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Jul 10

Music & Mental Health: Before the Show Starts

By Tips & Techniques

Before the Show Starts

This article is the second of a series focusing on Musicians and Mental Health. This a partnership between CVSM and Thriving Thoughts Global.

Have you ever gone to a Taylor Swift concert thinking to yourself, “Wow, I wonder what all the critics are going to say about her performance, or I wonder what she will think about herself?” If you’re not a Swiftie, you might have thought that, but chances are you wouldn’t have gone to the concert either.

How about your own performance? Consider that recital, audition, presentation, or interview you’ve got coming up. Where’s your focus? What someone will think about you after it’s over?

If you’ve described yourself as having stage fright, chances are you’re concerned more about the outcome than the actual performance. And assuming you are a Swiftie, we bet you couldn’t care less about what her critics might say, or what even she might think about her performance. Instead, you would anticipate immersing yourself in the show, taking videos of her, and snapping selfies. Read More

Apr 15

CVSM Students to perform with The Piano Guys!

By Announcements

April 15, 2024: Eight students from Cumberland Valley School of Music and Mercersburg Academy will be performing Beethoven’s 5 Secrets on stage with Billboard artists, The Piano Guys, at the Luhrs Center on April 23rd, 2024 at 7:30pm. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Luhrs Center box office at 717-477-SHOW (7469) or online at https://luhrscenter.com/event/the-piano-guys/. The student rehearsals are being coordinated by Deborah Stotelmyer, Violin/Viola Instructor at both CVSM and Mercersburg Academy. The CVSM students are Anezka Pospisilova, Elise Swope, Zebidian West, Vlad Kirylka (students of Deb Stotelmyer), Ava Peterson, (student of Cindy Scanzello), and Mary Margaret Cherry, (student of Ashley Wyrick). Mercersburg Academy students are Lisa Wei and Karin Sugiyama, also students of Deb Stotelmyer.

Since their serendipitous start in a Southern Utah piano shop, THE PIANO GUYS have proven to be a powerhouse group without limits. Arriving as a musical phenomenon seemingly overnight, the quartet of Jon Schmidt [pianist, songwriter], Steven Sharp Nelson [cellist, songwriter], Paul Anderson [producer, videographer], and Al van der Beek [music producer, songwriter] have delivered bold compositions that transcend boundaries of style and genre, a boundlessness that has since translated into a massively-successful career. Their 2020 album release “10” was a celebration of The Piano Guys’ 10-year anniversary. The album included their most popular hits from the past 10 years as well as brand-new arrangements. Steven and Jon are gearing up to hit the road to perform their new music and share their great humor. Read More

Nov 14

The Gift of Music

By Tips & Techniques

What can you give someone who has everything? An amazing music EXPERIENCE. 

As you wrack your brain trying to think of the perfect gift, consider a music class or series of lessons. The recipient will gain not only the direct experience of participating in the instruction but also the additional benefits of music on health and well-being, and the creation of a new hobby for them.

Research at Johns Hopkins University has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory. Music sparks creativity in the brain; new music challenges the brain as it works to understand a new sound.

For small children and their caregivers, attending a music class together can create bonds between them as well as provide connections with other families in the community. Children are inherently musical and will love sharing this experience with a parent or grandparent. As the children learn a variety of age-appropriate skills (gross & fine motor skills, impulse control, coordination, etc.) the caregivers learn to respond to their children and support them as they learn new skills. Read More

Nov 13

Meet CVSM Donors The Bryson Family

By Meet CVSM

Please share a bit about yourself and your background: Are you a Chambersburg native? What is your role in our community (now or previously if retired)? Were/are you a musician?
Neither of us is originally from Chambersburg.  Mark grew up in the Pittsburgh area and Karen is from Trinidad.  Karen is a local family doctor and Mark teaches physics labs at Gettysburg College (as well as teaching guitar for CVSM).

Tell us about your family.
We have four sons, three of whom have taken lessons at CVSM.  Isaac, Jonathan, and Nate all started with the piano.  After a while Isaac fell in love with guitar and switched to that.  Isaac and Jonathan both decided to continue to pursue music in college, and Isaac recently graduated from Geneva College.  Nate is a freshman at Read More

Nov 13

Meet CVSM Alum Isaac Bryson

By Meet CVSM

When did you attend CVSM and who were your teachers?
I attended CVSM from 2017-2019, and my teachers were Jaranell Fritts, Brian Helman, Mark Miller, Devin Fields, Michael Quinlivan, and Candice Mowbray.

Where do you currently live and what do you do?
I recently moved to Nashville, TN to pursue a career as a freelance audio/lighting tech.

Do you still participate in music activities?
Yep! I play guitar and sing in restaurants occasionally and write my own music, as well as just playing for fun in my free time.

What is your best/favorite memory of your time a CVSM?
My favorite memory has got to be the rock camp I attended when I was in high school. It really got my interested in playing in a band and improvisation. Read More

Nov 13

Meet CVSM Student Nathaniel Bryson

By Meet CVSM

Nathaniel is the 2023 Maj Britt Kaal First Place Instrumental and the Third Place Piano Merit Award recipient

For how long have you attended CVSM and which teachers have you studied with?
I’ve attended CVSM for 10 years, and I’ve studied with Susan Matson for piano and Heather McEndree for flute.

Where do you attend school and what grade are you in?
I attend Saint Maria Goretti Catholic High School and I’m in 9th grade.

What are your favorite music activities?
Choir, band, and piano.

What is your best/favorite memory of your time at CVSM?
That one time the power went out during Read More

Oct 27

34th Annual Gala Showcase Concert

By Announcements

Cumberland Valley School of Music presents the 34th Annual Gala Showcase Concert, Sound of Color, on Sunday, November 5, 2023, at 3:00 p.m. in Thomson Chapel on the campus of Wilson College, 1015 Philadelphia Avenue, Chambersburg, PA.  The concert celebrates 34 years of making music accessible to everyone in Chambersburg and surrounding areas.  The concert features present and former faculty members, students, alumni, and community members.  

Musical highlights include:  

  • 2023 CVSM Merit Award recipients – Nathaniel Bryson, flute; Lilian Snowberger, voice; and Alex Gramp, piano 
  • Bailey Hovermale, piano 
  • Marlin Barnes & Sam Hepfer, percussion 
  • Marie Hershey, organ, and Suzanne Barnhart, piano 
  • Paula Hepfer, voice 
  • Rochelle Kniss, piano 
  • Kevin Gorman, piano 
  • Joel Newman and Tresa Day, guitar and voice 
  • Heather Kline, voice 
  • Deb Stotelmyer, violin, with Valerie Merriman, piano 

Read More

Apr 13

Alumni Spotlight – Kevin Gorman

By Meet CVSM

When did you attend CVSM and who were your teachers?

My first class at CVSM was Musikgarten with Susan Whitelock when I about was 4.  Afterward, my parents enrolled me in piano lessons with Bob Parini. Marie Hershey and Brian Helman then became my teachers.

Where do you currently live and what do you do?

I’m back in Franklin County teaching at CVSM and Dickinson College. I’ve undertaken a recording project of the complete piano sonatas of William Bland (a former CVSM instructor) which has one CD out so far on Bridge Records. I am also the church musician at St. Andrew’s Episcopal in Shippensburg.

Do you still participate in music activities?

That’s literally my life!

What is your best/favorite memory of your time at CVSM?

In my senior year of Read More