar Page.

American Sign Language Courses in the New Year! -- Dec. 21, 2007
New Sign I and II classes will be starting in January 2008. Click here to find out more. Our first sign class in Rutland (Oct.-Nov. 2007) was a great success! Eleven students varied from male to female, child to adult and parent to nonparent. All learned basic sign vocabulary and grammar to use with family members, clients, students, and the Deaf. Students reported the class had clear goals and was well orgainized.

Click here to find out about the instructor, Turiya Levy.

Long awaited piano solo CD is released!

December 1, 2007 -- After many recording sessions here at The New Learning Project studio, the deed is done: Twenty-four dynamic and intimate piano solos each with its own story to tell.

From the Inside Out is a joy to listen to. For samples and a peek at the liner notes click here.

to inquire about purchasing an album for $12.00 plus shipping, please contact Marcos Levy at learnproject@vermontel.net

Sign Language Courses -- Sept 11th 2007 -- A new sign class is starting in October appropriate for two groups of people.   It’s for parents and child care givers who want to use sign with infants to increase communication before speaking begins.  It’s also for people working with adults or children with a language delay or impairment for whom sign would be a good alternative for communicating.  [Wednesdays 6-7PM Oct -Nov in Conference Room at the Unitarian Church on West St. in Rutland.  Contact Turiya Levy (802) 492-3455; turiya@vermontel.net]

The New Learning Project's internet media player is here.
April 7th 2007 -- Marcos Levy has developed a player for listening to the tunes available within this site on a virtual streaming player.

Get Certified for the Summer!
Lifeguarding Course offered in May 2007
click here for details...

The Original "George's Back Pocket" Reunites for One More Gig

January 20th 2007 -- Montpellier, VT -- (photo by Jimmy "Ha") The original pocket rocked Charlie O's on Saturday night. Mitch "Right Pocket" Terricciano opened up with Marcos "Left Pocket" Levy backing him on the drums. Then George "The Man Wearing The Pants" Nostrand came to the stage bringing his endless repertoire of originals and covers.

Drum Lessons Start at Five Months Old

December 26th, 2006 -- My son took advantage of the opportunity to try the instruments here in the studio. Drums and piano are his first choices. There is a short video of his first lesson here. (it is just over a minute long)

Piano Tuned as Fall Music Lessons Continue
November 6th, 2006 -- Music Lessons this fall at The New Learning Project are well underway! This year finds piano and guitar students continuing their journeys into performance and music theory. With the addition of a full drum kit in the studio, musicians have been able to try their hands at rhythm as well.

Thanks go to Lowell Wakker (pictured above) for keeping us all well tuned.

Extra Stout at the Watershed Tavern
November 4th, 2006 -- Pat Max, Mary Barron, and Marcos Levy of Extra Stout played at the newly opened Watershed Tavern in Brandon VT. The place looks great and is doing very well. They have live music on saturday nights. Check them out.

Cold River Band Plays Harvest Weekend Dance
October 7th, 2006 -- Mary Barron and Marcos Levy provided fiddle and guitar music for a contradance at Farm an Wilderness Camps. They were joined by Dan O'Connell who called the dance.

Extra Stout Plays Peak Leaf at The Inn At Longtrail
September 29th and 30th, 2006 -- The Leaf Peepers were out in full this weekend and many of them came to enjoy some good Irish Pub Music. We were in good form as we head into our tenth season playing together. Seven music lovers would not leave without buying one of our CD's. Thank you.

Bristol Dance
September 23rd, 2006 -- Steve Spensley of the Saltash Serenaders and Marcos Levy of Cold River Band combined their talents for a dance in Bristol, VT. The dance was well attended and called by Lausanne Allen.

New Venue for Extra Stout Band
September 8th, 2006 -- Extra Stout played at the Iron Latern (formerly the Checkmate) in Castleton, Vermont. The place has great food and a comfy atmosphere. We served up our usual mix of jigs, reels, marches, airs, and songs. One spectator said, "I love that you haven't Americanized your music. You sound like Ireland!" I'm not sure how much we would sound like Ireland within Ireland, but we were pleased none the less.

Family Camp 2006
August 24th - 29th, 2006 -- I celebrated my 10th year working for Family Camp at Farm and Wilderness Camps. Family Camp is a week long adventure where families of all ages come together to enjoy the mountains and each other's company. Hiking, apple harvesting, story telling, swimming, dancing and more. I reprised my role as Waterfront Director. (photo by Jessica Cohen)

Shrewsbury Welcome Back the Jeffords
August 20th, 2006 -- Shrewsbury, VT -- Shrewsbury's own U.S. Senator Jeesem Jim Jeffords and Liz Jeffords are welcomed back to Shrewsbury. The Saltash Serenaders were joined by Marcos Levy on the keyboard and played for the down-home celebration.

Cold River Band Outdoor Concert in Tinmouth
Marcos Levy and Mary Barron of Cold River Band held an impromptu concert on the lawn of the Tinmouth Community Center. They had just played a wedding at the church next door, and the two decided to get an ice cream at the local snack bar and play a few tunes. It was a gorgeous day for ice cream and music.

Happy Birthday, Miguel!
Announcing the birth of my son, Miguel Griffith Levy! He was born on July 26th 2006 at 4:16pm. He weighed 6 lbs 10.5 ozs. and was 19 inches long. Miguel is now enjoing life in Shrewsbury Vermont where he likes walks, car rides, napping, crying, sleeping, and eating.
He is a wide-eyed little guy -- taking it all in stride. Turiya and I are very proud and love him to pieces. We look forward to learning all Miguel has to teach us..(a modest amount of pics can be found here)

A Wedding in Dorset with
the Saltash Serenaders
August 4th 2006 -- I was honored to play with Steve Spensley and Victoria Arthur of the Saltash Serenaders for a wedding in Dorset, VT. (pictured from left to right -- Steve Spensley, Marcos Levy, Victoria Arthur). Steve played for the ceremony and Victoria and I joined him for the reception.
In addition to fiddle playing and songs, Steve and I called some rip roaring country dances. I always have a great time playing with these talented musicians. The Seranaders have been playing for over 25 years! Look for their website soon. If you need to contact them I would be happy to pass the word on. (email Marcos)

Wild Irish Music for Lunch
August 1st 2006 -- Marcos Levy, Mary Barron and Helen Mango of Extra Stout play for Rutland Downtowners for the lunch hour Alleycat Series.

Look for Extra Stout's new album this fall!

Shrewesbury Swim Lessons Begin
July 17th - 21st, 2006 -- This is my 10th year teaching the Community Swim Program for the Shrewsbury Outing Club. The program's focus is to help children develop a sense of safety and comfort in and around the water. There is no pre-registration. Everyone from the town of Shrewsbury is welcome. Swimmers progress at their own pace.

I am pleased to see some 14 and 15 year old swimmers who took their first steps over their heads some years ago. They are now involved in training to be lifeguards!

Extra Stout Plays at the Gorge
July 15th, 2006 -- Extra Stout, the Wild Irish Band, played at The Gorge to an audience of 70 bicyclists at Green Mountain College. Sandy Duling, of Extra Stout, was one of the tour leaders for a weekend of biking benefiting the local rotary club. Rotray Club and Bicycles you say? Hmm....

We played for an hour and three quarters and barely dug into our repertoire. The band has been together for going on 10 years. Each of us bring so much to the ensemble, there never is enough time to play everything!

St. Benedicts Day at the Weston Priory
July 9th, 2006 -- Marcos Levy and Mary Barron of Cold River Band played for the Weston Priory's St Benedict Day's Dance. The dance was called by Andy Davis. Over 300 people come from miles around to celebrate with the brothers. The monastery has recently celebrated 50 years.

We gave a card to a woman from New Jersey. Look for us in Morristown NJ!

Hayes Camp Summerweek Tackles History
June 25th - July 7th 2006 -- The Hayes Foundation Summerweek Camp asked me to return as the camp's music director. Together with an amazing staff and group campers, we put on a musical based on Thomas Jefferson's and James Madison trip through Vermont in 1791.

The kids wrote original lyrics and tunes for the production (save one tune from School House Rock) They also wrote the play's itself from a thin outline of scenes provided by the Hayes Camp staff. More about Summerweek...

Extra Stout Records Live at the Inn at Long Trail
June 23rd and 24th 2006 -- Extra Stout, The Wild Irish Band, recorded a live album at the Inn At Long Trail this weekend. The release date should coincide with the beginning of ski season 2006 (November). The album has been a long time coming and features some of the best of what the band's been playing.

(left -- Sandy Duling of Extra Stout )

Adult CPR Class in Danby
June 22nd 2006 -- Smokey House Center -- Eleven staff members of Smokey House received training in Adult CPR. It was my first time at their facility. I was impressed. You can talk to them yourself any Saturday as they run a farm stand at the Rutland Farmer's Market. Or you can check out their site.

Lifeguard Training for the Barn Day Camp
June 18th - 23rd 2006 -- Farm and Wilderness Camps -- The Barn Day Camp sends 14 counselors to be trained as lifeguards. I I was joined by Spice Kleinmann in the teaching of this second session of LGT.

June 21st 2006 -- Certified Lifeguards at Farm and Wilderness Camps got a refresher course in CPR for the Professional Rescuer. Lifeguards hold a three year certificate and are required to re-certify their CPR skills yearly.

Skills Week 2006
June 9th-14th 2006 -- Farm and Wilderness Camps -- Skills week 2006 has seen the training of 24 new lifeguards. They were trained in water skills (pictured left at the CSC pool ) and in the critical areas of Accident Prevention and Emergency Preparation.

The Instruction staff worked well together to provide the best training possible. I was joined this year by Andrew Mitchell, Spice Kleinmann, and Hannah Woodbury.

First Performance of "Hard To Be Strong"
June 7th 2006 -- Visited the open mic at Sidelines (Wednesday nights -- Center Street --Rutland, Vt) The sign-up sheet went up at 9pm and was full soon after. George Nostrand and I opened with some songs that I played bass guitar on.
Later I played an original I've been working on, "Hard To Be Strong (since you've been gone)." Click the song title for a demo that was recorded right here in The New Learning Project's Sound Studio.

Pictured are two singers that called themselves "Tin Penny." There was a great variety of acts young and old, playing their hearts out for the love of music. Support Live, Local Music!

Lifeguard Training
June 5th 2006 -- The Green Mountain Rock Climbing Center sent two of their staff to me for lifeguard training. They came in with CPR and First Aid training. Our job was to learn the water skills. Lauren and Chris passed with flying colors. Their attention to detail was inspiring. Chris said of my teaching style, "This is the way I like to learn! Great!" Thanks again to Castleton State College for use of the pool.

In-Service Training for Proctor Pools

June 4th 2006 -- The Proctor Pool lifeguard crew takes steps to get in shape and stay in shape for the summer. Eight lifeguards and five pool managers took part in a two hour training. The main emphasis of the session was honing the staff's ability to respond to emergencies. Proctor Pool has hired dedicated and capable young men and women to work at the facility.

Credit must go to Theresa McCormack for providing her crew with this practice. It is not enough to hire guards. Facilities must invest the time to orient guards and provide time for them to keep their lifesaving skills sharp. Good job, Proctor Pool!

Cold River Band "Takes It Up a Notch"
June 3rd 2006 -- Cold River Band played for an appreciative crowd at a 50th Wedding Anniversary party in Wallingford, VT. Marcos Levy and Mary Barron "took it up a notch" as they entertained party-goers with instrumental music and songs from all over the map -- from Eastern Europe to South America and many points in between!

The raucous crowd fell nearly silent as they listened to Cold River Band's rendition of "The Mist Covered Mountains of Home." (featured on CRB's up-coming album)

Wedding Party Jigs
June 3rd 2006 -- Extra Stout played a wedding reception at the Mountain Top Inn. (Chittenden, Vermont) Wedding goers danced jigs and sang along to Vermont's Wild Irish Band. At one point, an Irish style conga line erupted! A good time was had by all!

Extra Stout Plays Fundraiser

June 2nd 2006 -- Extra Stout played Irish music for the Shrewsbury Chamber Music Society's (SCMS) Spaghetti Supper. Four of Stout's members played to benefit SCMS. The Shrewsbury Chamber Music Society offers musicians a chance to play in small ensembles coached by local musicians. I will provide SCMS contact info soon. In the meantime you can email me.

Cold River Band is a Tour de Force
May 27th 2006 -- Cold River Band's Marcos Levy and Mary Barron were joined by Caller Brendan Taaffe to play a Contradance at Farm and Wilderness in Plymouth, VT. One happy dancer was moved to exclaim, "You two bring such energy. It sounds like you have five people playing up there!"

We are pleased with that comment as we had just come from playing a 3 hour gig at a pig roast in Weston VT. We were privileged to be joined by Steve Spensley of The Saltash Serenaders. Thanks, Steve!

Lifeguards Keeping Their Skills Up To Date
May 23rd 2006 -- CPR re-cert course at the Pittsford Rec Center went well. Randy Adams brought me in to teach the class. I am impressed by the caliber of guards they have working for them. All six are returning from last year. This should make for an excellent season of swimming for the Pittsford Rec Dept.

Extra Stout Unplugged
May 22nd 2006 -- Extra Stout played a great gig at Castleton State College tonight. We did the first set through the sound system, and then came down and sat with the audience for some session music unplugged. The crowd of Vermont State College faculty members sang along in good voice. Check us out at the Inn at Long Trail June 23rd and 24th.

The New Learning Project Offers
Lifeguard Training
May 21st 2006 -- Lifeguard Training courses have begun with a bang for the 2006 pre-summer season. Just completed a course is that ran May14th - May 19th at Castleton College, VT. Eleven new well-trained lifeguards are out and ready to serve Rutland County! I'll be back teaching Lifeguarding at Farm and Wilderness Camps in June.

The Community Swim Program sponsored by the Shrewsbury Outing Club continues this July 17th at Spring Lake. Look for more course offerings for 2006-2007 including LGT, CPR and First Aid.

Heavy Rains Move CPR Class
May 20th 2006 -- Slight flooding moved May 20th's CPR class to the Rutland Free Library (corner of Court and Center streets) Rutland,VT. at 9:30am. Many thanks to the Rutland Free Library for helping out!

Spring '06 Music Lessons
May 15th 2006 -- Music lessons are coming to a close for the season. I have enjoyed working with a group of talented, motivated, and innovative students this year.

Each student has brought their own ideas to each lesson as we have explored technique, music theory, and composition. I will begin scheduling in August for the 2006-2007 season.

Cold River Band Begins Work on a New Album
May 15th 2006 -- Cold River Band's long awaited second album, "Shindig," is now in pre-production. It will feature musicians Mary Barron and myself, Marcos Levy with music on fiddle, guitar, piano, mandolin, and possibly the spoons!

In addition to the wonderful traditional instrumentals found on "Ankle Deep" (© Cold River Band 2000 pictured left), look for more singing on "Shindig." ** CD RELEASE CONCERT ** October, Friday the 13th at the Old Firehouse Stage in Tinmouth, VT.

Work Works! -- a Documentary Video
May 15th 2006 -- Distribution of the critically acclaimed documentary, "Work Works! -- A Look at Work, Community, and Mental Illness " has reached over 28 states. The movie was directed by George V, Nostrand and edited here at The New Learning Project's video division.

I enjoyed editing this film with George. I'm especially proud of the opening sequence after the title credits, and the soundtrack featuring Jeff Field on lead guitar, with rhythm guitar provided by Marcos Levy.
For a more complete description, visit George's site.

Headlines

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

Marcos Levy's NEW
PIANO SOLO
CD

NEW VIDEO PIANO SOLO!

Baby Pics

Hayes Camp
MP3's

Marcos' Recordings Corner

Lifeguard, CPR, First Aid Courses

"Work Works!" Video Still Making Waves

Original MP3
" Hard To Be Strong"
(since you've been gone)

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