Music Matters/Fall Newsletter 2017
WELCOME!


Greetings to the 317 Main community! 

I hope you have all had a wonderfully rich summer filled with family, friends and Maine adventures.

As difficult as it is to see summer wane, we are excited to kick-off another Fall session at 317 Main. This will be the 13th time that we open our doors in September and welcome musicians and music enthusiasts of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to join in on the fun and rewards of being part of our music community. 

Our team of 25+ teaching artists looks forward to working with many new and returning students this fall. We are excited about the expanding range of programming we're now able to offer. You'll find more information on some new initiatives below. 

In addition to continuing to focus on the day-to-day quality of experience of everyone who comes to 317 Main, we are also looking ahead.  We have come a long way in a relatively short period of time.  However, there is still much we hope to accomplish and many more people we want to serve.  I am hoping you will join in the conversation as we write 317 Main's next chapter. 

On the first Wednesday of each month, I welcome you to meet me in 317 Cafe to discuss how we can better serve our music community.  Please join me this Wednesday, September 6th  between 9-10am for a cup of coffee and a conversation. 

I look forward to seeing you soon!

John  

Find the beat in Stomp & Drum!
NEW THIS FALL

LITTLE ROOTS CLASSES NOW OFFERED SIX DAYS A WEEK

As a  Community  Music Center, 317 Main often recallibrates to meet the needs of current and potential students. The continuing expansion of our Little Roots program is a response, in part, to your requests for more quality, music educational opportunities for young children. 
Under the direction of our Little Roots Education Director,  Amanda "Panda" Parkhurst,  we have hired additional teachers and created a range of engaging classes that include more hands-on opportunities with instruments including the Djembe and Ukulele. This fall, we're very pleased to offer Little Roots classes 6 days a week, Monday-Saturday.  See Little Roots Schedule here.   


Form a band with other 11-16 year olds in BandRoots!
GARAGE BAND STARTER PROGRAM (AKA BandRoots)

We have found that many middle school students quit playing music right at the age when they're almost ready to take the leap and start making music with their friends. Our new ensemble program BandRoots (ages 11-16) was created to bridge the gap between private instruction and forming a band with like-minded musicians. BandRoots ensembles will collaborate, arrange and perform a repertoire of their choosing under the guidance of one of our teaching artists.   When they eventually do move on to your garage or basement, all we can say is, you're welcome!  Details here.
 

FALL CLASSES START TUESDAY,  SEPTEMBER 6TH. 

 Take a look at our   FALL COURSE CATALOG and 
 call our front desk at 846-9559 to register.
We  will continue to register students for both private and group lessons until classes are full.  

FESTIVAL EXPANDS

Like other successful festivals, HenryFest already has a winning combination of live music, food, refreshments and location,  so we k new enough not to mess with those essential ingredients. But we did want to make a few changes to the festival this year to tie HenryFest more closely to 317's mission of inclusive music education. We also discovered, based on the the results of the survey we sent out last year, that many of you liked the idea of switching HenryFest to Saturday. 

So, to begin with, the festival is SATURDAY, September 9th and runs one hour later until 7pm. This year, HenryFest veterans will also notice the addition of a workshop tent, where we'll invite festival goers to join us for music and dance workshops throughout the day. 

"We decided to make the day more participatory by allowing artists to interact with listeners in a more personal way, and to give festival attendees the chance to learn something new, like work songs from the Gawler family farm or traditional Congolese dance led by Mbondo Africa," said Jake Hoffman, HenryFest Coordinator.

And thanks to our growing team of Little Roots educators and friends, we'll have many more activities to keep kids creatively engaged throughout the day incl uding story times, singalongs, hula hooping, facepainting, crafts and a parade. 

Volunteers are still needed to help the day run smoothly! Give us 2 hours. Get free admission!


PIES NEEDED!

Homemade or bakery pies of all varieties are needed for the Pie Tent at HenryFest. All pie proceeds support access to music education at 317 Main. Sign up in our lobby or call us 846-9559 and we'll sign you up. Thank you!



CHECK OUT THE   HenryFest Schedule.
20 Vendors~ 2 Food Trucks~Family Jam~Exclusive Market Beer Release~Cash Bar
UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, September 6th 9-10am Coffee With John 
317 Cafe

Thursday,  September 21st 3-7pm
MarketFest! 
Yarmouth Farmers Market 



"Anticipation" by Cheryl Seavey
Opening Reception Sept. 23



Saturday, September 23rd 6-8pm  Opening Reception for "In The Moment" New Works by Cheryl Seavey 
317 Gallery

Noon Tunes with Diana Hansen (folk & pop vocals)
317 Cafe 

Friday, December 15th 7pm
Songs of The Season Concert 
First Parish Congregational Church Yarmouth

COMINGS & GOINGS

Welcome Emilia!
Welcome  Little Roots Educators  Sorcha Cribben-Merrill and Emilia Dahlin
Emilia Dahlin is a singer/songwriter who has toured all over the world. She's staying closer to home for now to raise a toddler.  Emilia says she loves to collaborate and co-create with young music makers and she looks forward to working with our Little Roots. She'll lead our Little Roots classes on Mondays.

Sorcha Cribben-Merrill has been singing,
Welcome Sorcha!
songwriting and performing for more than 20 years. She says she  loves to support young mus icians in expressing their natural 'voice' through whichever instruments and styles they want to explore. Sorcha looks forward to working with Little Roots on Tuesdays-Thursdays. 

 
Welcome Shai!
Welcome Building Manager Shai Levite
Shai Levite has decades of experience in landscaping and property maintenance. A native of Israel, he now makes his home in Cumberland.  We've given Shai a to-do list that should keep him busy for the next ten years. Welcome Shai!


Thank You Annie!
Many Thanks To Annie Coleman
It's hard to imagine 317 Main without our long-time Building and Business Manager
Annie Coleman.  Annie was here before the first student ever walked through the door and has played a key role in helping us grow into the thriving music center we are today. Alas, all good things must come to an end.   She and her wife Trish will soon head west to their next adventure in Colorado. Good luck Annie. We will miss you. Keep shaking those maracas. 

Good Luck Zach!
Good Luck Zach Zaitlin
We said bon voyage to Teaching Artist Zach Zaitlin last month.  Zach taught piano at 317 Main for 5 years and shared his artistry with us at Noon Tunes and on the porch at the Farmers Market. Zach is off to Philadelphia where he has friends and connections from his time as a music student at Swarthmore college.  Zach is a Maine native so we hope he'll come back to say hi. 
317 Main Partnership Program with East End Community School
Will You Support 317 Main's Mission?

We need your help to: 
  • support our free partnership programs with nine schools and other nonprofits in southern Maine, 
  • offer financial aid for lessons at our studios, 
  • and fill the gap between our tuition and the true cost of the 317 Main experience. About 60% of our $900,000 annual budget comes from tuition and program fees.
As a nonprofit, we rely on your donations for the remaining 40%.

We are also looking for Maine businesses to sponsor signature 317 Main events such as Noon Tunes, HenryFest, the Farmers Market summers concert series and the House Party.   Our interim Development Director, Sally Struether, would love to talk with you about sponsorship opportunities with 317 Main. Please connect with her at sally@317main.org.

Can you make a donation right now?  donate_now_org2_btn.gif
Thank You!

www.317main.org
Amy Sinclair 317 Main Communications Director
207-329-7735 or 207-846-9559 
amy@317main.org