Discovering the stories that
exist within music and all of us
Announcing the Summer 2023 ABI Teaching Artist Fellows
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Devin Cohen
Bassoonist
Recipient of the Wendy Livingston Scholarship
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Jackie Traish
Musician, Teaching Artist & Arts Administrator
Recipient of the Julia Slavin Scholarship
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Savannah Gentry
Flutist
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Ella Mack
Performer & Arranger
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Steph Dressler
Flutist
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Michael Manzi
Musician, Playwright, Actor & Aspiring Drama Therapist
Find Me in the Clouds
was selected as a finalist
for 2022 Canberra Short Film Festival
Join the Across Disciplines Database
A resource for any artist looking beyond their discipline
Easily filter through artists and find your ideal collaborator
You’ll get on our radar for future Art Beyond the Ink projects
Put yourself in front of creators and producers who are looking for you, whether or not they know it yet
It’s free to join and search through
What’s your story?
Check out our Spotify playlist of instrumental music from all genres that are telling us so many stories. Discover them yourself, and then share your writings, illustrations, doodles, animations, or musings with us. #ThinkBeyondtheInk
The EXPO films are here!
Inspired by Ziyi Tao's "收铁人" (Ironware Collectors) for solo guitar, When the Bell Rang recounts the story of a young man who returns to his childhood home, only to find it abandoned.
Find Me in the Clouds animates the dream of a young girl and her mother as they climb up into the clouds before facing the world down below, based on Nizar Bredan's piano solo, "Journey".
Mouse Trap pairs Katie Jenkins' duo for flute and piano "Constructions" with dance to comically depict protagonist Ruby's irrational fear of mice and her panic when she sees one in her kitchen while preparing for an anniversary dinner.
2022 EXPO
Awards Ceremony
An interactive event celebrating the inaugural year of the 2021 EXPO: New Works Competition, hosted at the DiMenna Center for Classical Music on May 23rd
Support women’s cancer with a necklace inspired by Find Me in the Clouds
We want Find Me in the Clouds to have an even greater impact beyond our programming. For every necklace purchased 50% of the profits will be donated to SHARE, an organization supporting women with cancer.
SHARE is a national nonprofit that supports, educates, and empowers anyone who has been diagnosed with women’s cancers, and provides outreach to the general public about signs and symptoms. They are a compassionate community of knowledgeable survivors, women living with cancer, and healthcare professionals.
Thoughts Beyond the Ink
a blog about the arts, education, and the adventures of two women entrepreneurs
Our Arts Education Curriculum
Listen Along Worksheets paired with our original films
Hearing and Seeing Musical Stories: The Story-Filled Tool for Understanding What You Hear
Our original music storytelling workbook (© 2020) introduces children to what we call “musical choices” (the general music theory concepts) through a series of short stories. They will explore music spanning several genres and cultures, including classical, jazz, Brazilian Choro, Irish folk and more. The book features over 20 listening examples and exercises in drawing, writing and even moving!
We wrote this book as a tool to help children understand why they hear what they hear, and what musical characteristics contribute to the story. An understanding of the “vocabulary” behind musical stories is the same vocabulary needed to express and relate to how one is feeling; deepening engagement with music allows for improved listening skills, as well as enhanced self-expression and the development of a personal narrative.
Exciting news! Sketches of Love was screened at the Backyard at Hudson Yards in June 2021 for Pride Month.
Learn more about the film here.
Take a peek at one of our musical stories below!
Check out the full performance of this story, along with an interactive online music lesson, on the New York Public Library’s channel here!
From Our Community
“Art Beyond the Ink consistently delivers stellar programs that delight both children and adults. They provide a much needed opportunity for children to experience live music more often than not for the very first time. It is always a positive and memorable experience for each child that attends, and I highly recommend their services!”
— Amanda Pagan
Senior Librarian of the Children’s Room at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Branch of the New York Public Library
“Having Art Beyond the Ink come into our classes at Buffalo String Works gave our students an opportunity to celebrate all of the types of creating they enjoy! It was such a thrill to see the energy and curiosity brought out in these young musicians thanks to ABI. Their workshops supported our learning for the entire semester and were a huge highlight for everyone involved.”
— Tegan Faran
Teaching artist at Buffalo String Works
“I absolutely loved working with Rebecca and Emmalie. From the beginning they were so passionate about the art they were representing and put everything they had into the production. Working with them has been rewarding on different levels - from being able to contribute my talents to an already wonderful performance piece, to having the opportunity to be involved with brilliant artists, but most importantly knowing that the work being done is grounded in education and accessibility in the arts. It's artistry with a purpose and how can you not be inspired by that.”
— Kenneth Sousie
Director of Mouse Trap
A creepy collection of classroom stories about video games, conspiracy videos, and the color green.