MFL Takes to the Big Screen!
Music, Art, Podcasts, TV, and now, Music For Life is thrilled to present our newest creative addition to wide range of classes and opportunities we offer: Film-making!
The venture began in 2022 when Music For Life received a grant to create our first original documentary, "Everybody Should Be In A Band," about our ever-growing band program.
Written, filmed, performed, edited, and scored by the students in our adult programs, we hope to bring many more films to the MFL film collection. We have so many talented editors at Music For Life, all of whom have spent months working on special projects to showcase in at our annual MFL Film Festival. From sci-fi specials, musical mysteries, horror films, travel vlogs, and holiday ads, our participants have experimented with sound effects, music production, and editing existing material to tell their unique stories.
We hope you will enjoy witnessing the creative minds of our participants through film and video editing.
For more information about how to get involved in our movie-making process, or ways to donate, check out our Classes page or fill out our contact form.
A mystery unfolds as The NO prepares for Battle of The Bands but as tensions rise, can the band survive long enough to find the missing chord? Written, performed, edited, and scored by participants in our film and theatre programs.
We would like to give a special Thank You to all the bands that participated in the filming of the Battle Of The Bands.
Check out the full performances of The AMPS, P.O.P., and Beach Down here
CAST
James . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam G.
Friday . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace R.
Keto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel W.
Kayla . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gabby H.
Charlie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake P.
Rick Rickman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geoffrey L.
Hendrix Pendrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Daniel W.
Brian the Bigfoot Hunter . . . . . . . . . .Milo F.
Bob Adams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julien L.
Puppeteer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris N.
Directed by
Rick Apicella Molly Gorman Autumn Hill
Produced by
Jeffrey Friedberg
Written by
Milo F. Adam G. Jacob R. Gabby H. Jerome K. Daniel W.
Rick Apicella Molly Gorman
Edited by
Leah E Autumn Hill
Music by
Milo F Molly Gorman Chris N
Everybody Should Be In A Band
A film about the power of playing music together
We are proud to share our documentary, "Everybody Should Be In A Band," with you. This film not only highlights the power of playing music together but also shows the many skills, talents and wonderful personalities of our participants. While you can access the film for free, PLEASE help us continue to provide these types of programming by donating whatever you feel you are able ($15, $25, $100 or more!).
In January 2023 we received a Voices of Change grant from Arts Westchester to make a film about the many benefits of playing in a band to people with all skills, abilities and challenges. We wanted to raise awareness about how powerful it is to get to know somehow through their music and to play music together. We also wanted the project to be a call to action to others to offer these same types of experiences in their communities.
Filmmaker, Pascal Akesson, joined us for 6 months, teaching our participants how to shoot and edit, as well as filming interviews, rehearsals and performances. The film is about our musicians AND it is made by our participants. We think the resulting 45 minute film is pretty special!
We need your help to continue to build our budding film program. Any contribution will help us continue to offer classes in film making and to make more films like this!
Everybody Should Be In A Band
Thank you for watching!
Suggested donation: $15 but any amount is welcome.
NOTE: We hope to raise $10,000 to make a feature film with our actors, musicians, and filmmakers.
$100 will get you a Music For Life T-shirt
$500 will get you a credit as a funder of our film (plus a T-shirt)
$1000 will get you listed as a benefactor (and a T-shirt)
+$1000 will get you a huge amount of karma!!!
FILM FUNDERS:
This project was made possible by a grant from ArtsWestchester
Annette Hidary
Phyllis Dodge
Dr. D and the Monster
A Music For Life Original Film
A dentist at the height of his practice finds himself disillusioned by the hopes he had for his life--that is, until he is summoned to the past by a young girl trying to stop her uncle from taking over the city! Will Dr. D defeat the evil scientist's monster? Streaming now at Music For Life!
"Dr. D and the Monster"
An MFL Original Film
CAST
Dr. D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chris N.
Madeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Grace R.
Dr. Verruct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Adam G.
The Monster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Milo F.
Rocky . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jerome K.
Villager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shmuelie F.
Villager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Vineet R.
Dancer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake P.
Directed by
Rick Apicella Molly Gorman Autumn Hill
Produced by
Jeffrey Friedberg
Written by
Rick Apicella Chris N Jacob R Simi S
Edited by
Leah E Adam G Autumn Hill
Chris N Dan S
Music by
Milo F Molly Gorman Chris N
MFL FILM FESTIVALS
With the release of our first movie "Everybody Should Be In A Band," several participants discovered a love for video editing that MFL was able to foster through the medium of short-film projects. Pascal Akesson, a professional editor and filmmaker, has been working with our participants to create films using existing footage, photos, sound effects, and more. As our editors have a wide range of interests, you will see apocalyptic soundscapes, stop-motion animations, travel vlogs, pet videos, band edits, horror-inspired shorts, and ads for holidays, important people, and delicious foods.
We hope you enjoy these collections from our annual Film Festivals.
MFL Film Festivals
Featured Videos
Leni
Sound Effects - Creepy Building
"Happy 4th of July"
"Leni's Wicked Journey"
"The New York City Zoo"
"My Walt Disney Trip"
"The Wolfman"
"Hexter The Cat"
"The Bronx Zoo"
"The Museum of Natural History"
"Leni's Cooking Show"
"Sleepy Hollow"
"Jaws: 50 Anniversary"
"Leni's 2025 Holiday Video"
Chris
"City Noises"
"Tappan Zee Bridge Is Falling Down"
"4th of July at Disney"
"My Electrical Water Pageant Video"
"Chris' Fantasmic Video"
"Polar Express Train Ride Video"
"Beyond Your Wildest Dreams
"Electrical Water Pageant 2025"
"Veterans Day"
"The Wiggles Concert Film" Excerpt
Leah
"Woman's History Month"
"Mother's Day"
"London and Paris Trip 24
"June: Candy Month"
"Summer Trips We Took"
"My Trip To Cabo"
"Dog Trainer 2025"
Selena
"July 4th, 2099"
"Shrek the Musical" Commercial
"Time To Get Energized"
"Thanksgiving Candy Corn"
"Happy MLK Day!"
"Inazuma 11 Music Video"
Adam
"Easy As Pizza Pie"
"Sarges Stunt Show"
"Eurotrip 2024"
"Introduction to Yu-Gi-Oh Links"
Geoffrey
"City Noises"
"Tappan Zee Bridge Is Falling Down"
"4th of July at Disney"
Milo
"Grand Opening: The Tappan Annex"
"Alex Richardson and Claire's Wedding"
"The Rock 'N' Rollers' Sock Hop"
Sock Hop Promo
Dan
"Up! Covered by: the AMPS"
"Fall: An Essay"
"Viva Las Vegas: Night Out 3"
Jake
"Happy Thanksgiving"
"Aladdin" Promo
"Nyack Halloween Parade"
Darrin
"October Halloween"
"Break This Down"
Gabby
"Introduction to Multi-Vers: Love Me Love Me"
Eva Friedberg
"Night Out 11.15.24" Film Preview
Voices Are Heard Podcast
"Joseph Rand, Mayor of Nyack" Excerpt
MFL TV Show
"Happy Mother's Day"
"Salsa Wallito"
AND
Dr. D And The Monster
A CHORD
SNEAK PEAK to 2026: Intro to Tokusetsu
N I G H T O U T
In the fall of 2024, Jeffrey wondered "How can we include the wonderful musicians and actors at MFL who aren't involved in bands, choir, or musical theatre?" From that question came MFL's first soloist showcase, Night Out!, featuring a handful of talented participants who have spent years perfecting their skills in individual and group classes.
Created by Eva Friedberg, the short film "Night Out" documents the journey of three soloists preparing for their performances at MFL's first ever Night Out concert.