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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

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

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

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

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

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

Donor Spotlight – Gene & Sally Herritt

By Meet CVSM

Gene is originally from the Williamsport, PA, area with a BS in Education from Clarion and an MEd in Reading from Shippensburg. Sally was born and raised in Chambersburg, then moved to Shippensburg when they got married. They have a daughter, Andi, and a grandson, Lyric. Sally retired as Executive Director of Chambersburg Community Theatre (CCT) after 25 years but continues to volunteer & perform with the group.

Sally is a singer, having studied voice with Peg Weeks as a teenager, and with Marjorie Hirsch at Juniata College. She continues to perform in her church choir and, when available, with the Mercersburg Area Community Chorus, as well as being an independent performer.

Sally knew Meagan Boozer from Read More

Student Spotlight – Carolyn Kent

By Meet CVSM

For how long have you attended CVSM and which teachers have you studied with?

I have studied for about 4 years with Brian Helman and Kevin Gorman.  However, I have also eavesdropped during my children’s lessons for many years, on Richard Overcash, Valerie. Merriman, Geoff Weeks, and Deb Stotelmyer!

Where do you attend school and what grade are you in? 

I am not in school at the moment, but I have taken music classes recently at Gettysburg College and Messiah University.

What are your favorite music activities?

I love to sit at the piano and play for myself in the evenings, but also enjoy concerts and listening to music. 

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

Playing with Read More