A Community Institution That Mints Musicians

A Community Institution That Mints Musicians

By Leland Schwartz

Three decades ago, good friends Martha Cotter and Shannon Davis were putting together a children’s ensemble and said to each other: “Maybe we should have a music school.” Forget maybe. They did. “We were able to get several teachers to join us and that’s how it started,” Cotter recalled, pointing out that the school will soon celebrate 30 years and asking: “Do you believe this?”

Martha Cotter

Photo by Leland Schwartz

Now, dozens of students attend the Community Music School of the Piedmont (CMSP) and gather in Middleburg, The Plains, Berryville and Stevens City, with more locations planned in Purcellville and Aldie.

All of the school locations are in their community’s churches in unused space – Trinity in Upperville and Grace in The Plains, for instance – and not by accident, but to save on rent so the school can spend more on scholarships.

CMSP awards about $12,000 a year to students who can’t afford lessons, living up to its mission of making instruction accessible and affordable. Pre-Covid CMSP had 350 students, ranging in age from less than one to over 90. “No one’s too old,” Cotter said.

Cotter was an investment banker and wanted to get involved in the community. Operating in the churches can be a lifesaver when the economy goes down, she said, “because if you’re paying retail rent and your students drop off, you can be in deep trouble, so we’re really grateful to the churches.”

Lena Scott Lundh, who is the chairman of the CMSP board and the engine behind several music initiatives in Fauquier County, said “We would like to build an endowment to strengthen the school for the future and enable us to continue in our mission of bringing high-quality music instruction and performances to all members of our community.”

During the pandemic, the school went totally online, where its roughly 20 paid instructors continued to teach students how to play a wide variety of instruments, from violin to the guitar.

Many CMSP students have gone on to study music in high school and college and “it’s always fun to hear back from them,” Cotter said. “Watching the students progress from being baby beginners with their instruments and later going on to competitions and winning prizes is great.”

Many other meaningful stories come out of the music therapy CMSP also provides. One success story involved a young woman named Katie, who, when she started taking music therapy, was completely unable to communicate.

Today, after seven years of sessions, Katie’s parents, Kurt and Jennifer Wellington of Nokesville, said the music therapy has helped on several fronts, “Most exciting is Katie’s improvement in speech,” they told the school. “All of these improvements, as well as many that are very subtle, contribute significantly to Katie’s quality of life and her happiness.”

CMSP’s music therapy instructor, Miho Sato, explains it this way: “When musical stimulation reaches to her brain and her whole system, Katie gets boosted up. It’s as if all the dots in her brain and body start connecting and functioning as a whole. Katie starts to show who she really is by smiling beautifully and even sarcastically sometimes, laughing, tearing up, and saying ‘Hello! How are you doing?’”

Said Cotter, “To me it’s magic!”