On Saturday, December 7th, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. the Uptown Music Collective will be holding an Open House at the school’s facility located at 144 West Third Street in Downtown Williamsport. The facility features 8 private lesson suites, two classrooms, two ensemble rooms, a computer lab, a recording studio, video studio, and more.

In addition to tours of the facility, staff, teachers, and students will be on hand to answer questions, discuss the school’s programs, and assist with enrollment for the upcoming winter semester. Enrollment is open for private lessons on Guitar, Vocals, Bass, Keyboards, and Drums, as well as for workshops in styles such as Rock, Blues, and Jazz. Enrollment will also be available for classes in music theory, songwriting, harmony, and a lot more. The Collective offers free classes and workshops to all students that are enrolled in private lessons at the school. The school also offers financial assistance and scholarship opportunities upon request.

The Winter Semester will begin on January 13th, 2020 and will run for 15 weeks as well as continue the school’s yearlong 20th Anniversary Celebration. Throughout the Winter Semester, the school will put on three major performances starting with Captain Fantastic and The Piano Man: The Music of Elton John & Billy Joel for one night only at the Community Arts Center on January 25th. The Collective returns to the Community Theatre League on February 27th, 28th, & 29th. for four performances of Time in A Bottle: Singer/Songwriters of the ‘60s & ’70s. The semester will close out with the epic two-night 20th Anniversary Celebration featuring tributes to Fleetwood Mac & Led Zeppelin on April 24th and Pink Floyd & Queen on April 25th at the Community Arts Center in Williamsport. This event will boast over 100 returning alumni to participate in the weekend’s performances. The semester will also see a reprise of this fall’s acclaimed tribute, Walk This Way: The Music of Aerosmith, at Lock Haven University’s Price Auditorium on March 6th. Students will have the opportunity to be a part of the school’s upcoming Winter Semester performance events, on stage or behind the scenes, as well as the school’s Winter Music Showcase and a variety of smaller community performances taking place throughout the semester.

The Winter Semester will see the continuation of the Adult Music Program at the Collective known as “AMP”. This program features garage band like workshops for adults, classes in theory and songwriting, and private lessons. This program is intended for those who wish that the Collective had been around when they were kids, and really wish they had the opportunity to jam each week with other adults and to learn more about the music they love. The program is specifically designed with adult students in mind, while still applying the Collective’s renowned music curriculum.

In the last 19+ years, the Uptown Music Collective has grown from what many used to call “the best-kept secret in the Williamsport area,” to one of the area’s most highly respected, non-profit, educational organizations. While the school is dedicated to providing a well-rounded education to students of all ages, it focuses many of its programs on students 10 – 18. The Uptown Music Collective is known for its positive peer group, inspiring teachers, and a diverse multitude of performance opportunities.

“The Collective is a place of growth. A musical home where you learn where you stand with music, and what you want to take out of it,” says recent UMC Alumni and high school graduate, David Chubirka. “At the Collective you not only learn how to play music. You learn to live and breathe it. The teachers here inspire you. Bring you to new levels of what you never thought you’d accomplish. Setting new goals for yourself every time you step foot in that building. Learning an instrument somewhere else… just isn’t the same.”

In spite of the fact that the Collective is known for highly talented student performers, there is no previous experience needed to begin enrollment at the Collective. There are currently openings for students of all levels who are looking for private instruction as well as looking to participate in the school’s classes and workshops. The school feels strongly about the role of music in creating well-rounded, thoughtful young people, and works to establish characteristics such as self-discipline and personal responsibility in each of its students through healthy habits such as practice and self- control. Uptown Music Collective students consistently perform at high levels not only musically, but also in their respective schools and as valuable members of other community organizations.

For more information about the open house, getting enrolled at the Collective, or setting up a private tour call 570-329-0888, email Brendan Mondell at brendan@uptownmusic.org or visit the Collective on the web at www.uptownmusic.org.