The Community Music School (CMS) in Trappe, Pennsylvania, will commemorate its 30th anniversary with a celebratory concert on Saturday, April 23.
The concert will begin at 7 p.m. in the Ingrid Larsen Evans Hall at 775 W. Main St. in Trappe.
The concert’s musical agenda will feature a piece by Philadelphia-based composer Kile Smith written for concert pianist Milena Urban to debut at the concert, a piece written for the 20th anniversary by renowned composer Jan Kryzwicki and performances by school students and faculty.
“This is a milestone event for the organization and being a part of that, alongside professional musicians, is a ‘bravo!’ to the students for their hard work,” said the school’s executive director, Matthew Wright-Conti.
The concert has been in the works for more than a year now, and the students are excited about performing their pieces which they have practiced and mastered at CMS.
After the concert, guests are welcome to attend a catered dessert reception with cannoli cups, brownies, lemon tarts, mini carrot cakes and mini red velvet cakes. During the reception, two students at the music school will play their harps.
Tickets for the 30th anniversary concert cost $30. For more information on tickets, go to cmsmusic.org.
CMS has more than 450 students participating in programs every week. These programs include private music lessons, classes, ensembles, camps, a series of community concerts and an art gallery. New programs are added often as the school continues to grow.
Because CMS wants to support the education of people in all economic circumstances, the school typically offers $20,000 per year in scholarships, but this year, it will award $45,000.
Scholarship applications are available online, and the scholarships are awarded based on merit and financial need.
This year CMS founder Edwina Pineo issued a challenge to raise $30,000 in individual contributions and agreed to match the amount raised dollar for dollar.
“Our support helps keep the pianos tuned, the lights on and fair wages paid to faculty and staff. Our support is what makes it possible for this organization to continue to be our Community Music School,” Pineo said in a news release.
CMS began in 1991 with only 38 students and 12 faculty members meeting at a church. Since that time, the school has grown and thrived in the community. The CMS location in Trappe now houses 20 teaching studios in addition to a 200-seat performance hall.
For students with special needs, CMS employs two music therapists who provide music therapy and lessons adapted to help students based on their abilities.
The school also offers a Musikgarten for kids 18 month olds through age 7. This program involves progressive music classes that begin with parents and become drop-off and skill-building classes. The free classes run approximately 45 minutes to an hour.
Music lessons provide many benefits for children and adults. Music engages the brain in multiple ways. Learning to create and express yourself through music has been shown to benefit mental and physical health.
