‘Performathon’ at the CMC

This Sunday, the Community Music Center in the Mission combines an open house with a fundraising effort called a Performathon. It’s all part of Field Day, named in honor of CMC founder Gertrude Field. For six hours, faculty and students will play, raising money for the center’s scholarships and tuition assistance. Program Director Sylvia Sherman says there’s also a musical petting zoo, and demo classes for all ages.

You can find out more at the Community Music Center website.

Since its founding almost a hundred years ago, the aim of the CMC has been to make music accessible to all those who want to learn and play. “A student can come in,” Sherman says, “and many students do come in and take their very first lesson here. But we are also the place where high school students, or middle school students who have been playing in their orchestra class, but haven’t had the opportunity to get more technical instruction, to take private lessons or to play music with other young kids in some of our teen ensembles… We can be the place for a true beginner, or the place for a very advanced student. And we offer instruction at all those levels, and music making opportunities at all those levels. We provide a different role for different people, but what we offer are many points of entry.” And this Sunday, members of the community, as well as those who are studying something else already, can have a chance to dip their toe in, and see what lessons are like with different teachers, or maybe come back to an instrument. “Those who may like to sample a class who’s not sure they always want to you know, go back to study violin again, or guitar again, or piano again. And they can take a sample lesson, see what it’s like, see what they learn, and then of course they’re welcome to sign up for additional lessons, but there’s no obligation, it’s simply a time for the community to come together in music.”