The Concord Community Music School is hosting their Family Music Festival on Saturday, August 29. The event is free and open to the public, and will feature an instrument petting zoo, demo classes, food trucks and more.
This week on Give Back New Hampshire, we’re taking a look back at our earlier conversation with Daniel Acsadi, executive director of the Concord Community Music School, and Maria Isaak, a teacher at the school.
Learn more about the Concord Community Music School, including events and how to enroll in classes.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity.
Maria Isaak: The Concord Community Music School was founded by a woman named Peggy Senter. This was her brainchild. I think at any given semester, we have students from six months to people in their 90s taking lessons or being part of ensembles here. It's a place for anyone. It's a very friendly atmosphere.
Daniel Acsadi: The music school serves all of New Hampshire. We have people from 92 communities here in New Hampshire, including some towns in Vermont, in Maine, and Massachusetts as well. And we, of course, also have online lessons available as well.
This is truly a home for musical friendships. We have families who are on their third generation here at the music school. Some people who were here as students and are now here as faculty as well, or parents of other students. So it is truly that home for musical friendships.
Maria Isaak: Then there's high schoolers that come back and pay it forward. They act as assistants, learning teaching skills as they go, and some office skills and accompanying skills and things of that nature.
Eowyn: My name is Eowyn.
Zephyra: My name is Zephyra. I came before I was really supposed to because my sister did it for a very long time, and I kind of hung out. It's very fun. I have a whole bunch of friends here that I wouldn't know any other way. Maria and I have like a really good relationship since we've known each other for seven years or something — probably longer since I was here with Eowyn.
Eowyn: Since I was really, really little, I've always really liked to sing, but everything that I learned, Maria taught me, and everything else that I do with my other activities, because I do lots of other music stuff, I wouldn't be able to do without this experience. So I was just really lucky to be able to do the choir for as long as I did and still be able to help out and learn, even though I'm no longer a part of the choir.
Eowyn: Yeah, I definitely think that you can learn so much from even just coming for half of the year, and you make so many great friends because you just come in and everybody welcomes you, and it's just a great learning environment.
Zephyra: Definitely join. It's a great experience and you learn a lot from it.
