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Important info amid COVID-19

By Announcements

UPDATE: In response to Governor Wolf’s announcement, the CVSM offices and music store are closed indefinitely. Staff members are working from home and can be reached by email.

  • Heather McEndree, Executive Director – hmcendree@cvsmusic.org
  • Heather Kline, Program Manager – heather@cvsmusic.org
  • Valerie Merriman, Registrar – valerie@cvsmusic.org
  • Sharon Eshleman, Bookkeeper – sharon@cvsmusic.org
  • Steph Allee, Marketing – media@cvsmusic.org
  • Sheryl Gudgeon, Store Manager – sheryl@cvsmusic.org

CVSM is teaching virtual lessons indefinitely. Your instructor will be in touch regarding plans for virtual lessons, make-ups, or credits.  We will update information here as well as on our Facebook page as we monitor this evolving situation.

Thank you for your patience in this time of uncertainty in our community. The staff at CVSM and the administration of Wilson College met last week to clarify and set operations and procedures for the coming weeks to ensure the health and safety of all community members who come on campus.  

THERE ARE TO BE NO STUDENTS ON CAMPUS.  NO EXCEPTIONS. Please ask your instructor about virtual lessons, make-ups or credits. These missed lessons will not be counted as unexcused lessons.

OPTIONS & IDEAS FOR VIRTUAL LESSONS:

You may continue with your normal lesson schedule on a virtual platform. You can use the following platforms at no cost (other than use of your personal data plan or home internet access):

  • Linkello (uses an internet connection & browser, completely free and does not require an account)
  • Skype (available on your phone, tablet, or laptop, as long as there is a camera)
  • FaceTime (if both you and the instructor have an Apple device)
  • FB Messenger video (if both you and the instructor have a Facebook account and devices with cameras)
  • Zoom (if your instructor sets up a free account)

Faculty Spotlight – Jane Peatling, cellist

By Meet CVSM

Meet Jane

Jane performing with Marlin at Chefs Walk

Jane Peatling is a cellist and has been an instructor with CVSM since it was founded in 1990. She took a break from teaching in the 2000’s and has now been back teaching for 5 years. What she likes most about teaching at CVSM is being part of a vibrant musical community. She was originally drawn to teaching at CVSM for the energy of a new venture and the ease of the administrative side of arranging lessons.

Jane would use these three words to describe CVSM: Vibrant, Musical, and Community.

She enjoys listening to any music performed Read More

Be Determined to Practice

By Tips & Techniques

Did you join the millions of people who set New Years Resolutions?

I heard an interesting change to the terminology that I find empowering: instead of a Resolution, it is a DETERMINATION. No matter the time of year, you can DETERMINE to make changes in your habits, including your musical habits.

  • Be determined to attend more live performances.
  • Be determined to learn a new piece of music by your favorite composer.
  • Be determined to learn one new piece from each musical time period.
  • Be determined to learn more information about your favorite composer or piece of music.
  • Be determined to practice more.

Let’s focus on being determined to practice more. Read More

Meet the Nolls

By Meet CVSM

Jeff Noll, CVSM Instructor and Parent

L-R: Joshua, Jordan, Caleb, Careth, Jeff

CVSM has been my musical family for going on 27 years.  I continue to teach piano, CVSM Children’s Choir (formerly Cumberbunds), and Voice Camp.  It has been a pleasure to work with such gifted colleagues and to share the wonderful gift of music with hundreds of children over the years.  I feel like CVSM has offered me a place to not just teach music, but see students grow in discipline, character and love for what is beautiful.  To me, CVSM is about investing in the whole person.  I have been there long enough now to say that I have Read More

YouTube versus In-Person Music Lessons

By Tips & Techniques

With access to wifi and an internet device, we can learn just about anything from anywhere. This is an amazing age of having information at our fingertips! For many people, it may have been a challenge to imagine those first room-size computers eventually being able to fit into our pockets, but that is the reality of now. Not only can we use and learn from the content on the internet, we can also create content (such as this blog post!). This includes MUSIC. 

There are many websites and online communities where people can go to learn music theory, download sheet music, and learn to perform music on an instrument or with their voice. When it comes to online music lessons, YouTube has a vast library of lessons. Want to learn the basics of holding a violin? Check. Want to learn a specific guitar riff? Check. Want to learn a plagal cadence? Check. Want to learn how to compose a pop song? Check. Want to have an interactive musical experience? Nope.

There are various differences between YouTube learning and in-person lessons (see graphic), but the biggest is the level of personal interaction between the student(s) and the instructor(s). Music lessons that are in-person are flexible, adaptable, social, and personal. The student can share their personal interests and goals with the instructor, and the instructor can adapt the instruction to the needs of student. Not to say that instruction can’t be done virtually via Skype, FaceTime, or any other virtual method (that is a post for another day). For the purposes of this post, I am focusing on recorded or one-way videos (such as Facebook Live).

  • Cost: The recorded lesson is free to the student, with no income to the instructor (unless they have ads or sponsors). The in-person lesson involves a fee to the students which is income for the instructor and payment for their expertise and time.
  • Scheduling: A recorded lesson can be taken anytime from almost anywhere, while there is a scheduled date and time for the in-person lesson, often at a specific location.
  • Interaction: Only the comments section offer a somewhat interactive component to the recorded lesson. The entire lesson is interactive when in-person, offering specific feedback to benefit the student.
  • Variety of topics: There is a WIDE variety of topics available online, whereas one particular teacher may have a limited number of topics they are qualified to teach in-person. Depending on where the student lives and how far they are willing to travel to learn in-person on a specific topic, this will limit what is available.
  • Availability: If a student lives in a remote area, there may not be any teachers of the music topic they wish to explore. Hopefully, they will have online access and have all of the information available through the internet, although some remote areas also make that challenging.
  • Other factors: An in-person lesson is a personalized, social activity (usually one-to-one, but can also be group). Recorded lessons are completely universal (not personalized), anonymous (no one will know what you are learning), and lack a social component, unless the student chooses to comment and initiate some type of interaction with other viewers or with the instructor.

As a student is learning the guitar riff from a video, how will they know that their hand position is correct? That the guitar is tuned correctly? That they are at the correct fret and/or applying appropriate pressure? That the guitar is a quality instrument without issues that affect the playing and sound of the instrument? That they are sitting or standing with appropriate posture? That they are using the correct technique?

Video learning is a great supplement for in-person learning. Go ahead and search for that specific song or technique you want to learn! But the foundation of the musical learning will be strongest when built in an interactive student and instructor format. Many instructors point their students to online lessons. This is analogous to attending a workshop or clinic… at least one in which you are not able to participate actively in the instruction. And as many of us know, sometimes we learn best when a topic is presented in a variety of styles from different sources.

So, if you or your child desire to learn an instrument or improve your singing skills, find a qualified instructor to take in-person lessons, and supplement that instruction with the wealth of knowledge on the internet.

 

Written by: Heather McEndree, January 2020

CVSM to present annual Encore Musicians Concert

By Announcements

CVSM will present their Encore Musicians Concert on Sunday, April 7th, 2019 featuring over 100 community musicians aged 50 and older. This is a FREE event beginning at 2:30 PM at CAMS South Auditorium at 1151 McKinley St., Chambersburg.

This is the fourth time CVSM has assembled this event to feature its more “seasoned” performers.  This year performers include Penn National Harmony Singers, New Horizons String Orchestra, and the New Horizons Band and Freedom Valley Chorus.

Cumberland Valley School of Music students comprise The New Horizons String Orchestra and The New Horizons Band. These ensembles are open to members age 50 and older through scholarship funding and support by The New Horizons International Music Association (NHIMA). NHIMA is a worldwide organization comprised of over 200 New Horizons groups whose 9,000 members are over the age of 50. Some played music during their school years and stashed their instrument in a closet or attic while the demands of work and raising children took center stage. Others dreamt of being a musician but never had the opportunity or the money to pay for lessons and instruments when they were school age. Both groups find themselves now at or near retirement with children grown and gone, fewer responsibilities, but just as much desire.

The Penn National Harmony Singers is a volunteer group whose primary venue is reaching out to the Assisted Living Communities in the Chambersburg area.  They present an hour long concert of music selections, one or two times each month, during the year. They also present an annual Christmas Concert for the residents of Penn National at the New Guilford Brethren in Christ Church. The group was formed over twenty years ago. Their goal is to brighten the day of the residents through music. They number around 30 members that enjoy music and sharing their talents.

Freedom Valley Chorus enjoys the love of singing four-part a cappella barbershop harmony and an enthusiasm for sharing this unique sound with private and public community audiences. They strive for consistent musical excellence through quality education, personal growth, joy, friendship and fun.  In September of 2004, a small group of enthusiastic ladies who enjoyed singing gathered to sing in four part harmony with one of the group directing. In a short period of time they chose to share their time with others who may have the same interest and began inviting others to join them. The original group has expanded to a current roster of 31 members. The members travel from Hagerstown, Waynesboro, Mont Alto, Fayetteville, New Oxford, Shippensburg, Newburg, Orrstown, Carlisle, and of course a number are from Chambersburg.  Freedom Valley Chorus became a charter member of Sweet Adelines International in June of 2007.  Since that time the Chorus has entertained many audiences in south central Pennsylvania and northern Maryland and has competed each year at Region 19’s conventions in Ocean City, Maryland.

CVSM PRESENTS TRI-TALENT MUSICALE HOSTED BY PATRIOT FEDERAL CREDIT UNION

By Announcements

Cumberland Valley School of Music will present a Tri-Talent Musicale (guitar, piano and juggling) on Saturday, March 23, 2019 from 7-9 p.m. at the Inn at Ragged Edge, 1090 Ragged Edge Road, Chambersburg, PA. The evening will feature Stuart Ryerse, piano, guitar and juggling, and pre-show music by husband and wife duo RitmaCordia, Marlin Barnes and Jane Peatling, will perform on marimba and cello. 

Stuart Ryerse’s performance will have three segments; folk guitar songs, juggling to original music, and piano, with the piano segment being the longest and most classically virtuosic. Stuart is a native of Dillsburg, PA is currently a student at New England Conservatory studying Contemporary Improvisation.

Exquisite Tastes will provide sweet and savory hors d’œuvres and non-alcoholic beverages.  Wine will also be available. Tickets are $40 each and are available by calling CVSM at 717-261-1220 or at the link below.  Special thanks to Patriot Federal Credit Union for their financial support of this event. 

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS

CVSM PLANS ANNUAL PERFORMATHON FUND-RAISER ON MARCH 16

By Announcements

The Cumberland Valley School of Music will present its annual Performathon on Saturday, March 16, 2019 from 9am – 4 pm. Performathon is an all-school event featuring over one hundred students, along with faculty members, performing in a continuous stream of recitals from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  The public is invited to the free event being held in the Thomson Alumnae Chapel on the Wilson College campus in Chambersburg, PA. Everyone is invited to attend at any time throughout the event, and may stay as long as desired.

Students will be singing and playing their way through the day in musical styles varying from rock and jazz, to classical and Broadway. A broad range of performances, from solo acts to ensembles, will be featured. Ensembles taking the stage will include: the Cumberbunds Children’s Choir directed by Jeffrey Noll, The CVSM New Horizons Orchestra conducted by Deb Stotelmyer and the Theatre Explorers directed by Heather Kline.

“The annual Performathon is one of my favorite CVSM traditions!,” said Heather McEndree, newly minted Executive Director.  “It showcases the diversity of our students and is a perfect example of our mission in action.” 

Student musicians, who represent all ages and ability levels, seek monetary pledges as part of participating in the Performathon. All donations are tax deductible and will benefit the non-profit school.

Various area businesses and individuals contribute prizes for the students who obtain the highest amounts of donations to sponsor their performances. Among the prizes offered to students this year are: Totem Pole show passports; tickets to a show at the Luhrs Center; Hagerstown Suns family 4-packs; gift cards to local businesses; a basket of craft supplies; and a $100 Target gift card. Every student who meets the minimum donation requirement receives a commemorative t-shirt.

For further information about the Performathon, or to make a donation, visit the school website: www.cvsmusic.org. Additional information about the event can be accessed by calling the school directly at 717-261-1220 and speaking with any staff member.

Community String Orchestra presents fall concert featuring Spanish selections

By Announcements

A free concert open to the public will be given by the Cumberland Valley School of Music Community String Orchestra on Tuesday, November 14 at 8 p.m. Location of the event is the Thomson Hall Alumnae Chapel located on the Wilson College Campus.

For this program, director Herman Hopple assembled a collection of mostly Spanish selections centered around a string adaptation of the delightful “Andalucia Suite” by Ernesto Lacuona. 

“I chose the selections to appeal to both our musicians and our audience,” states the director, Herman Hopple. “It should be a very entertaining program.”

Orchestra members gather twice each year to rehearse and present two free concerts. About 30 string musicians from the Chambersburg area are coming together to be this season’s performers. Many of the musicians return to perform with the group and new members are welcome to join the group. Any string player interested is asked to contact the school at (717)-261-1220 for more information.

Hopple provides double bass and electric bass instruction at CVSM. A former public school string teacher and orchestra director, he has experience in teaching all ages of students.

Cumberland Valley School of Music Announces New Executive Director

By Announcements

The Cumberland Valley School of Music Board of Directors is proud to announce the appointment of Heather McEndree as the new Executive Director effective March 1, 2019. McEndree will succeed Paula Hepfer who will be retiring after 29 years of service to the school. 

McEndree has served as the Program Manager of the school since 2014, where her duties included program creation and management, faculty management and concert logistics. She performs and teaches flute and is trained as a Musikgarten specialist for early childhood education. Previous to her work at CVSM she worked as a public school music teacher in Washington County, Md.

“I’m delighted to pass the baton to Heather who is both very capable and passionate about the mission of CVSM” says Hepfer. “I have every confidence the school will flourish under her leadership.”