On October 2, 2010, music will fill the O. Henry School's auditorium in Chelsea in tribute to beloved music teacher, Jerry Sheik, who passed away on June 1st. Performers are his former students, now renowned musicians, who have gone on to work with both the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic, as well as Bob Dylan, Dizzy Gillespie, Tito Puente, Lionel Hampton, Aretha Franklin, and on Broadway.
Sheik and students from some 30 years ago reunited in April for a celebratory concert after reconnecting on Facebook where scores of people had been reminiscing about the man who ignited their passion for music. As described in a New York Times article on the popularity of social networking sites' dedication to teachers, the humbled and already ill Sheik said that he had no idea he had made such a lasting impact on so many students. “In the weeks before the death last month of Jerry Sheik, a retired band teacher from Intermediate School 70 in Chelsea, his wife, Judith Kalina said he was overwhelmed by the praise written on a Facebook page created in his honor 'Sheik's Freaks Reunite: A Celebration for Jerry Sheik.'" The Facebook outpouring led to the aforementioned concert, the success of which inspired the follow-up memorial set for October.
Family, friends, co-workers and students, a surprising number of whom have gone on to become professional musicians and music educators (a fitting testament to Sheik's legacy), will be on hand to continue the celebration of this inspirational man. “It was the the sensible, nurturing and respectful manner of treating us in our adolescence that came so naturally to him. He instilled in us, at a very young age, a sense of worth through mutual respect for each other and for music," offered a former student, Carmen Parra Bazzini, when interviewed by The Villager. Carmen has also played an integral part in organizing both events.
“I treated them as people, isn't that normal?" mused Sheik himself in a video interview made by some of the students right before the April gathering. “I am now beginning to understand that you leave an imprint. It's important to me that my students are out there reflecting a lot of stuff that came through me, that they're teaching, some of them, that they're giving back. It's a feeling that life's a circle."
Sheik's second passion, photography, will share the stage in a beautiful concert program which will include his favorite music, a video tribute, and the unveiling of a plaque renaming the Band Room in his honor. Jerry Sheik was a long-standing member of The Camera Club of NY, as well as its president from 1995-97. His acclaimed photos of circus performers and street scenes cataloging his post-teaching travels with Judith will be on display. A few of his photographs will be for available through a silent auction, with proceeds going to Jerry Sheik's family.
The O. Henry Building, formerly known as I.S. 70, now houses The NYC Museum School, the NYC Lab Middle School, and the NYC Lab High School. All 3 schools have been recognized as among the best schools in Manhattan by New York Magazine, the New York Post, insideschools.org, and other publications. The O. Henry Building, one in which Jerry Sheik taught for 30 years, continues the tradition of excellence in education, and will be a fitting place for his commemoration. The concert, A Memorial for Jerry Sheik, will be held on October 2, 2010 from 2:30-6:00 PM at The O. Henry Building, 333 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011 between 8th and 9th Avenues. By subway, take the A, C, or E train to the 14th Street Station. $20 suggested donation.
Sheik and students from some 30 years ago reunited in April for a celebratory concert after reconnecting on Facebook where scores of people had been reminiscing about the man who ignited their passion for music. As described in a New York Times article on the popularity of social networking sites' dedication to teachers, the humbled and already ill Sheik said that he had no idea he had made such a lasting impact on so many students. “In the weeks before the death last month of Jerry Sheik, a retired band teacher from Intermediate School 70 in Chelsea, his wife, Judith Kalina said he was overwhelmed by the praise written on a Facebook page created in his honor 'Sheik's Freaks Reunite: A Celebration for Jerry Sheik.'" The Facebook outpouring led to the aforementioned concert, the success of which inspired the follow-up memorial set for October.
Family, friends, co-workers and students, a surprising number of whom have gone on to become professional musicians and music educators (a fitting testament to Sheik's legacy), will be on hand to continue the celebration of this inspirational man. “It was the the sensible, nurturing and respectful manner of treating us in our adolescence that came so naturally to him. He instilled in us, at a very young age, a sense of worth through mutual respect for each other and for music," offered a former student, Carmen Parra Bazzini, when interviewed by The Villager. Carmen has also played an integral part in organizing both events.
“I treated them as people, isn't that normal?" mused Sheik himself in a video interview made by some of the students right before the April gathering. “I am now beginning to understand that you leave an imprint. It's important to me that my students are out there reflecting a lot of stuff that came through me, that they're teaching, some of them, that they're giving back. It's a feeling that life's a circle."
Sheik's second passion, photography, will share the stage in a beautiful concert program which will include his favorite music, a video tribute, and the unveiling of a plaque renaming the Band Room in his honor. Jerry Sheik was a long-standing member of The Camera Club of NY, as well as its president from 1995-97. His acclaimed photos of circus performers and street scenes cataloging his post-teaching travels with Judith will be on display. A few of his photographs will be for available through a silent auction, with proceeds going to Jerry Sheik's family.
The O. Henry Building, formerly known as I.S. 70, now houses The NYC Museum School, the NYC Lab Middle School, and the NYC Lab High School. All 3 schools have been recognized as among the best schools in Manhattan by New York Magazine, the New York Post, insideschools.org, and other publications. The O. Henry Building, one in which Jerry Sheik taught for 30 years, continues the tradition of excellence in education, and will be a fitting place for his commemoration. The concert, A Memorial for Jerry Sheik, will be held on October 2, 2010 from 2:30-6:00 PM at The O. Henry Building, 333 West 17th Street, New York, NY 10011 between 8th and 9th Avenues. By subway, take the A, C, or E train to the 14th Street Station. $20 suggested donation.
