Bloomingdale School of Music Students Perform in “How We Do It” Music Video

Bloomingdale School of Music (BSM) students Nia Hill and Maya Hill are featured in Lani Luv and BoujeeBaby’s music video for the recently released single “How We Do It,” which highlights kids artistically expressing themselves in their cities through music, dance, art, fashion and even sports. Two sisters with a shared passion for music, Nia Hill plays viola and Maya Hill plays violin in the video. They became involved in the project when the video’s producer, Maureen Aladin, Founder, TWELVE18 Media, noticed the sisters during the BSM annual Performathon fundraiser. She approached the school about collaborating with some of the students, and when BSM Executive Director Erika Atkins suggested the Hills, she knew it was a perfect fit. In the video, the sisters truly exhibit the range of their instruments’ capabilities on the anthemic track, which can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=htJ5n5cguO4.

“Bloomingdale is a place where people come to learn music and explore their artistry, but where they also ultimately end up developing key parts of themselves,” said Executive Director Erika Atkins. “This is only the beginning for our students, and Nia and Maya are definitive examples of that. They combined the skills and confidence they built at Bloomingdale and moved beyond our walls to share their shine with the world. That’s what we do here: give our students the space to grow into their full potential.”

Maya Hill, violinist, has been playing the violin since 6th grade at Dr. Daniel Hale Williams School of the Arts. There, she was in the chamber orchestra and now is a junior in high school attending the Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music with David West at the instructor where she is in the chamber orchestra. She currently is studying with Naho Parrini at the Bloomingdale School of Music and is ever so grateful to her music instructors both at The Bloomingdale School of Music and Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music for their wonderful instruction and guidance throughout the past few years. When asked about the impact music has on her life Maya said “No matter what language you speak, we can all be moved by the language of music.”

Nia Hill, violist/ violinist, began her musical studies in 6th grade. Throughout middle school, she played in her school’s Orchestra for three consecutive years as first chair. She also competed annually in NYSSMA, achieving excellent scores. Nia attended Celia Cruz Bronx High School of Music and has been currently studying at Bloomingdale School of Music, with Aundrey Mitchell and Mica Poerio, since 2018. She also began sessions with The Chamber Music Center of New York, where he was featured with his group on a performing tour of Tuscany in the summer of 2019. Other performances include appearances at the Education Through Music Festivals and Galas, Music in the Parks Competitions, with Carnegie Hall professionals, and violist in the music video “How We Do It” by the artist Lani Luv. She is currently a freshman in college minoring in Music Performance and is looking towards more music endeavors. “Practice doesn’t make perfect, because perfection is impossible, but practice does make for a better performance,” said Nia.

Bloomingdale School of Music is committed to practices that are focused on protecting employee, student, and community health and safety, ensuring appropriate physical distancing, ensuring proper infection control, and communicating clearly with the public. As part of the school’s commitment to maintain a safe space for learning, and in compliance with developing guidelines issued by federal, state, and local governments, BSM is currently requiring all vaccine-eligible employees, students, and visitors over the age of 12 to be fully vaccinated for the COVID-19 virus as of October 15, 2021. Students under the age of 12 are still permitted to take in-person lessons without being vaccinated. You can find out more about BSM’s safety guidelines here, which cover such considerations such as HVAC systems, screening protocols, contact tracing, cleaning protocols, guidelines for in person instruction by department and instrument, as well as use of performance venues, teaching studios, and common areas in detail.

Founded in 1964, Bloomingdale School of Music is dedicated to the belief that music changes lives and everyone should have access to high-quality music education regardless of economic status, race, religion, ability level, or gender. Bloomingdale is a music-driven community center where all are welcome to join and learn about music from top faculty. We are dedicated to our mission – to make music education accessible to all who want to learn – and remain focused on supporting this mission through our values. www.bsmny.org/