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Mark Your Calendar

Tuesday, March 8, 
12-1 pm 
NOON TUNES

317 Main Teaching Artist and Choral Director Brad Longfellow, Tim Sturtevant and Jonathan Clement, also known as Postmaster Walt, will perform in the 317 Cafe on Tuesday, March 8 from 12-1pm. The show will feature an eclectic mix of songs that showcase the trio's vocal harmonies. 

The April Noon Tunes will feature 317 Teaching Artist Tyler Stanley & Friends performing jazz and pop tunes. The monthly concert series is always FREE and open to all ages.

Artist Samantha Rand in 317 Gallery 

Friday, March 11, 
6-8 pm 
Opening Reception

Join Freeport-based artist Samantha Rand at the opening reception for "New Works" in the 317 Gallery. Light refreshments, live music, and bold art.









F riday, March 18, 7 pm
Heather Masse & Jed
Wilson

317 Main is pleased to present singer-songwriter and Maine native Heather Masse with pianist Jed Wilson at First Parish Church in Yarmouth, Friday, March 18  at 7 pm. tickets ($15 adults, $10 kids and seniors) are available online, at the Front Desk, and at the door. 
 

Friday April 1-Sunday 3
Maine Acoustic 
Festival

presented by 317 Main and North Yarmouth Academy. 
Tickets ($10 & $15) for the Student Showcase on Sunday, April 3, 4-5:30 pm are available in advance and at the door at USM's Hannaford Hall in Portland. 

Monday, April 4
Spring Session Begins

Stop by or call 846-9559 the front desk to Save Your Spot this week. Check out the Spring Session Catalog to learn abou t our classes, ensembles and jams .




Sunday, April 10, 2pm
Fiddle Concert At SMAC

317 Main musicians will join the NH Fiddle Ensemble, and  the bluegrass band Sea Grass for a Fiddle Concert at Stone Mountain Arts Center. Tickets are $20. Doors open 11:30 am, Lunch available by res. 12-1:30 pm. The show to benefit 317 Main begins at 2 pm.  


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SUMMER CAMP REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Acoustic Discovery Camp 

- July 11-15

- July 18-22

- August 1-5


Acoustic Jam Camp

- July 25-29


9-4 pm Aftercare Avail until 5:30 pm
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FIDDLE TUNE SLOW JAM
Mondays, 7:30 - 9 PM
Bring your fiddle to this drop-in ($5 fee) weekly jam and learn how to play traditional fiddle tunes in a group setting. The group is open to high school students and adults of all experience levels.

BLUEGRASS JAM
Tuesdays, 7:30 - 9 PM
Steve Roy leads string players and singers through the great 
repertoire of songs in the bluegrass tradition. This drop-in class ($5 fee) is open to players of all levels.

 ACOUSTIC JUG BAND
Thursday, 1:15-2:45 PM
Bring your guitar, mandolin, ukulele, washboard, kazoo, nose flute, wash tub bass and favorite jug for afternoon merriment, blues and swing music.($5 drop-in)

BLUEGRASS JAM
Fridays 4-5:30 PM
This weekly jam, hosted by Ron and Wendy Cody, is open to middle and high school students. Learn new bluegrass tunes, develop your playing skills and meet other musicians in this fun and FREE session. 

Contact the Front Desk at 846-9559 to register for private lessons any time!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW BOARD MEMBERS





FRED FRAWLEY
is a lawyer concentrating in intellectual property law.  He took lessons and participated in groups at 317 Main for five years before serving on the board. 
Fred says he plays left-handed mandolin imperfectly, but with decreasing levels of futility. He and his wife, Polly, live in Cumberland and have two grown sons. 

DAN ROSE says music has always been an important part of his life. He plays guitar and banjo and his two sons, Ben and Jake, are also musicians. He joined the 317 board because he supports 317's mission to make music more accessible to children regardless of their ability to pay. Dan practices labor and employment law at Drummond Woodsum in Portland. He and his wife Ann live in North Yarmouth with sheep and a dog.  

WELCOME FRED AND DAN!


You make it possible for us to provide these programs and community events. Thank you.  

A LETTER  FROM E XECU TIVE
DIRECTOR
JOHN WILLIAMS

Collaboration is one of 317 Main's core values. We believe that some of the benefits of building strong community collaborations include the opportunity to share infrastructure, develop more robust programming opportunities, and enhance the exposure and value of both organizations. In this edition of the 317 Main  Newsletter , I would like to highlight and give a big shout out to some of our current local collaborators.
  • For the third year, we are supplementing the music program at  Rowe Elementary School with instrument demonstrations, noon-time concerts, and 1st grade contradance. These programs are made possible through a grant from the  Yarmouth Education Foundation
  • On March 18, we will present Heather Masse & Jed Wilson in concert at  First Parish Congregational Church.  This show is a continuation of what has become a community concert series with the church featuring local, regional, and national artists.
  • T his winter, 317 Main started an English Country Dance program for all ages and abilities in collaboration with the  Yarmouth Historical Society , funded in part by a grant from the  Maine Arts Commission.
     
  • The first weekend of April, 317 Main will present the  4th Annual Maine Acoustic Festival in collaboration with  North Yarmouth Academy. This festival brings the state's finest acoustic roots student musicians to Yarmouth for a weekend of rehearsals and a showcase concert in Portland at USM's Hannaford Hall on Sunday April 3.
  • 317 Main hosts art shows featuring local Maine artists in our café and reception areas. The current show features artist Samantha Rand. Special thanks to our volunteer Gallery Director Linda Horstmann for all of her work in coordinating these shows.
  • The Yarmouth Farmers' Market will return to 317 Main on Thursday afternoons beginning in June, bringing together local farmers, vendors, musicians, and guest non-profit organizations.
These collaborations are just a few examples of how 317 Main engages the community to work together, combine resources, and contribute to the common good. We thank our collaboration partners and YOU for continuing to support these programs.
TH REE  WAYS/THREE DAYS
  TO SUPPORT THE MAINE ACOUSTIC  FESTIVAL APRIL 1-3


Friday April 1, 7 pm at NYA - Attend the Free Faculty Concert at NYA's Black Box Theater.

Saturday, April 2, 6-8 pm Dine at Gather Restaurant in Yarmouth while listening to festival participants jam.

Sunday, April 3, 4-5:30 pm Buy tickets to see some of the best young musicians in the state perform in the Student Showcase at USM's Hannaford Hall in Portland. 


FRIDAY BLUEGRASS JAM with Maine Acoustic Festival Participants Jonny Cody, 11 (Fiddle) and Perrin Davidson
A recent FRIDAY BLUEGRASS JAM featuring 2 Maine Acoustic Festival Participants Jonny Cody, 11, (Fiddle) & Perrin Davidson, 17, (Banjo)


PARTNERSHIP IN ACTION
AT EAST END COMMUNITY SCHOOL 

317 Main's Megan Martelle with 3rd Graders at East End Community School
"It feels like happiness. I never held an instrument before."-Aluel, Age 9 (Front Row)

"This is the beginning of a very special opportunity for 3rd graders ONLY, " said Dan Nogar, Dean of Students at Portland's East End Community School, to 73 3rd graders who were suddenly paying very close attention.

That introduction back in October launched an 8-month pilot project, developed by 317 Main's Partnership Program, to put violins into the hands of children who might not otherwise have access to instruments and regular instruction.

"I want them to discover a love of music, and a love of making music," said Jake Hoffman, Partnership Program Coordinator. "Through community music projects like this, we want to help kids build smarter brains, increase physical control and boost personal confidence," he added.

Part of what is making the EECS Violin Partnership Program a success, as any parent with a child who studies music well knows, is the students' genuine desire to learn. No one is forced to play. After several introductory classes in the fall, students were allowed to decide for themselves if they wanted to keep learning violin once a week with 317 Main Teaching Artist Megan Martelle.

25 of 73 third graders opted to stay with the program. While the violins are owned by 317 Main, the kids treat them as their own for the rest of the school year, taking them home to practice.
"Who remembers Hot Cross Buns?" asked Martelle, standing in front of 25 violin students in the school's music room on a recent Wednesday morning. Nervous smiles gave way to looks of concentration as students played their way through Hot Crossed Buns, Mary Had A Little Lamb, and Boil 'Em Cabbage . It was clear some, if not all, the kids had been practicing.

Asked what she likes about the program, Aluel's face broke into a grin. "It feels like happiness," said the 9 year old. "I never held an instrument before."

Martelle's says her goal isn't to mold the next first chair violinist. "I just hope they can experience the joy I feel when I play," she said.  

As the name suggests, every Partnership Program can only succeed with a committed partner and 317 Main has that in Dan Nogar. As a lifelong musician, Nogar understands the joy Martelle is talking about. As an educator, he knows the impact learning an instrument can have on a child. "Playing music engages every part of the brain," said Nogar. "It strengthens brain function. It improves fine motor skills. It improves problem solving. Musicians have higher levels of executive functioning."

Plans are already in the works to continue and expand the program in the 2016-2017 school year.
Asked about the long term, Nogar stopped to ponder the potential impact of unleashing dozens of violinists into the Portland Peninsula. "Maybe we'll have an elementary school orchestra," Nogar said. "Who knows where this might lead!?"  

317 Main is currently engaged in 12 Partnership Programs with non-profits and schools throughout Southern Maine. 

The cost to run the EECS program, which included the purchase of 25, ½ size violins, is around $6,000. There is no direct cost to students' families. A portion of the funding comes from the school system. The rest comes from grants that support all 12 partnership programs, including the Margaret E. Burnham Charitable Trust, Sam L. Cohen Foundation, Jane B. Cook 1992 Charitable Trust, Bob Crewe Foundation, D'Addario Foundation, Maine Arts Commission, George A. Ramlose Foundation, RBC Foundation, and PW Sprague Memorial Foundation.

HEATHER MASSE & JED WILSON REFLECT ON CHEWING GUM, FLANNEL, AND LIFE ON THE ROAD 

317 is very pleased to present Heather Masse & pianist Jed Wilson in concert Friday, March 18th at 7pm at First Parish Church in Yarmouth. Masse is a member of the popular folk trio, The Wailin' Jennys, and has a busy solo career that includes regular appearances on A Prairie Home Companion . Jed Wilson is an acclaimed pianist and former 317 Main Teaching Artist who often tours with Masse.

Masse grew up in the town of Lovell and Wilson lives there now with his wife. We posed a few questions to the artists in advance of their upcoming performance.

How has Maine influenced your music?

HEATHER:  I was lucky enough to grow up in a remarkably beautiful place in Maine.  The clear winter night skies, lakes, rivers, forests, and mountains were a big part of my every day life. The relationship I had with nature was nurtured by the quiet and profound beauty of Maine and it has stayed with me throughout my life.  It naturally finds its way into my writing and music.
JED: I love the lack of pretentiousness in Maine. I believe I had never performed in a barn until I moved here, and now I seem to play music in or near barns all the time. Clothing is casual, mostly flannel, and there's little pressure to be hip. I'm hoping this is making my music (and maybe even myself) less pretentious, though I cannot be sure. I like when music is a lively conversation about who-knows-what, headed we're-not-sure-where, open equally to laughter and tears and emotions for which we don't have names. I think Maine is particularly hospitable to that kind of musical conversation, which is itself a metaphor for a whole way of life to which I aspire.

What do you miss most about living here?

HEATHER:  I miss the mountains, Kezar Lake, living close to my family, and the close-knit community I grew up in.
JED: I live in Lovell.

What was the first tune you ever learned?

HEATHER:   My mom was a music teacher and used to bribe us to learn songs in exchange for a half a piece of chewing gum. The first song I remember singing from beginning to end was White Coral Bells. It is a round so I remember singing it with my sisters and that, (beside the chewing gum) was part of its appeal.
JED: I learned my first tunes by ear. I don't recall the exact song, but it was probably a hymn I heard at church.

What advice do you have for beginning students?

HEATHER: Keep practicing! It pays off in more ways than you can imagine.
JED: Go slow. Breathe. Focus on rhythm. Sing and dance as often as you can. Make up songs of your own, even if you don't know how to write them down. Regularly put some headphones on and listen to music with your eyes closed, without doing anything else. Learn the drums, even if that's not your primary instrument. Learn about music history, about who influenced who, and don't confine yourself to what is widely known-actively seek out the unsung. All the while, try to cultivate curiosity, openness, and kindness when relating to yourself and your development.



What advice do you have for students who hope to make music a career?

HEATHER: It is really hard to make a career as a touring musician. Performing is worth it, but being on stage and playing shows is only about 5% of the job. The other 95% is work that isn't always that fun. Keep the music sacred by making time for doing what you love.
JED: It is profoundly difficult to make a living purely through performance unless you work primarily on the road (i.e. as a touring artist). This was not true 30 years ago, when local music scenes boasted better wages. Now, however, most people who live and play primarily in their local community suppl ement their performance income through other means. Many choose teaching music, but people do all sorts of "day jobs" with varying levels of relatedness to the art of music. So there will be choices to make. Do you think you could enjoy a life on the road? For how long? Do you eventually want to raise a family, own a house, plant a garden (lay down roots both literal and figurative)? If so, you'll have to consider the tension that will arise between the life of a troubadour and that of a person who cultivates a deep connection to a specific place. Not impossible, but a challenge. Perhaps you'd rather stay put, play locally, and avoid the pitfalls of the touring life. If so, what forms of supplemental work will be tolerable (or perhaps even nourishing) to you?

What can the audience expect at your upcoming show on March 18th?

HEATHER: We will be playing some of our favorite songs by some of our favorite songwriters as well as some of our own tunes - old and new. We love playing music together and look forward to sharing it with all you Mainiacs!
JED: Two dear friends who love each other very much playing songs that they love very much. Some laughter and silly antics. Some wrong notes (on the piano). Chances taken, and the sound of surprise. The occasional epiphany. What Nietzsche called the "seriousness of a child at play."

Thanks for reading our newsletter. We look forward to making music with you!