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Dear Music Education Supporter,
Ever wonder why you remember the words to every Abba song you heard on the radio when you were younger – but get
to the grocery and forget what you came for?
The answer is music. We’re wired for it. That’s why we can remember scores of tunes, and recognize even more. Music
has an amazing effect on the brain. Music changes the brain, enlarging neural connections that affect planning and
foresight, agility, and even the tie between emotion and cognition. And it seems kids who study music, no matter their
socioeconomic background, do significantly better in math and science than their peers. One study even showed
musicians did better on their SATs!
Yes, music matters. It teaches discipline, craftsmanship, and the value of hard work. Music requires doing, not just
observing. It gives a means of self-expression and coping with anxiety, which enhances self-esteem.
At the Community Music School of the Piedmont, we bring music to children – even in the face of devastating musical
education cuts statewide. Our programs include Music Together classes for pre-schoolers, to our Instrument Petting
Zoo traveling to elementary schools and Head Start classes regionally, and our 512 students learning a wide variety of
instruments and voice. In addition to conventional lessons, for both kids and adults, our enthusiastic staff organizes
festivals, workshops and performance opportunities, and also outings such as Wolf Trap, to watch their teacher play
with the National Symphony Orchestra.
But it’s not just for kids. Music appreciation can enhance the plasticity of the brain, even into our seventh and eighth
decade of life. That’s why we also take seriously our mission of bringing music into the community. Our Candlelight
Concert series this year brought piano virtuoso John O’Conor and 36 student musicians from the Royal Irish Academy
of Music Symphony Orchestra to our own Buchanan Hall – straight from Carnegie Hall! Our first annual Barn Dance last
Fall – complete with caller and folk dancing – attracted 200 people, proved so popular we repeated it this Fall, again with
great success.
Our work continues to be recognized with gifts and grants from Target, The Virginia Commission for the Arts, the
Piedmont Community Foundation and the McGhee Foundation, along with scores of people just like you. We need to
keep it up. Last year, we were able to give scholarships to 100 children for music lessons, even in the tough economic
times. Our scholarship program is vital to our mission. We need your help to keep it and all our other programs going
strong. You can help.
Make music matter in the Piedmont. Give what you can, but please give today.
It’s an investment in tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Cricket MacDonald
President, CMSP Board
Ever wonder why you remember the words to every Abba song you heard on the radio when you were younger – but get
to the grocery and forget what you came for?
The answer is music. We’re wired for it. That’s why we can remember scores of tunes, and recognize even more. Music
has an amazing effect on the brain. Music changes the brain, enlarging neural connections that affect planning and
foresight, agility, and even the tie between emotion and cognition. And it seems kids who study music, no matter their
socioeconomic background, do significantly better in math and science than their peers. One study even showed
musicians did better on their SATs!
Yes, music matters. It teaches discipline, craftsmanship, and the value of hard work. Music requires doing, not just
observing. It gives a means of self-expression and coping with anxiety, which enhances self-esteem.
At the Community Music School of the Piedmont, we bring music to children – even in the face of devastating musical
education cuts statewide. Our programs include Music Together classes for pre-schoolers, to our Instrument Petting
Zoo traveling to elementary schools and Head Start classes regionally, and our 512 students learning a wide variety of
instruments and voice. In addition to conventional lessons, for both kids and adults, our enthusiastic staff organizes
festivals, workshops and performance opportunities, and also outings such as Wolf Trap, to watch their teacher play
with the National Symphony Orchestra.
But it’s not just for kids. Music appreciation can enhance the plasticity of the brain, even into our seventh and eighth
decade of life. That’s why we also take seriously our mission of bringing music into the community. Our Candlelight
Concert series this year brought piano virtuoso John O’Conor and 36 student musicians from the Royal Irish Academy
of Music Symphony Orchestra to our own Buchanan Hall – straight from Carnegie Hall! Our first annual Barn Dance last
Fall – complete with caller and folk dancing – attracted 200 people, proved so popular we repeated it this Fall, again with
great success.
Our work continues to be recognized with gifts and grants from Target, The Virginia Commission for the Arts, the
Piedmont Community Foundation and the McGhee Foundation, along with scores of people just like you. We need to
keep it up. Last year, we were able to give scholarships to 100 children for music lessons, even in the tough economic
times. Our scholarship program is vital to our mission. We need your help to keep it and all our other programs going
strong. You can help.
Make music matter in the Piedmont. Give what you can, but please give today.
It’s an investment in tomorrow.
Sincerely,
Cricket MacDonald
President, CMSP Board
We are most grateful to all of our generous sponsors and donors. BRAVO!
| The Community Music School of the Piedmont P.O. Box 442, 9110 John Mosby Hwy. Upperville, VA 20185 (540) 592-3040 piedmontmusic@aol.com |
| Updated 1/11/10 |