The Community Music Network is hosting a mixed age (birth to age 7) family music class at the Headwaters Arts Center, located at 66 Main Street in Stamford, starting Thursday, Jan. 11 at 11:15 am. The class will continue weekly through mid-June, except in cases of inclement weather or illness. For more information or to register, call 607-287-0793 or email communitymusicnet@gmail.com. You may also visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/communitymusicnetwork.
Preregistration is highly recommended, especially during the winter months. The class is pay as you can with a suggested donation of $10 per family per class pre-registered or $15 drop in. Sliding fee and scholarships are available as this is an outreach class, providing important early childhood education to those living in rural areas. The class is also open to senior citizens or disabled adults and their aids or caregivers.
In this 45-50 minute class, families are led through a fun interactive exploration of ritual songs, finger play/chants, small/large movement, instrument/prop play, and exposure to a wide variety of traditional American folk and world music. Parents and caregivers model the musical activities and children engage and observe, often going home to repeat what was modeled in class.
The classes, led by teaching artist and certified music teacher, Pamela West-Finkle, has been providing developmental and therapeutic music classes to the Catskills since 2004. She founded the Community Music Network in 2007 while working as the general music and choral teacher at Stamford Central School, and her organization became non-profit in 2020.
The Community Music Network is funded by grants from The Robinson Broadhurst Foundation and the A. Lindsay and Olive B. O’Connor Foundation, and has formerly received support from The Community Foundation of South Central New York and The Roxbury Arts Group. To make a tax deductible contribution to support these programs in our community, mail a check or money order to P.O. Box 73, Stamford, NY 12167 or contact director, Pamela West-Finkle at 607-287-0793 or email communitymusicnet@gmail.com for online contribution options through Venmo or PayPal.
