For more information regarding any of the following news releases, please contact:
Cathy Kaplan
Phone: (603) 228-1196 ext 21 or e
Email ckaplan@ccmusicschool.org

September 9, 2009 - New Suzuki Violin Program at Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – The Music School is pleased to announce the addition of a Suzuki Violin Class to its Musical Bridge curriculum -- music instruction for children ages 4 – 8, linking early childhood classes with individual instruction and ensemble participation. Suzuki Violin classes will be taught by Lissa Thomas, a member of the Music School’s string faculty, and are offered to children ages 4 and up. Other Musical Bridge classes include percussion, recorder and chorus.

The Suzuki curriculum is based on the mother tongue method; most children learn to speak their native tongue with fluency and comfort, and music is a language that can be learned in the same manner. Musical ability is developed though listening and imitating the teacher and parent, so that students become comfortable with the instrument before learning to read music. Shinichi Suzuki, founder of this method, was the first to suggest that pre-school age children could begin to play the violin given the right environment, a combination of individual and group instruction, and appropriately-sized instruments.

Lissa Thomas, who joined the faculty in 2008, earned her Bachelor degrees in Violin Performance and Music Education from Northern Arizona University, studying with Dr. Louise Scott with whom she completed her long term Suzuki teacher training in 1998. Ms. Thomas has performed with the Flagstaff Symphony, Arizona Opera Company, Allegro Sinfonia and most recently with the Bloomington Symphony in Minnesota. While leading the elementary and middle school orchestras in the Wayzata Public Schools in Plymouth, MN, in 2001 she started Dolce Studios, LLC, a Suzuki Talent Education studio in the Minneapolis area. Ms. Thomas has served as an adjudicator for solo and ensemble festivals and has served as a member of the Suzuki Association of Minnesota (SAM) Board of Directors as membership coordinator, graduation committee member, and president-elect. She is a faculty member of the summer Chiziibii Suzuki Institute in Bemidji, MN.

Located between Wall and Fayette Streets in downtown Concord, the Music School employs a faculty of 58 artist teachers who teach 1,400 students from more than 100 communities each week. With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music… for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196.

September 9, 2009 - Concord Community Music School Welcomes New Faculty Member

CONCORD, NH – The Concord Community Music School is pleased to welcome Jacqueline Morin to the piano faculty this fall. Ms Morin joins eleven other members of the piano department. Registration for fall instruction is underway for piano, and over 20 additional instruments and voice. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196 to arrange an orientation.

Ms. Morin received her MM in Piano Pedagogy from West Chester University and her BA in Piano Performance and Pedagogy from Plymouth State University. She has taught both privately and in group settings in New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. For several years, Jacqueline has worked at the Plymouth State Piano Monster Camps, teaching theory, history, voice class, sight-reading, and coaching the ensembles.

While completing her Master’s degree at West Chester University, Jacqueline served as a graduate assistant for the Applied Music Department, participated in the 2008 Oxford Summer Program in-residence at Lincoln College of Oxford University, and was the 1st place winner of the West Chester Sight-reading Competition. Jacqueline has been an active member of the Music Teachers National Association since her teaching career began. She served four years as a collegiate chapter officer, including two consecutive years as president.

For more information, call the Music School, 603-228-1196.

August 31, 2009 - Early Childhood Music and Language Development Workshop

CONCORD, NH – Early childhood educators are invited to a one-day conference on how music, movement and language can play a role in classroom management. The workshop, entitled “The Music, Movement and Language Toolbox,” will take place Saturday, September 26, from 9 am to 3 pm, at the Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall St., downtown Concord. Led by Heather Oberheim, Director of Early Childhood Programs at the Music School, and Leigh Buliung, speech and language specialist for the Laconia School District pre-school team, the workshop offers six continuing education credit hours. It is open to early childhood educators who teach in child care centers, pre-schools or other programs with infants to 5-year-olds. Registration fee is $60 and includes printed materials, continental breakfast and light lunch. Registration deadline is September 23.

All classroom teachers are challenged by behaviors that can be difficult to manage. In this workshop, participants will learn how cooperation, emotions and self-help skills play a part in classroom management as well as how music, movement and communication can turn a difficult day in to a productive day of learning and fun.

Oberheim leads weekly music and movement classes in Concord, Laconia and Manchester for more than 200 young children, many with special needs, through the School’s Music in the Community Initiative. She holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a graduate degree in dance movement therapy. She has conducted professional development workshops for Easter Seals, the National Early Childhood Association, Belknap-Merrimack Community Action Program, a number of school districts, and other organizations.

Leigh Buliung holds a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and speech pathology and a master’s degree in expressive therapies. She has more than 20 years experience in pre-school speech development.

For more information or to register for the workshop, contact Danielle Hinton at the Music School at 603-228-1196, ext. 11, or by e-mail at dhinton@ccmusicschool.org. To request flyers for posting this event, please contact Cathy Kaplan at ckaplan@ccmusicschool.org.

August 18, 2009 - Sing at Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – No matter what your age or your musical experience, the Concord Community Music School invites you to sing with us this fall. The following choruses are seeking new members: the all-women Songweavers and the Purple Finches children’s chorus (for children in grades K – 8). For those not yet in Kindergarten, a Music & Movement class gives children just finding their voices the opportunity to sing and dance with a parent or caregiver by their side. All choruses and early childhood classes are open to the public. We invite new students to sample our offerings during the first week of classes (before registering) with no obligation. Financial aid is available for all programs.

Songweavers™, founded in 1990 by Carolyn Parrott, its director, is offering Open Sings on Tuesday night, September 15, 7:30-9 pm and Wednesday morning, September 16, 9:30-11 am. These sessions are free and open to women and girls of all ages. Rehearsals during the semester also meet at these times each week, with the two groups coming together for a performance in the spring. Music-reading skills are not a pre-requisite, and singers with young children are welcome to bring them to the Wednesday morning sessions.

Also seeking new members is the Music School’s children’s chorus, the Purple Finches, named in honor of New Hampshire’s state bird. Chorus Director Maria Isaak is a certified specialist in the Kodály approach to choral music and has directed choral and musical theater performances through the Music School’s partnerships with Manchester Housing Authority and the Manchester School District’s 21st Century program. The Purple Finches meet Monday afternoons and perform both at the Music School and off-site a number of times during the year. Last December, the Purple Finches performed with Christine Lavin at the Capitol Center for the Arts, and they are scheduled to perform at Canterbury Shaker Village late this fall.

Sunflower Singers, led by Katy Gibney, brings adults with developmental disabilities and their care providers together from across central New Hampshire to sing familiar songs, accompanied by spontaneous harmonica and percussion playing. This joyful sing-along meets Wednesdays at 12:30 pm at the Music School and is open to all, free of charge, thanks to the generosity of its funders.

Additional opportunities to sing at the Music School include the Teen Chorus and Karitas, a small ensemble designed for women who would like to sing in parts, learn to read music, and improve their vocal techniques and supportive breathing. We also offer private lessons with voice faculty members. Parents, grandparents, caregivers and young children age 6 months - 6 years can sing together in Music & Movement classes. These early childhood classes begin the week of September 21st, and spaces are still available. Call 603-228-1196 or visit www.ccmusicschool.org for more information.

August 18, 2009 - Fall Music & Movement Class Begin September 21st at the Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – Music & Movement classes, taught by Heather Oberheim, Director of the Early Childhood Program at the Music School, get underway the week of September 21st. With classes scheduled throughout the week, mornings and afternoons, for children ranging in age from 6 months to 6 years, there is a place for you and your children at the Music School this fall. The week of September 21st, all Music & Movement classes will be offered free of charge to new students with no obligation, and registration materials will be available. Classes run for 14 weeks. For a schedule of classes and to register for classes in advance, call the Music School at 228-1196.

For children 6 months through 4 years Music & Movement offers parents, grandparents, and caregivers the opportunity to bond with their child or children through music. Ms. Oberheim uses lap bounces, dancing and finger plays while singing a collection of traditional childhood songs to support early learning experiences such as counting and rhyming. Songs and rhymes learned while in class each week can enrich family life at home. A class for siblings, “Swinging Siblings,” offers a music outlet for families with two or more small children between the ages of 6 months and 4 years a chance to explore music together.

Children ages 4 - 6 are invited to attend Music & Movement programs in classes that make strong connections between the songs, games, dances, and movement activities and the formalized language of music. Children begin to learn music terms, rhythm notation, and pre-reading skills as they sing, play, and move. “Music & Art,” also for children ages 4-6, explores the connection between these two creative disciplines. Children will paint, draw and create instruments, as well as make music in response to the art around them. Each class is designed to appeal to children at an appropriate developmental level while giving caregivers an opportunity to engage with or observe their children as they learn and move through music.

Located between Wall and Fayette Streets in downtown Concord, the Music School employs a faculty of 59 artist teachers who teach 1,400 students from more than 100 communities each week. With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music… for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196 or visit our website: www.ccmusicschool.org for more information.

August 18, 2009 - Music Therapy at the Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – Concord Community Music School is pleased to offer individual and group sessions in Music Therapy through its program established in 2007 by program director Krisi Geary. Ms. Geary, who holds an M.A. in Expressive Therapies from Lesley University, was joined by joined by therapist Lynn Reimer in spring 2009 in order to expand the program’s offerings to include work with public schools and human service providers.

Ms. Geary brings to the School an extensive background in both individual and group music therapy, including work with clients with mental health issues, behavioral issues, individuals diagnosed on the autism spectrum, individuals with developmental disabilities, and Alzheimer’s disease. She is also on the staff of New Hampshire Hospital. Ms. Geary provides both individual and group music therapy services.

Ms. Reimer earned her BS and BM degrees from the State University of New York, Fredonia. She is a Board-Certified Music Therapist experienced in providing music therapy services to clients ranging from early childhood through older-adult. The scope of her practice includes individual and group music therapy services for clients diagnosed with significant to moderate special needs, mental health issues, cognitive impairments, behavioral issues, Alzheimer's disease/dementia, autism, as well as clients within hospice and palliative care, grief and loss. Ms. Reimer currently provides services within public schools, nursing/assisted living homes, and rehabilitation centers.

Music therapy addresses specific physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs within a therapeutic relationship. Goals may include improving self-esteem, improving social interactions with peers, increasing participation, promoting reality orientation, developing coping skills, reducing stress and anxiety, promoting expression of verbal and non-verbal communication, increasing on-task behavior, improving control over motor skills, and developing creative self-expression. Individually tailored sessions address specific goals developed by clients and their caregivers in consultation with the therapist. Individuals need not have a background in or understanding of music in order to benefit from this type of therapy.

The addition of a certified Music Therapists to the Music School's faculty further advances its mission of access for all. In recognition of its achievements in furthering this mission, the Music School received the 2005 Governor's Arts Award for Cultural Access Leadership. Other Music School programs that welcome students with developmental disabilities, autism, and physical challenges include Music & Movement, individual instruction, and the Sunflower Singers.
Please call (603) 228-1196 for more information or to schedule a consultation.

August 18, 2009 - Music for a Lifetime: Concord Community Music School Offers Programs for All Ages

CONCORD, NH – September 14th marks the start of the fall semester at the Concord Community Music School. Located between Wall and Fayette Streets in downtown Concord, the Music School is home to 59 artist teachers who work with 1,400 students from more than 100 communities each week. In keeping with the School’s goal to provide access to all, forty-one percent of students in Music School programs will receive free instruction or financial aid this year, thanks to the generosity of its donors. While individual instruction comprises a large part of each week’s activities, workshops, classes, choruses, ensembles, and unlimited recital opportunities both on-site and off bring together thousands of students spanning nearly 100 years in age and experience. For those just six-months-old in Music & Movement to ninety-year-olds in individual instruction, opportunities to learn and grow through music abound.

Individual instruction begins the week of September 14 and is offered in over 20 instruments and voice; September 21 marks the start of Music & Movement for babies, toddlers, and children up to age 6; and on September 28 ensembles, ranging from string ensembles to chamber music trios to jazz combos and folk ensembles, will begin rehearsals. Songweavers, the popular a cappella women’s chorus, invites new members to an Open Sing on Tuesday, September 15, 7:30-9 pm or Wednesday, September 16, 9:30-11 am. The Purple Finches children’s chorus, which will meet on Monday afternoons beginning September 21st, and the advanced String Chamber Orchestra also seek new members. We invite new students interested in sampling a Music & Movement class, a Purple Finches rehearsal, or Songweavers Open Sing, to attend the first week of classes on a trial basis with no obligation. Registration forms will be available at each class or rehearsal.

In keeping with the goal to provide lifelong learning opportunities for all who seek them, the Music School offers the Musical Bridge, a core group of classes linking early childhood classes with individual instruction and ensemble participation. These classes for children ages 5-9 in percussion, strings, and recorder allow children to build musicianship and basic instrumental abilities in preparation for individual instruction in the corresponding instrument families, while learning and building relationships in small group settings.

With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music…for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196 or visit our website at www.ccmusicschool.org for more information.

August 18, 2009 - Musical Bridge helps children grow at Concord Community Music School

CONCORD, NH – A new season of lifelong learning gets underway at the Concord Community Music School on Monday, September 14th. From 6-month-olds in Music & Movement to ninety-year-olds in individual instruction, the Music School encourages students of all ages to enjoy a lifetime of music. This year, the Music School is pleased to continue its tier of instruction for children ages 5-9: the Musical Bridge. This is a core group of classes linking early childhood classes with individual instruction and ensemble participation. Musical Bridge classes are being offered this fall in recorder, percussion and Suzuki Violin. Please call the Music School at (603) 228-1196 for information and schedule, as well as for a registration form.

Included in the Musical Bridge curriculum are classes for children ages 5-9 in recorder, percussion, and strings. Children build musicianship and basic instrumental abilities in preparation for individual instruction in the corresponding instrument families, while learning and building relationships in small group settings. In addition to the instrumental classes, the Music School offers children in this age range the opportunity to participate in the Purple Finches choruses, which develops children’s natural voices through a varied repertoire of songs. Purple Finch rehearsals will take place on Monday afternoons beginning September 21st.

Located between Wall and Fayette Streets in downtown Concord, the Music School employs a faculty of 59 artist teachers who teach 1,400 students from more than 100 communities each week. With a mission “to foster a sense of community through music… for people of all ages, musical abilities, and backgrounds,” the Music School welcomes adults, teens, and children, emphasizing the importance of ensembles and performance as well as individual instruction. It also partners with more than 20 New Hampshire schools, human service agencies, retirement homes, and public housing communities to bring musical participation to people unable to travel to CCMS. Call the Music School at 603-228-1196 or visit our website at www.ccmusicschool.org for more information.

August 17, 2009 - Songweavers Open Sings

CONCORD, NH – Songweavers™, the a cappella women’s chorus of the Concord Community Music School, opens its 10-week fall session with Open Sings on Tuesday night, September 15, 7:30-9 pm and Wednesday morning, September 16, 9:30-11 am. Young children are welcome at the Wednesday morning session. Songweavers is open to women of all ages and musical experience. There are no auditions to join. Rehearsals take place at the Concord Community Music School, 23 Wall Street, Concord. In addition, introductory African hand drumming classes, led by Grace and Lindsey Schust, will be offered beginning Tuesday, September 15 from 6-7:15 PM. The class lasts for ten weeks and is open to men, women and teens over the age of 12. New students are invited to attend the Open Sings and/or the first week of drumming classes on a trial basis with no obligation. For more information regarding both Songweavers and African hand drumming, please call 603-228-1196 or visit our website at www.ccmusicschool.org.

Based on the belief that everyone can (and should) sing, the 120 members of this large women’s chorus learn songs by rote in the African-American tradition; music-reading skills are not a prerequisite. Songweavers rehearse in two groups (Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning) that come together for an annual spring concert. The repertoire includes music from many ethnic traditions. The singing is predominantly a cappella, although drums and other instruments are often used as accompaniment.

Carolyn Parrott, founder and director of the Music School’s Songweavers chorus, is also widely known in contra dance circles as a country dance caller and member of the award-winning Blackwater Band. Grace Schust, who teaches the African hand drumming class, leads rhythm, movement, and song workshops for building team spirit in the workplace and self-esteem among at-risk children. She is the Director/Founder of Arts Bridge the World. Lindsey Schust team-teaches drum, dance and song workshops, residencies, and classes with Grace Schust throughout New England.