Maine Summer Youth Music now online
The Division of Music in the University of Maine School of Performing Arts has launched Maine Summer Youth Music (MSYM) Online, featuring a small library of instructional videos for music students in grades 5 to 12.
The site offers a virtual alternative to the Maine Summer Youth Music Camp, normally held on campus each year for up to 300 young musicians. The pandemic caused the cancellation of the junior and senior camps this summer — the first time since the program began in 1972.
MSYM Online, which includes instruction on a variety of instruments and skill levels, was created by Christopher White, UMaine director of sports bands and director of the Maine Summer Youth Music Camp. White says he “wanted to make sure that MSYM did something this year to help people through the summer months and enrich our campers’ musical lives.”
He hopes, too, that the project will remind viewers of the powerful impact that MSYM can have on its participants and the wider community. “We’re already planning for a triumphant return in 2021,” White says.
The project is sustained by the volunteer efforts of UMaine faculty, including Isaac Bray, instructor of voice; Jack Burt, professor of trumpet; Anatole Wieck, professor of music, violin/viola, and orchestra; and Beth Wiemann, professor of composition, clarinet, and music theory. White is also taking requests for what lessons music students would like to see next, with more video lessons to be posted over the summer.
Contact: Brian Jansen, brian.jansen@maine.edu; Margaret Nagle, 207.581.3745