Margaret Bernstein
Rensselaerville, New York, United States
Music
Press
Cinderella Falling
“Margaret's music is highly enjoyable and heartfelt, quickly pulling listeners in and keeping them engaged. Her track "Awakening Hearts and Soul Dance" is soothing and spiritual, a beautiful gift. The lively "Cinderella Falling" is another one of my personal favorite picks”. (PJ Grimes-Backstage Gourmet Show)
“Margaret, another amazing display of talent! I am so impressed with your voice, your lyrics, your son, and your beautiful self. This is a real winner!” -Joann Hoose, photographer; Feura Bush, NY
“Margaret, I think your new video is awesome! The song, dance, story, and visual scenes really bring me in....and up! This is awesome and very moving… Very beautiful, powerful, message and work in every way! Great job, Congrats! Bravo!! Namste' Power to the arts and hearts!” -Nancy Furgal, Harrison Township, Michigan
“Blew me away!" -Darienne, social worker, Albany, NY
"You just blew me away, I have no words, except you are the best!....superb! Loved it!” -Marc Flayton, Carboro, North Carolina
“Nicely done, congrats! I love the video.:-) All the best with it.” -Derek Sivers, Founder of CD Baby
"Great music video and song Margaret!”-Susan White, artist; Myrtle Beach, SC
"Hey, Margaret - Super stuff! Thanks for posting this. Well done." -Zuzanna Vee Tepperman, Queens, NY
“Wow! How great! Thank you so much for sharing it with me. You look and sound fantastic. And your beautiful boy is growing up into quite the handsome young man.” -Pam Pissari, Paterson, NJ
“It's spectacular. You are amazing!” -Janet Nally. Albany, New York
“Congratulations, Margaret! Great job. How exciting!“ -Mary Carlson, Niskyuna, NY
“Margaret! Your video is amazing, and you are stunningly beautiful! It was SO wonderful to hear your voice after all these years! You are so talented, and I love your work! If you ever go on tour out this way, I'd love to book you as part of our next Northern Showcase Concert Association series. Congratulations! And your son is quite the handsome young man, too. Lots of love and can't wait to hear the rest!” -Sharon J. Dolph, Havre, MT
“Wow! Great video, Margaret! :-)“ -Laura Principato, singer/songwriter; San Diego, CA
“Hey Margaret. Loved the video. What a fabulous job you did! And you look beautiful (love the outfits). I guess that was your son in the video - very handsome. Congratulations!” -Meg Lawerence, Bridegeport, CT
“Margaret, what a beautiful video and wonderful song! Congratulations!!” -Shanin, Santa Rosa, CA
“Wow! Very cool video and song. I am inspired to see how you have grown and expanded your musical horizons. Thanks for the inspiration." -Warren Dennis Kahn, Banquet
Sound studios, Sebastapol, CA
“I love your video!..good message, and it's really engaging. You look good as the fairy godmother! Keep doing what your doing!" -Carolyn Cirnitski, New Paltz, NY
“Absolutely great and you look fantastic… you are so talented …even rooster Bob is in the video…hope it does well.” -Burt Reiter, Chicago, Illinois
“The video looks great, I need to watch it more. The quality is amazing.” -Andy Morse, Children’s’ entertainer, Albany, NY
“Wow.... and you got to dress up and everything! That must have been so much fun to shoot! Julian looks really cute too! Bravo!” -Maraiya Latulippe, Athens, GA
“You are a winner :) Your music video is awesome. You took a subject matter that could be considered cliché and you made it compelling. After seeing it a few times I realized that you had touched on something that is so deeply ingrained in us that we sometimes forget and think we can ignore it. It's what we were taught and so often there is no fairytale. Brave of you to take this on. And not only that, the melody and the lyrics were so clever and memorable that they stayed in my mind for days. Really Beautiful job all around... including the images and directing!" -Mathea Rubin, writer, NYC
“Great job Margaret! You inspire me!” -Julie Kinscheck, singer-songwriter, Boston, MA
“Hey, Margaret -- Great song and video! Beautifully done. Thanks for the link.“ -Brian Darnell, Athens, GA
Bricks In The Wall
“Strong melodic piano driven melodies…the playing is excellent!" -The World’s Leading Independent A&R Company
“A powerful and beautiful album…Margaret’s musicality shines through every moment. It’s downright slick…the music, the audio quality, even the graphics.” -Dick Bagwell, musician, Walnut Creek, CA
“Wonderful and inspiring.” -Darienne, social worker, Albany, NY
“I absolutely love your music and so does everyone who happens to be in the room when I’m playing it—especially the latest CD with your singing. You remind me of the Cranberries and 10,000 Maniacs. You are SO good. I can’t wait to meet you and hear you live.” -Gail Bogossian, CT
“Margaret, you shine! Powerful art! Thank you! Sounding beautiful!! Great visual story, message and cause! Bless you!" -Nancy
On the Threshold of Change
- Growing Azalea Music
More and more, TAXI members are choosing the Indie route to success. Sure, it takes a little longer, but you can't beat it for being able to work at your own pace and controlling your music and your destiny. This month's profile is of Margaret Bernstein—musician, performer, composer, and instructor.
Your parents were also in the entertainment industry. Did that help you decide on a career in music?
MB: My parents had both been professional dancers and were very involved in the arts in general. I was exposed to the performing arts from an early age. Growing up outside of New York City, I had the opportunity to hear and see the very best in dance and music from an early age, so I'm sure that all had an influence on my music career as well as giving me a different perspective on life in general. However, I think the biggest factor for me deciding on a career in music was my sheer love of playing flute. It got to the point where I was playing so much (I practiced four to five hours a day during my junior and senior years of high school as well as playing in two youth orchestras and several chamber ensembles) that I couldn't imagine doing anything else!
Of all the musical instruments available to you, the one you chose was the flute. Why was that?
MB: I had begun piano and recorder at age six. I went to an elementary school where art and music was the focus and each class, beginning in fourth grade, had its own orchestra. Everyone was required to take up an orchestral musical instrument. I loved the sound of the flute, so I began flute lessons, in addition to my piano lessons, at age nine.
What were the circumstances surrounding your trip to India and how did that inspire your writings?
MB: India is a place that has been especially inspiring to me as a composer. I have been there four times on personal pilgrimages, and something about the inner peace one feels there, in spite of all the external chaos, was inspirational in the creation of several of my compositions on my Full Circle album including "Meherabad Morning," "Rahuri Sunset," and "Approaching Amartithi." "Rahuri Sunset" was an unusual composition in that the entire piece came to me as I picked up my flute one evening just as the sun was setting and the birds were flying overhead. I just picked up my flute and started playing it. I felt that that piece was divinely inspired. "Meherabad Morning" was written in more of the manner in which I often write compositions in that I woke up every morning with the melody in my head and then wrote it down. I still do that. I have a musical manuscript notebook by my bed, and when I wake up, I write down whatever melody is in my head. My extensive music training, which included years of ear training, has enabled me to notate music without referring to a musical instrument. "Approaching Amarthithi" was a composition that I wrote on the piano after returning from a visit to India depicting an event that occurs there every year.
You've won awards, certificates, honors; written CDs, etc. What made you decide to join TAXI with all the success you achieved on your own?
MB: First of all, I don't believe that we are ever really doing anything completely on our own. I have been blessed to be hooked up with great professional networks since the beginning of my professional career. I believe that networking is extremely important in building a career in music. I had been hearing about TAXI for years, and knew its value as an important networking tool in the music community. I felt that it was time for me to join and that my music deserved to be heard.
How has TAXI helped your career?
MB: A career in music is a process. It does not end with one success, and nor does it need to be stagnant. I'm currently in the process of changing my focus from being a flutist and instrumental composer to a singer-songwriter. TAXI has helped me land publishing deals in the past, and now I am just beginning to use TAXI as a vehicle for being recognized and landing deals as an artist in this genre. I pay close attention to what different managers and record companies are looking for, as mentioned in the TAXI listings, and I write everything down. Then, I embrace as much of this information as possible when going into the recording studio. A music career is a balance between exercising ones creative side and ones practical, analytical, business side. That's where TAXI comes in. I see TAXI as an important tool at this point in my career. I'm really looking forward to attending the Road Rally for my first time this November!
What are you up to next?
MB: I am so excited about my current endeavor, which includes completing the recording of Bricks in the Wall, my debut singer-songwriting album, which is geared towards Domestic Violence Prevention and Education. I am also in the pre-production stages for a music video of the title song, which we will be shooting this fall. I have also started a not-for-profit comp - TAXI Transmitter
SAFE through the Arts Program raises student's awareness of domestic violenceProgram to culminate with free community concert on March 20, 2009.
March 17, 2009 – Duanesburg seventh- and eighth-graders learned the facts and myths associated with domestic violence during the first day of a week-long program, SAFE through the Arts.
Through hands-on activities, homework assignments and a collaborative group project, students are gaining the tools they need to better appreciate themselves and understand the problems surrounding domestic violence. They are also learning how to recognize and potentially prevent engagement in abusive relationships.
“We’re learning about life-skills and ways to handle situations in a positive way through really good hands-on activities,” said eighth-grader Maddy Kenyon. “I think it’s really fun.”
The program is based on three key components—self-affirmation, financial independence and education.
“A lot of people get into abusive relationships because they’re not feeling strong enough somewhere inside of themselves,” said Margaret Bernstein, who created the program. “The more they know about taking care of themselves emotionally, physically and financially the more likely they’ll be able to enter into a healthy relationship.”
Bernstein is a New York State certified educator, singer, songwriter and musician, who established the program to bring prevention, awareness and education of domestic violence to the general public through the use of music, multi-media and other forms of art.
“The arts are an important tool for self-expression and creative problem solving,” said Bernstein. “I believe the arts are an effective and powerful vehicle for communication and transformation.”
Throughout the week of March 16-20, students are participating in a variety of activities during their regularly scheduled English class. These activities include dramatic role-playing, journal writing, drawing and collage making. They are also reviewing a handbook filled with valuable information, exercises and worksheets pertaining to the three key components, as well as resource information.
“If I’m able to prevent one child from getting into an abusive relationship that’s great,” said Bernstein. “But hopefully everyone will take away something from the program.”
Free community concert set for March 20 The program will culminate with a performance by Bernstein and her band, “The Bricks in the Wall,” on Friday, March 20, featuring music educating the public about the lesser known aspects of domestic violence. The Schenectady YWCA will also be on-site to share valuable information and resources.
The free concert is open to the public, and will kick off at 7:30 p.m. at Duanesburg Middle/High School. - Communications Specialist Audrey Hendricks - Duanesburg Schools
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Bio
Margaret Bernstein is an award winning singer-songwriter, composer and flutist with a unique voice, dynamic lyrics, and a positive and compelling message. Internationally known for her Socially Awakened Songs and Uplifting Instrumental compositions, Margaret is a classically trained musician and accomplished instrumental performer.
Margarets new CD, Distant Thunder, has just been released on the Growing Azalea Music label. Featuring the production work of Super Buddha (Blondies production team), Distant Thunder consists of a dozen soul wrenching and thought provoking songs. It includes the hit single Cinderella Falling, which is also the soundtrack of the popular music video starring Margaret dancing with her rooster Bob. Margarets debut singer-songwriter CD, Bricks in the Wall, is a collection of eleven original songs and a music video aimed at the awareness and healing of the lesser- known aspects of domestic violence. Margarets discography also includes two instrumental albums, "Full Circle" and "On the Threshold Of Change", which include her original compositions for flute and piano accompaniment and a compilation album produced by The Who's Pete Townsend on which Margaret has performed a flute solo. Several of her compositions have been licensed to TV and video productions including the Chelsea Lately show.
Growing up into a family of professional dancers, Margaret was exposed to the arts an early age and began writing her own compositions by age seven. Margaret engaged in careers as a freelance flutist in the San Francisco Bay Area and a public school teacher in upstate New York before launching her career as a singer- songwriter. Her virtuosity on the flute earned her degrees in music performance from the Oberlin Conservatory and Arizona State University, the latter which she obtained through a full tuition scholarship. Margaret has performed throughout the United States and abroad sharing the stage with Tuck and Patty, Renassiances Annie Haslam, and jazz guitarist Mimi Fox among other notable musicians. Additional performances include an opera season with the Albany Symphony and five seasons with the Dance Brigades Nutcracker Sweetie production in Oakland, California. In addition, Margarets musical compositions, many of which were inspired by her travels throughout the States and her pilgrimages to India, have won her many awards including the UNISONG international songwriting competition, eight successive years of the ASCAP plus award, and first place in the instrumental division of West Coat songwriters competition.
The passion, which Margaret puts into her music, is also evident in her work as an educator and advocate for youth. She is currently the president of the Board of Azalea Blossom, Incorporated, a 501c3 organization, which Margaret founded. Margaret regularly performs assembly concerts with her five-piece band as a part of the SAFE through the Arts program, a violence prevention program, which Margaret created and has instructed at public middle schools throughout New York State. Margarets band has also actively been engaged in performing benefit concerts for domestic violence and womens shelters. Her large catologue of original repertoire includes Believe, the SAFE through the Arts theme song, which Margaret wrote in order to help empower youth. She is also the founder of the Youth Sahavas, a retreat for teenagers held annually in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. In addition, Margaret has written two original children's musicals, The Little Seed and The Trees' Song for Peace as well as songs for children and school choruses, which have been performed at public, private, and charter schools throughout the United States. She is currently on the faculty of the Albany Preparatory Charter School.
Margaret is actively involved in all aspects of her music career including the creation of the songs, story lines and production of all of her albums and music videos. Despite her engaging career, Margaret manages to balance her musical endeavors with her other responsibilities and interests, including hiking, cross-country skiing, and riding her horse, Reba. Although she has residencies in both Upstate New York and East Sussex, England. Margaret spends most of her time on her five-acre-farm in the foothills of the Catskills, New York, with her fifteen animals and her fifteen- year-old son, Julian Jacobs, a sophomore at Greenville High School and percussionist with the Empire State Youth Orchestra and Percussion Ensembles.
Band Members
Links
