MFE in the News

August 2011

MFE Receives Grant from Lancaster County Community Foundation

We are excited and proud to announce that MFE has received a grant in the amount of $27,000 from the Lancaster County Community Foundation for our “MFE in the Schools” program. This program was developed to address the “mentoring/instructional gap” in SDOL schools by underwriting seasoned professional musicians and volunteers to work in the schools alongside teachers and directly with students. We just completed our first full year, during which Mike Jamanis, Jr. and several volunteers provided group, ensemble and individual instruction for over 250 children on a weekly basis, before, during and after school. The program also provides opportunities for students to perform in public, record in a studio and for professional musicians to provide in school performances. The grant will enable MFE to both strengthen the existing strings programming as well as allow for the expansion of the program to include instruction and mentoring for students on instruments such as the saxophone, clarinet, flute and trumpet.

This grant is also significant as LCCF fully vetted its every aspect and deemed that it is worthy as a community investment. We are looking forward to applying the grant in a way that will take “MFE in the Schools” to the next level. Check out the “MFE in the Schools” video on our website (MusicForEveryone.net) to learn more about it.

New Keys for the City 2012 Video Released

Check out the new Keys 2012 video by independent filmmaker, Patrick Elmore. It’s just another piece of documentation of the fun, and fonky vibe that Keys for the City continues to bring to our community.

Keys for the City Video

None of this would have happened without our generous lead sponsors:

• Lancaster County Community Foundation
• Tell Manufacturing
• Lancaster International Piano Festival
• Faulkner BMW
• Menchey’s Music
• Patterson/Votilla Dentistry for Life
• Theater for Transformation
• North Museum
• WXPN
• Heads Up Lancaster

And while you checking out pianos, make sure to stop by Lancaster Square to play the MFE Community Piano, sponsored by:

• The Press Building
• Shayne and Anne Beecher
• Lancaster County Motors
• Carr’s Restaurant
• McConkey Surety, Insurance and Benefits
• High Companies

And another thanks to our In-Kind Sponsors:

• Patio at PennStone
• Benchmark Construction
• Gowelsh
• Gallagher & Sons Construction
• Atomic Design
• JC Snavely & Sons

Head to our website (KeysForTheCity.com) or MusicForEveryone.net for more information regarding locations and additional events around the pianos. You can also follow the pianos on our Facebook page (Facebook.com/MFELancaster) If you haven’t played any of the 11 pianos yet, get downtown and “get yer jam on”!

Piano Lessons for Everyone a Success!

In perfect harmony with out mission to provide musical opportunities for everyone, on July 28, we partnered with the Lancaster International Piano Festival to provide free piano lessons on a first come, first serve basis around the Keys for the City pianos. Each piano was staffed with a teacher. Dozens of players of all ability levels showed up to sharpen their “chops”. We’d like to thank all of the teachers who volunteered their time and talent to bring another “musical opportunity for everyone” to our community. Check out the three links below, one is a short video and two are the newspaper coverage of the event.

Video:  Piano Lesson Video

Newspaper Articles: Pianos Lessons in the City More Pianos!

“Expanded” Music Fridays Continue.

MFE’s effort to “expand” the amount of music in downtown Lancaster during Music Fridays continues! Between the 10 “street spots” with “busking” musicians, the 11 Keys for the City pianos, and our renewed efforts to encourage bars, restaurants and galleries to sponsor music, there will be more than 30 music venues alive and hoppin’ during August 17 Music Friday.

This is all in addition to the music that will be happening on the “Mothership Stage” in Lancaster Sqaure, where the DiSanto Brothers and Pearl and the Beard will be performing. It’s all a part of MFE’s efforts to cultivate the power of music as a community-building tool by placing another “brick in the wall” in our effort to do our part to develop Lancaster as an “Arts Destination”.

MFE Summer Camps

With a successful first week of camp in the books, we’re gearing up for another week of Strings Camp beginning August 13. Once again, Mike Jamanis will be leading the camp, which will consist of approximately 30 “scholarship” students. Click this link to check out a short video from the first week of camp: Summer Camp

Reminders:

MFE Community Chorus and Ukulele Uprising!

Come join the MFE Community Chorus on Monday evenings at the Community Mennonite Church of Lancaster (328 W. Orange St.) at 7:00 PM. Or, if you prefer playing ukulele, join the MFE Ukulele Uprising on Wednesday evenings at 7:30 PM at the Susquehanna Association for the Blind building at 244 N. Queen Street. All are welcome to both of these MFE Community building initiatives.

Monthly Music Download:

For this month’s music download, we’re featuring a track from the newly released MFE Vol. V CD. The Snails are a hot, young and fun band who we feel you will be hearing a lot about in the future. “Preserve the Roots” is a happen’ reggae tune that you are sure to enjoy. Check it out and download it at MusicForEveryone.net. It’s FREE.

In the meantime,

Thank You, Lancaster – Play On!