About
Upper Valley Music Center is a community music school based in Lebanon, NH, serving more than 1,900 students a year from across the Upper Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire. UVMC’s expert faculty work with beginning through advanced students and teach programs designed for ages birth through adulthood. UVMC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and relies on the generosity of individuals, foundations, and businesses to support music education activities.
Students
UVMC students come from a wide geographic area: as far south as Andover, NH and as far north as Ryegate, VT. UVMC has a strong early childhood program for infants through toddlers. Elementary, middle, and high school students take part in lessons, group classes, ensembles, summer camps, and workshops. Adults, working and retired, are a growing percentage of UVMC students in all areas of programming. We believe all families should have access to music education regardless of their financial means. UVMC distributes more than $40,000 in Tuition Assistance each year, and we work constantly to be able to increase the amount of assistance available.
Faculty
UVMC Faculty are professional musicians who live in the Upper Valley. Most hold Bachelor of Music, Master of Music, or PHD degrees as well as other professional certifications. The faculty includes part-time and full-time members, and UVMC’s presence helps support their living in the Upper Valley. While many UVMC faculty perform professionally on a regular basis, all are dedicated to the art and skill of teaching. Regular professional development is supported by grants awarded to faculty.
Programs
UVMC offers year-round programming for students of all ages and ability levels. The four main categories of programs include individual lessons, group classes (including summer camps), ensembles, and workshops/master classes. Within these programs, students can find intensive one-on-one instruction, learn to play in a relaxed social setting, and make lifelong musical friends through ensembles. The Upper Valley Symphony Orchestra and the Community Chorus are two ensembles where adults from a wide variety of backgrounds come together to make music on a weekly basis.
While UVMC is not a presenting organization, performance is an important part of music education. UVMC students perform in a wide range of venues from grandma’s living room to school to church to community events. UVMC faculty perform in UVMC’s Faculty Recital Series and in many other capacities around the Upper Valley. These performances forge connections that make for vital communities.
Music is an inherently collaborative art, and music education leads naturally to partnerships with other organizations. UVMC partners with 71 organizations to bring music education out of the classroom and into the community.
UVMC has a growing music library with a special emphasis on chamber music, orchestra and choral repertoire. This repertoire supports the goal of helping people to make music together. Currently available to UVMC students and faculty, we would like to make this resource available to the general public in the future.