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Community Music School
Our mission is to successfully provide the inspiration and opportunity for anyone in our diverse community to achieve excellence in music education and appreciate the transformative power of music.
Our vision is to be recognized and valued as a collaborative partner and the accessible resource for excellence in music education within the community.
CMS is aptly named – I have been taking lessons at CMS for almost 9 years, and it is truly a community. It has fostered my love of music and gives access to many very talented and experienced professional musicians. They have so many programs & opportunities to perform and connect with other students. CMS truly impacted my life and strengthened my passion for music.
Community Music School (CMS) – Lehigh Valley & Berks is a nonprofit charitable organization that provides the inspiration and opportunity for anyone in our diverse community to achieve excellence in music education and appreciate the transformative power of music. CMS employs 25 professional teachers who provide private lessons and group classes to over 300 students of all ages, from toddlers to seniors, in piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, voice, and recording technology; both in-person and online. CMS offers introductory group classes, such as Kindermusik, Kids Choir, Modern Band, Intro to Piano, and Intro to Recording that provide music fundamentals, while Jazz Band and House Band ensembles offer collaborative free performance opportunities for intermediate and advanced students.
Thanks to support from our philanthropic community for over 40 years, CMS has provided students in the Lehigh Valley with the life-long benefits of a quality music education and free performance opportunities. In 2023-24, CMS expects to fund over $85,000 in need-based financial aid to 55% of our students under age 18.
Our main office and studios are located in the former Lehigh Valley Social Club at historic 1544 Hamilton Street in Allentown, PA where we offer 12 lesson rooms of varying sizes, a unique parent lounge, early childhood room, music library, administrative offices, state-of-the-art recording studio, and a 150-seat recital hall. Our CMS Berks satellite studio is located in Reading, PA at GoggleWorks.
Non-Discrimination Policy
Community Music School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, age, creed, color, sexual orientation, national or ethnic origin, gender identity, disability, or level of family income in its education programs and admission, employment, and financial aid policies.
GIVE THE GIFT OF MUSIC
Thank you for helping us continue Martha’s legacy of music education for all at Community Music School.
Our History
Martha Maletz and four music teachers, Beatrice Allen, Jean Fox, Judith Moyer and Marilyn Pinschmidt founded Community Music School in 1981. The school launched operations in the Educational Building at St. John’s Lutheran Church on Fifth Street in Allentown on September 8, 1982. In its first year, CMS had 7 faculty and 38 enrolled students in piano and voice and provided $5,604 in scholarships and financial aid.
In 2022, 40 years later, CMS has provided over 25,000 student services in the Lehigh Valley with the life-long benefits of musical education. Now located in the former Lehigh Valley Social Club at 1544 Hamilton Street, Allentown, CMS provides private lessons to over 200 students in piano, strings, brass, woodwinds, percussion, and voice to students of all ages, from toddlers to seniors.
LEARN MORE
Over 50% of students under age 18 are only able to study with financial assistance funded by generous local individuals, corporations, and foundations. CMS is proud to fund over $60,000 annually in financial aid, merit scholarships, and outreach. In the fall of 2021, the school received a generous grant from The Presser Foundation to help fund the construction of and technology for a state-of-the-art audio and video recording studio. In addition to private instrument lessons, students can now gain hands-on experience with industry-standard recording technology through a variety of new CMS recording classes. During the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic the school pivoted to remote operations, online-only music lessons, and continued to offer free performance opportunities for students through their YouTube Channel. In-person lessons resumed on Hamilton Street in the fall of 2021 and new summer camps, performing ensembles, and performance opportunities return as we plan for the next 40 years.