Community Music School

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Thank you for considering Community Music School (CMS) for music instruction for you and your child.
Community Music School is in its 86th year of providing music instruction to children (from as young as 6 months) to seniors (of any age) in many locations including Buffalo (415 Elmwood Avenue), East Aurora (St. Matthias Church), Getzville (Jewish Community Center), Lancaster (Faith United Methodist Church), Lockport (First Presbyterian Church) and Snyder (Amherst Community Church).
Specific offerings and days for instruction depend upon the site.
CMS offer individual lessons (one teacher to one student) in piano/keyboard (including jazz piano), voice, violin, viola, cello, mandolin, fiddling, guitar, electric bass, flute, piccolo, clarinet, saxophone, recorder, trumpet, trombone, horn, drums, marimba, composition, jazz improvisation and theory. Youngsters and adults (including seniors) are welcome!

Check out our newest offerings here!
Classes include Music, My Grownup & Me for ages 6 months - 3 years; Music & Me (on my own) for ages 3-6; Piano Exploration for ages 5-6; Music & Art for ages 4-7; The Joy of Singing Together for ages 7-12 and From Fairy Tale to Opera Tale for ages 10-13.
Classes for teens and adults include Becoming the "diva" (new) and Seniors Sing.
Ensembles for youngsters or teens and adults include CMS String Orchestra (new), CMS Glee Club (new), Fiddle 'n Folk Ensemble and West African Drumming Ensemble.
Look below for the link to class/ensemble registration forms.

Another new ensemble performed on November 13: CMS Glee Club
Just because you don't see any men in this photo doesn't mean that they aren't welcome. Glee, directed by Maria Goodrich, will start again in January and these gals are waiting for you!

CMS is pleased to welcome Joe Brancato as our jazz piano teacher. Joe has a degree from SUNY-Buffalo and has also studied at the famous Berklee School of Music is Boston, Massachusetts. Besides performing as a soloist at the Hyatt Regency Hotel, Adams Mark Hotel and the Brierwood Country Club, he also plays with the Brancato-Schiavone Quartet with saxophonist Dave Schiavone, drummer Peggy Scalzo and bassist Buddy Fadale. If you are interested in studying with Joe, please call us at 884-4887.

Gift certificates in any amount for lessons or classes make great gifts for children, teens, adults or seniors. Call us at 884-4887 and purchase by credit card. Stop by the front desk and purchase with cash, check or credit card. Gift certificates are perfect for birthdays, anniversaries and other holidays throughout the year.
Would you like to win a hot new iPad or $500 in cash? CMS is selling raffle tickets with the drawing to take place at 4 p.m. on Saturday, December 11 during our annual Holiday Recital Fest. You don't have to be present to win.
Tickets are $5 each or $20 for 5. Buy alot and increase your chances of winning. Ticekts are available at the front desk or from any staff or board member.

Click below to download Registration Form for Group Classes or Ensembles(for children or adults)

Our annual Holiday Recital Fest will take place on Saturday, December 11 More>>

Our Holiday Recital for East Aurora students will be held on Monday, More>>

Chris Boyd, Chair of the Childhood Music Department, and Cheryl Hudson, Music, My Grownup & Me teacher, brought musical experiences for young children to the Bidwell Farmers Market on a beautiful Saturday (August 28). Miss Chris and Miss Cheryl led the children and their adult companions in fun music and movement activities on the parachute all morning long.

You may participate in these same developmental activities on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at CMS. It's not too late to enroll for the fall session. Call 884-4887 or download the class forms above.

CMS entertained families for the 5th year in the Kids Village at the annual Music Is Art Festival on September 11 on the grounds of the Albright Knox Art Gallery. Children of all ages painted pictures with musical instruments dipped in washable paint (or brushes as the young girl below).

In the early afternoon Chris Boyd led participatory Music, My Grownup & Me for youngsters and adults next to the stage. (Scroll down for photo.)
Later Mike Yanoski conducted a Drum Circle for all ages. (Scroll down for photo.)
Miss Chris is Chair of the CMS Childhood Music Department and teaches MGM, Piano Exploration and piano lessons each week. Mr. Mike leads the West African Drumming Ensemble as well as teaching drum, marimba and wind instrument lessons.

If you have questions, please call 884-4887 or email us at cms.info@verizon.net.

Nine students in four age categories were selected for Ruth W. Marcy Performance Awards at the annual Honors Recital held in June at the Montante Cultural Center.
8-11 year old category: tie between pianist Mya Parish (student of Fran Landis) and pianist Deborah Jung (student of Shirley Chan)
12-14 year old category: tie between pianist Nicholas Bartelo (student of Shirley Chan) and pianist Maria Fritz (student of Kenneth Atkinson)

Adult category: three-way split among alto Shana Benefield (student of Leah Schneider), soprano Michelle Carr (student of Cheryl Hudson) and bass-baritone James Fox (student of Cheryl Hudson).
Judges were sopranos and Co-Chairs of the Voice Department Maria Goodrich and Cheryl Hudson and pianist Fran Landis.
Each winner received a scholarship to further study at CMS. Pictured below are Kate Licata, Mya Parish, Maria Fritz, Debbie Young and Jim Fox.

We celebrated our 85th anniversary on Thursday, May 27 with a Gala Dinner at Salvatore's Italian Gardens.
We presented CMS Legacy Awards to conductor and pianist John Landis, opera singer and artist-teacher Genia Las and jazz musician Bobby Militello. In addition, special recognition went to Kenneth Atkinson who has retired as Chair of the CMS Piano Department after a record 32 years. The smiling award winners

are pictured below at the end of a wonderful evening filled with great food, excellent music by faculty and students, accolades for the School and award winners and terrific auction items.

We would like to thank M&T Bank - our Anniversary Sponsor, the companies and organizations that purchased Patron Tables, the donors and businesses who provided auction prizes, the fabulous musicians who entertained us, the guests who joined us for this special occasion and Stratton Rawson for serving as our Master of Ceremonies. We were so pleased with the kind words offered by Vic Chiodo on behalf of the Chromatic Club of Buffalo, our founding organization together with Welcome Hall Social Settlement.

Pictured on the right above are just some of the people who master-minded the event: Ashish Vikram, Gala Committee Co-Chair Jennifer Gorczynski, Co-Chair Bryan Bechard, Carol Mayer (in front), Linda Mabry and Jack Trachtenberg. Missing are Reena Dutta, Sarah Liefke and Kathleen Rizzo Young.
Below are Phil and Gretchen Banaszak, City Fiddle, and student contralto Danielle Green who were some of the evening's entertainers.

Below (on the left) are faculty soprano Maria Goodrich with pianist Linda Mabry who also performed and Gala Committee members Jennifer Gorczynski and Kathleen Rizzo Young.