Subject: 🎺 October News from MCMA 🎶

October 2025

STUDIO NEWS

October is here, the leaves are starting to tumble, and Halloween is just around the corner. Read on to meet our student of the month, learn about lesson and ensemble openings, get ready for some exciting student opportunities, meet our newest faculty member and much more!

Speaking of Halloween ... Yes! Lessons happen as usual on Halloween. We'll have candy for trick-or-treaters and we can't wait to see your costumes! You may find your instructor looks a little different on October 31st, too!

MEET OUR STUDENT OF THE MONTH

Meet our October Student of the Month! Alder has been an alto saxophone student of Evan Lattimore’s since the summer of 2025. Evan has this to say about his student:

“I met Alder when he played in the summer Jazz Intensive Camp. In addition to private lessons, he is also playing in MCMA’s Jazz Ensemble.

Alder is a fearless improviser. He has great tone and intonation and likes to bend notes. Alder is learning jazz tunes, blues scales, and music theory.

I nominated Alder for student of the month because he is an excellent student. He is always cheerful and positive, works hard, and loves what he is doing.”

FALL SEMESTER UPDATES

It's such a thrill to have our studios busily ringing with music all week long! There are still a few slots open for private and group lessons. Please get in touch if you are interested in private lessons in: piano, voice, guitar, cello, ukulele, violin or bass (upright, electric or double), electronic music, songwriting, improvisation or composition.

ENSEMBLE and CLASS SLOTS AVAILABLE

We have the following opportunities in ensembles or group classes, It is strongly recommended that ensemble students are taking private lessons (either at MCMA or elsewhere).

Please click the buttons below to learn more about each ensemble!

Hand Drumming (all ages): exploring the traditional and modern rhythms of West Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean.
Jazz Ensemble (all ages): brass, woodwinds, guitar.
Music Exploration Class (ages 5-7): a place for young musicians to explore basic music theory, rhythm, melody and instruments. 2-4 participants.
Strings Attached (all ages): violin, viola
Teen Rock Band (ages 13-18): keyboard, bass, vocals
Youth Choir (ages 8-11): a great place to learn more about singing in a group and make new friends along the way

SPECIAL STUDENT OPPORTUNITIES

Community Jam

Join Tom Luther for our latest Community Jam on Saturday, November 1st at 4:00pm. Open to all MCMA students and their musical family members of all levels of expertise in a fun, supportive environment. Registration is appreciated but not required.

Student Open Mic at the Villager Cafe!

We are thrilled to announce that MCMA is partnering with the wonderful folks at the Villager Cafe in Camden to put on our first student open mic since 2020!

Join us on Friday, November 7th from 6:00-7:30pm at 25 Mechanic Street in Camden (the former Bagel Cafe space) for a night of performances by our students and faculty members. If you are a student that is interested in performing, click the button below to sign up!

The event is free and open to the public, so invite your friends and family! Food and drink will be available for purchase.

Some FAQs:

Can I play with another student? YES!

Can I play with a friend or family member who is not a student? YES!

Can I sign up ahead of time? YES!

Can I ask an instructor to accompany me? YES!

If I get scared and decide not to play is the ok? YES!

Will there be instruments there? YES! There will be a drum kit, piano, amplifiers and microphones for your use. You'll need to bring any other instrument with you.

OPEN MIC SIGN UP

NEW FACULTY MEMBER!

Please join us in welcoming Kate Fiano to the MCMA faculty! Pictured above (right) with Khaya Cohen, we are thrilled to have Kate stepping in to lead our Girls Rock ensemble! A native New Englander, Kate moved to Maine from California, where she taught public school music. Kate is now the Music Director at Hope Elementary School, where she teaches Pre-K through fifth grade general music, fifth grade beginning band, and middle school concert band and choir. You can learn more about Kate and her musical accomplishments here. Welcome, Kate!

SAVE THE DATE(s)

Songwriting Workshop with Spencer Albee

Join us at MCMA for a special 3-part workshop: SONGWRITING: A Start to Never Finished Course

Take a deep dive in to the songwriting process with Spencer Albee (AS FAST AS, The Walrus, Rustic Overtones), a Maine songwriter and producer who has worked with artists ranging from David Bowie to The Ghost of Paul Revere. Over three sessions we will discuss the fundamentals of songwriting, and continue to push the camera on more and more details as the sessions progress.

Spencer will take you from fundamentals to completion (of a sort) over three progressive class sessions on Saturdays January 31, February 7 and February 14th. Open to all aspiring songwriters aged 14 and up.

Keep an eye on our website - registration opens November 1st!

FACULTY NEWS

Join Music Together®️ teacher Alyssa Kelly (who also serves as a local death doula) for a grief retreat on Sun, Nov 9 - designed to inform, comfort, and empower those experiencing loss and bereavement. Held off-the-beaten-path at Nurture Through Nature (Denmark, ME), the event will offer sensitive, practical support for the grief process... especially in light of the upcoming holiday season. FMI and to register, go to Until & After.

Evan Lattimore will be participating in the first-ever Musser Marimba Festival Orchestra in Manheim, PA, on Oct. 17 - 18. Presented by MostlyMarimba and co-hosted by the Lancaster Marimba Ensemble and Heartland Marimba, the festival aims to celebrate the vast influences of the Manheim native Clair Omar Musser on modern marimba performance. The grand finale of the week-long celebration is a 60-piece marimba orchestra concert held on Saturday, Oct. 18

FMI visit Musser Marimba Festival.

Music Together instructor Khaya Cohen will be performing with her band Telescope Club at Marshall Wharf in Belfast on Saturday, October 11th!

Click the poster to the left for all the show details!

COMMUNITY NEWS

Live Music at Rockport Opera House

Oshima Brothers, the Japanese-Italian alt-pop band from Maine, will bring us an upbeat set of smooth harmonies and groovy guitar lines. But that’s just the beginning—after the set, they’ll switch gears and DJ a dance party, spinning a mix of retro classics, reggaeton, and groovy jams.

And meet opening act yeemz! yeemz (Yi-Mei Templeman) is a cellist, singer-songwriter, and composer based in Santa Monica, California. She blends musical worlds seamlessly, creating music that is intimate yet universal, intricate yet accessible.

Coming Up at the Waldo Theatre:

UPCOMING DATES

Monday, October 13th: Indigenous Peoples Day (MCMA closed)
Saturday November 1st: Group Makeup Classes and Workshops AND our first Community Jam of the year.
Friday, November 7th, 6:00pm: MCMA Student Open Mic, Villager Cafe
Sunday, January 25th, 12:30pm: end of semester Recital, Strand Theatre

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