MARK YOUR CALENDAR

FALL SESSION STARTS SEPTEMBER 6th!



Y ARMOUTH FARMERS' MARKET
at 317 MAIN
Every Thursday, 3-6pm through September

Live Music 4-5pm
  • August 18 - Jake Hoffman & Kafari (Ahmad Hassan Muhammad)
  • August 25 - The Flukes
  • September 1 Lincoln Meyers 4-5pm & The Restless Farewell 5-6pm




DO WHAT'S RIGHT RIDE
SATURDAY, OCT. 1st 
Please join us for Maine Beer Company's 2nd annual cycling fundraiser and after-party to benefit 317 Main.




Save The Date


2017 Maine Acoustic Festival
March 31st - April 2nd

This statewide music festival is open to middle and high school musicians throughout New England.
 Check the
MAF website later this month for audition details 

Welcome New Teaching Artists!

L-R Top John McCain (guitar, bass), Jill Palmer (piano, flute), Ellen Gawler (fiddle) Bottom L-R Maggie Robinson (fiddle), Tyler Lienhardt (fiddle), Tamora Goltz (fiddle)

We are pleased to welcome fiddle teachers Ellen Gawler, Tamora Goltz, Maggie Robinson and Tyler Lienhardt to our teaching staff, along with multi-instrumentalist John McCain and flute and piano teacher Jill Palmer. You can read more about individual teachers here.

Thank you to teaching artists Erica Brown, Matt Shipman, Nicole Rabata, Megan Martelle, and Kate Campbell Strauss for their years of service. We wish them well in their next musical ventures. 

Welcome New Board Members

Peter Haynes

After a successful career in leadership roles at several companies, Maine native Peter Haynes turned his attention to the non-profit world. He has shared his business acumen on boards for the Boys and Girls Club of America, the Portland Symphony Orchestra, Maine Medical Center and the University of Maine. 

Peter has played piano and sung in choirs since his childhood and by joining our board, he hopes to help others discover the joy and relaxation that comes from playing and listening to music.  He and his wife, Judy, live in Yarmouth. They have three grown sons and seven grandchildren.
 

Drew Watt


Drew Watt is a Senior Vice President & Portfolio Executive at TD Bank.  Drew is joining the board to help support the role that 317 Main plays in the local music community and to bring his non-profit business experience to assist this great asset to the community.  

He has a lifelong love of music of all kinds and his daughters, Amelia and Cassie, have both been active in lessons at 317 Main.  Drew, his wife Sarah Cotsen, and their girls live in Yarmouth.
 


WE NEED VOLUNTEERS TO..  
  • Bake Pies for HenryFest
  • Help at HenryFest
  • Assist with mailings
  • Help at recitals and concerts

We would love to hear from you!

Please contact our business manager Anne Coleman at 846-9559 or anne@317main.org


 

Thank You For Supporting 317 Main!

MUSIC IS FOR EVERYONE

A LETTER  FROM E XECU TIVE
DIRECTOR

317 Main Executive Director John Williams

It's hard to believe that we have already zipped through four great weeks of summer music camp, a 2nd place finish in the Yarmouth Clam Festival float contest, and lots of great music on the porch during the weekly Yarmouth Farmers' Market. (Thanks to all who support the market.)

I'd like to focus here on a topic that is central to our mission at 317 Main - Accessibility to Music Education.   

 Last spring, we sought your feedback in a survey that was sent to the entire 317 Main community and asked how we were doing in a number of key areas. You told us we scored high marks for "quality of instruction" and "welcoming atmosphere."

 Interestingly, and surprisingly to us, 317 scored the lowest in "access regardless of ability to pay."

This feedback is important to us and has driven us to want to do more to make 317 Main be known as the place to go to participate in and enjoy music regardless of personal circumstance. 

 Every year, we raise money specifically for financial aid so that we can offer the 317 Main experience to students who would like to take music lessons but cannot afford the tuition.  We also continue to apply for grants to support our Partnership Programs which bring free music programming to hundreds of students across southern Maine who would not otherwise have access to music enrichment. 

We are committed to making music available to anyone and everyone who has interest. If you have interest in learning more about our current offerings or have ideas/interests that you would like to share with us, please let me know.  

Enjoy the rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing you at 317 Main soon!

 - John     

 


ROBIN'S ROAD TRIP WITH BUDDHA BILL

"It's got a huge sound," says Robin Jellis on her new Carbon Fiber Cello


Based on the headline, it's easy to picture 317 Main teaching artist Robin Jellis driving down the road with a rotund and enlightened travel partner. "Buddha Bill" is actually her new carbon fiber cello, an ideal travel companion because of its light weight and tolerance for temperature fluctuations.

During their 5-week summer adventure, Robin and Buddha Bill are driving across the country visiting friends and family and playing for their supper in more than a dozen cities including Baltimore, Kansas City, Denver, Sante Fe and Portland, Oregon.  

Visiting the Smoky Mountains and Yosemite National Park are on the top of Jellis'  vacation  itinerary, but there's a subtext to this road trip.

"It's about holding myself accountable for what I've always wanted to do and that's working on my own music," said Jellis.

Jellis  says she's been creating compositions for years, mostly for collaborations with poets, but hasn't carved out the necessary time to complete the work to her satisfaction.
  
This summer, in between playing music with friends and taking in the sights, Jellis is devoting time to her compositions. She hopes to head into the studio to record a CD when she returns.

Safe travels Robin and Buddha Bill!

FUNDRAISING UPDATE

Development Director Molly Burk

Thanks to YOUR support, we exceeded our goal of raising $400,000 in charitable contributions during our 2015-16 fiscal year, which ended on June 30th. 

THANK YOU to our 2015-16 Donors for supporting access to music education in Maine! 

The money is used to support
  • Partnership Programs
  • Financial aid
  • The true cost of private/semiprivate lessons 
  • Operations and maintenance.
During the last fiscal year, 317 Main reached 1,000 students from 39 towns and cities across southern Maine. 

Studio Students Served: 500+ 
The real cost of engaging 500+ students in lessons at our studios averages $600 per student per 13-week session. With our prices ranging from  $220-$462, YOUR donations help fill the gap.

Partnership Program Students Served: 486
The real cost to reach nearly 500 Partnership Program students with free music education programming averages $100 per student per year. Our partnerships are funded through  foundation grants, partner organizations, and YOUR generosity.



Meeting our fundraising goal meant that we were able to move ahead with our planned energy efficiency upgrades: supplementary insulation, air sealing, lighting upgrades, and installation of heat pumps. With these improvements, we expect to nearly eliminate our use of fuel oil and save money on energy costs each year.

We are grateful to be able to be a good steward of our historic property, while also showing how environmental sustainability and historic preservation can go hand in hand. Many thanks to Grants to Green Maine, Horizon Foundation, Quimby Family Foundation, Efficiency Maine, and YOU, our community of donors. 


317 MAIN ALUMNI CORNER



"For me, 317 has been life changing." 
- Cass Gilbert


Cass Gilbert - Long-time 317 Main community member, student, regular at the Tuesday night bluegrass jam and proud father of Eli and Grace.

Eli Gilbert - Studied banjo at 317 Main. Graduated from the Bluegrass, Old Time and Country Music Studies Program at East Tennessee State University in 2016.

Grace Gilbert - Studied mandolin and guitar at 317 Main. Now a senior at Dennison University majoring in bluegrass music & history.


"Thank you to all of the people at 317, staff and students, who make it a welcoming, creative and aspirational environment." 
- Cass Gilbert



 
SUMMER HIGHLIGHTS AT 317 MAIN
 Acoustic Jam Camp

Acoustic Discovery Camp

Yarmouth Farmers' Market Porch Jam



317 Main Community Music Center, 317 Main Street, Yarmouth, Maine 04096 / www.317main.org / 207-846-9559