Lewisburg, PA – 05/02/15 – Donald L. Heiter Community Center – Mentors for Young Musicians

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Event: Saturday, May 2nd 1-4 pm
Location: Donald L. Heiter Community Center, 100 N. Fifth St, Lewisburg, PA 17837 (Union County, PA)

Contact: Flora Eyster, Local Music Collective Grant Administrator at (570) 837-9145 Day-of Contact: Flora Eyster, Fred Strickland or John Sweeney of the Local Music Collective

Mentors for Young Musicians Ready to Play

Thanks to a grant from the PA Partners on the Arts, the Local Music Collective, in partnership with The Donald L. Heiter Community Center and
the organization Community Zone, and in cooperation with Robert M. Sides
Music, announces its "Mentors for Young Musicians" kick-off day this
Saturday, May 2. Aspiring young musicians, especially those ages 8-13,
along with their parents, will have the opportunity to explore an instrument
"petting zoo" and to meet accomplished area musicians excited to act as
mentors to young folks who are eager to learn about playing particular
instruments.

The Mentors for Young Musicians event runs from 1:00 to 4:00 Saturday afternoon. Young people curious about music and music performance can visit the musical instrument petting zoo at the Heiter Center at 100 North Fifth Street in Lewisburg. The zoo will be followed immediately by a free concert featuring the mentors and the instruments on display, with professional concert sound provided by Keith Hummel.

The Local Music Collective has been active in the central Susquehanna Valley for thirty years promoting, encouraging, and supporting live music. The Mentors for Young Musicians program was conceived as an opportunity for members to share their love of music with the next generation of local players. Young people accompanied by their parents will be able to talk with talented local musicians, see and handle the instruments they play, and - if interested - sign up for the chance to receive three introductory lessons over the summer months at the very low rate of only $5 per lesson.

Twenty or more different members of the Local Music Collective will be on hand to talk with families about the pleasures of playing a wide array of instruments, including violin, ukulele, trumpet, saxophone, mandolin, keyboards, hammer dulcimer, guitar, flute, drums, bass guitar, banjo, and accordion. Some members will also be available to share their skills in the areas of singing, stage performance, and preparation for studio recording.

In addition, a representative of Robert M. Sides Music will be on hand to introduce families to the instruments available through their rental
program.

LMC mentors include some truly remarkable local talent. Ferdie Alama is a master of the intricacies of finger-style guitar playing. Bruce Barr is a longtime guitarist and writer of insightful, humorous songs. Annie Clark is a veteran singer, actor, and director, and has more recently acquired new skills as a bass player. Joe DeCristopher has played both electric and acoustic guitar, in almost every genre imaginable, for over forty years.

Audra DePrisco is an enthusiastic singer with a personality well suited to that most cheerful of instruments, her ukulele. Her husband Jeremy DePrisco is an accomplished folk and blues acoustic guitarist.

Erin Dietrick offers an impressive range of musical skill as a classically trained violinist, trumpeter, and vocalist. Flora Eyster is well known and admired throughout the area for her virtuosic skill on the flute. Rich Grace is a fine singer who will be sharing his impressive banjo skills. Bob Gutheinz will introduce people to the infrequently heard but always-delightful hammer dulcimer.

Carl Kirby is a talented multi-instrumentalist and enthusiastic teacher who will be sharing his delight with the mandolin. Urie Kline will provide instruction in Taiko drumming, and Hope Kopf is a master drummer in the tradition of African drumming. Larry Mitchell specializes in keyboards, which he has played in many different kinds of musical groups for almost half a century. Jack Pyers is a bass player and veteran of nationally touring rock bands.

Stu Shrawder plays many instruments exceedingly well, but he is best known as a drummer totally at ease in many different genres. Stan Sloditskie is the LMC's very own master of the accordion. Fred Strickland will share his unbounded enthusiasm for the electric bass.

While the instrumental explorations will be available to everyone in attendance, a few LMC members are also offering instruction that may be of special interest to teens. These sessions include stage presence and performance preparation with Annie Clark, electronic music with Jeremy DePrisco, and recording session preparation with Jack Pyers.

The Local Music Collective encourages all young people interested in music to bring their parents to this Saturday's instrument petting zoo. Lesson slots are limited, but the LMC hopes to provide as many young people as possible with a taste of the delicious musical life. And, speaking of delicious, food will be available on-site from That Kitchen Witch!

This program is supported in part by the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, a state agency funded by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency. Additional support in planning was provided by the Lewisburg Arts Council. Additional information about the Local Music Collective and the Mentors for Young Musicians program can be found on the LMC website: localmusiccollective.com The Local Music Collective was founded in 1986 and is a not-for-profit organization.