Eastman Community Music School (ECMS)

Behind the scenes of our Summer Vocal Symposium led by Teresa Ringholz!

Join us for the performance on Thursday, August 6th, at 7pm in Kilbourn Hall.

Be sure to catch this week’s Summer Program performances! 🎶

Don't miss this fun ECMS Summer program featuring many of your favorite Hollywood tunes! ✨

Livestream: https://www.esm.rochester.edu/esm-event/ecms-summer-summer-studio-orchestra/

Did you know that June is Alzheimer's & Brain Awareness Month? 💜 Did you also know that the Eastman Community Music School has an intergenerational, dementia-friendly ensemble called ENCORE Chorus?!

We are so proud of this group. When the ENCORE Chorus comes together, something remarkable happens. Voices rise together, melodies take shape, and the room fills with a feeling of mutual joy. This is not just the pursuit of perfection, but a celebration of presence.

Learn more about ENCORE and its recent premiere performance of a new work by Professor Philip Silvey, titled "Here We Are," at the link below:

A Chorus of Connection: ENCORE Takes the Stage In the weeks leading up to its next performance, the ENCORE Chorus reveals how song can illuminate connection, even in the face of memory loss.

Whimsymaxxing around ECMS 👀

Would you like to learn about singing in Korean? 🎶 Join us for a FREE workshop July 14-16 in the Sibley Music Library Room 404 and develop your Korean diction and repertoire skills with ECMS and Dr. Joanna Hyunji Kim!

“Dr. Joanna Kim’s voice is rich and powerful, has impeccable musicianship, and sensitive but intense interpretation of her text.” — "New York Concert Review" following her 2022 Carnegie Hall debut recital.

Sing up here to reserve your spot today! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf5KM16tTyVwhhFJ2LV6P_L4Snna8POwCx05EJeNdwGTA2mkA/viewform

“Eastman Community Music School is a place where magic happens.” ✨ Musicians of varying ages and abilities are welcome to study at ECMS all year round! Applications for community summer programs are open NOW. Visit the link in our bio to learn more and apply—deadlines for available courses are listed below.

Early Childhood: 6/12; Vocal Symposium and Studio Orchestra: 6/22; Adult Guitar, Guitar Intensive, and High School Wind Ensemble: 7/1. Apply here: bit.ly/4ahkY7s

Learn more about ECMS by watching the video below: bit.ly/4umLXpy

Eastman Community Music School: Over 90 Years of Creativity and Joy At the Eastman Community Music School (ECMS), students of every age...

There is a very specific kind of joy that happens when young children make music together!

And making music comes naturally when we create an environment where kids can play, interact, and discover their own creativity alongside new friends.

That's why we're thrilled to add a Summer Session of Early Childhood classes (that starts June 27th)!

If you're looking for joyful exploration and a friendly community, we'd love to have you at Eastman Community Music School.

These classes notoriously fill up fast, so grab your child's spot before the summer rush. 🧡🎵

P.S. Go Bills! 🏈💙

A 3-day transformation you can hear! 🎸

"This was perhaps the best summer camp we have ever signed our child up for... an excellent experience for him both socially and musically." — 2024 Parent

Got a young guitarist who spends hours practicing alone in their bedroom? Or maybe one who just needs inspiration to pick the instrument up consistently?

The ECMS Guitar Intensive Workshop is exactly where they belong this summer. In three days, they will level up their skills alongside kids who share their exact passion.

We are accepting applications through July 1st!

🎶 ENCORE Chorus 🎶

ENCORE is an intergenerational chorus serving people living with early-to-middle-stage dementia and their caregivers. Offered through the Eastman Community Music School, the group rehearses together with a host of community volunteers of all ages. The initiative is guided by the Giving Voice Network, which fosters the creation and operation of independent choruses that bring joy, well-being, purpose, and community understanding to people with Alzheimer’s Disease and their care partners.

The ENCORE Chorus meets weekly for one hour of singing, followed by 30 minutes of structured social time with refreshments. Participants sing familiar favorites—especially hits from the mid-1960s—that often spark vivid, meaningful memories, while new songs are introduced to inspire curiosity and the joy of learning. But ENCORE is much more than a sing-along: rehearsals incorporate light physical movement, storytelling, and moments of connection designed to nurture cognitive, emotional, and social well-being. Each session of ENCORE (spring, summer, and fall) concludes with an informal performance that celebrates what the group has accomplished together, while keeping the emphasis on shared experience rather than polished results.

ENCORE is the first chorus of its kind in the United States to be offered through a community music school connected to a world-class conservatory, in collaboration with a major research medical center. This unique partnership ensures that participants and their care partners benefit from both expert musical leadership and the latest insights from dementia care research.

Voted on by its members, ENCORE is an acronym that stands for “Every New Connection Offers Resonating Experiences”.

📅 06/22/2026 - 08/10/2026
🕖 Monday, 1:00 PM - 2:30 PM
📍 First Unitarian Church, Sanctuary

For more information, check out https://www.esm.rochester.edu/community/course/encore-chorus/