Patti Onorato

Teaching mission statement:
Through my studies in the Orff Schulwerk and teaching, I have experienced how music comes naturally to children, and as the Orff philosophy states, this innate musical ability only needs to be nurtured. Every child and adult deserves to have music in their life, as music is a source of joy and connection to others in the community.

Biography:
Patti Onorato earned her Bachelor of Music in Voice Performance from the Manhattan School of Music. She has sung, acted and played various instruments in the U.S. and overseas with composers, performing artists, poets, visual and dance artists and rock bands. With these collaborations, she has worked on new music and new music theatre and opera pieces, often premiering new works. Other performance projects include; soloist for The Old Moscow Circus in Japan as well as music director and composer for an all-woman cast of “Julius Caesar” (“Juli Caesar”). While performing internationally and in the states, Patti studied the “Orff Schulwerk Approach” at the Bloomingdale School of Music in NYC, and through Brooklyn Conservatory and Trevor Day School workshops. Patti has also studied West African drumming and dance, guitar, drums, piano, and recorder.

From 1997-2020 Patti was an instructor at Turtle Bay Music School where she helped to develop and teach in the Tuneful Sequence/Orffestra, Carnival of the Instruments and Musical Mornings programs, teaching ages 12 months through 10 years. She has also taught as a PS Outreach music specialist for many schools in Manhattan and Brooklyn teaching PreK through 5th grades and helped to establish a collaborative program for Public School Outreach Programs, combining the Orff Schulwerk with artists who specialized in Rock/Jazz, Modern Dance, Colombian Music, and Afro-Caribbean music. Patti is thrilled to continue her teaching journey with friends and families at the Bloomingdale School of Music!