Musical improvisation may be the art of making it up as you go along, but music is a language like any other. Learning a language that has no alphabet, however, may seem difficult — but it just takes a good teacher. more

Penny Prince, a professor at Lehman College, has produced and directed musicals at the school for years. She’s written songs, worked with composers, and blocked out where actors would stand on stage. But for the first time this spring, Prince did all that without ever seeing her students’ faces. more

Step aside, Stephane Grappelli — There’s a new jazz string musician in town. And she also happens to be the new artistic director for the Bronx Arts Ensemble. Bronx native and professional jazz violist Judith Insell has reached a new administrative height in a long history of organizational leadership. more

Inside the college’s art gallery — be it in-person or safely through a computer screen — executive director Bartholomew Bland tries to inject as much life as he can into a seemingly dead grounds. more

It’s important to see familiar faces. Whether it’s the kind expressions behind the counter at the Kingsbridge Donut Shop, or a close relative who just happens to be passing on the sidewalk, interacting with old and new friends can brighten a day. more

Johnson Avenue, once sporting several festivals, has hit something of a snag in recent years. The cancellation of the Johnson Avenue Block Festival in late 2018 — which ended in part due to a lack of funds — didn’t devastate the economic prosperity of the area. But it certainly left a bitter taste in the mouths of business owners and prospective customers alike. more

Music is as omnipresent as the greenery, especially in this section of the Bronx. Chamber musicians in Spuyten Duyvil. Jazz composers by the Henry Hudson Parkway. Folk singers at An Beal Bocht Cafe. more

The Bronx knows how to celebrate its artists. With the number of cafes, art bars, museums and galleries across the borough, creatives within its confines can find an audience, a patron, or even a collaborator. more

They said the Bronx was burning in cop movies, on the news, in history books. To them, it was only ruins and fire, violence and risk, and evidence of urban collapse. To an outsider, the Bronx could simply seem hopeless. But for those who called the borough home through that time, there is a different story to tell. more

Every year, and every holiday, the New York Public Library releases a top 10 list of books patrons have checked out the most. Now, however, days may feel like weeks, and holidays may seem far-off and imaginary. Books are gathering dust in the Riverdale Library. more