User:Skproulx/Portsmouth Music and Art Center

Portsmouth Music and Arts Center (PMAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit community music and arts school located at 75 Albany Street in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. With a faculty of 30 professional music and visual arts educators, PMAC offers music and arts classes, lessons, and ensembles for children and adults aged 5 and up. The organization’s music curriculum focuses on classical, jazz, and rock, and the recently added visual arts program focuses on media and cultural traditions.

As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, it relies on funding support from private foundations, grants and community support. Contributions support scholarships and tuition-reductions, early childhood education programs, music and art workshops for area youth, summer camps, visual arts classes, and music classes.

PMAC's faculty includes more than 30 local musicians, composers, and artists.

Mission
PMAC’s mission and programs are built on the philosophy of its founders: “To build community through the arts by providing all people with the opportunity to achieve their full creative potential, regardless of their age, ability, or economic status. We accomplish this through high quality music and visual arts education programs and by creating ensemble, performance, and exhibition opportunities for students, professionals, and audiences.”

History
The Portsmouth Music and Arts Center traces its beginnings to 2002, when musicians and arts educators Katie Bleick Grazier, co-founder and director of administration, and her husband Russ Grazier, co-founder and executive director, married their love of music with their desire to provide educational and outreach opportunities for their community.

Since 2002, PMAC has educated more than 1,000 music and art students. PMAC students have performed at area venues including the Press Room, The Music Hall, Rye Congressional Church and others. In 2007, twelve students from the Portsmouth Music and Arts Center accompanied the Holiday Pops orchestra on two arrangements. Additional performances include collaborations with Ballet New England.

Music instruction
One-on-one music instruction is offered in piano, voice, guitar, bass guitar, percussion, violin, viola, cello, bass, flute, saxophone, clarinet, trumpet, trombone, tuba, music theory, and composition. Children can start piano as young as five years old. Instruction in violin, guitar, bass guitar and drums is available for students aged 8, and can study any instrument by age 10. Vocal technique studies begin at age 12, but younger students can pursue special piano and voice lessons that address the needs of younger students.

Ensembles and group classes are available for youth and junior musicians in strings. PMAC’s rock bands are available for students who wish to develop repertoire, enhance their skills in improvisation, performance, reading simple charts, develop appreciation of different rock or blues genres.

PMAC’s Youth Jazz Combos focus is on improvising while learning classic and contemporary jazz charts. Jazz improvisation classes focus on the awareness and development of scales and rhythms used to develop the language heard in blues, rock and jazz improvisations. The concepts of swing, metric modulations and polyrhythms are covered.

PMAC offers six adult ensembles designed for adult amateur musicians of all ages and ability levels in the genres of blues, jazz, classical, and traditional concert band.

Visual Arts instruction
All visual arts classes at PMAC are customized to meet the needs of each student—an approach known as differentiated instruction. PMAC’s Visual Arts course offerings can be taken independently or in sequence and focus on skill building and technique. Each 6-week session focuses on mixed media trends and techniques, sculpture, drawing, painting and other subject matter. Instruction can begin as early as age 8. Students who aspire to a profession in the arts build portfolios and set goals that will get them to the next level in their art form.

Financial assistance
Financial aid is granted to students on the basis of family need and PMAC’s availability of funds. In determining awards, the Financial Aid Committee considers family financial need, along with such additional factors as temporary unemployment, emergencies, illnesses, and total music training expenses. Continuation of assistance depends on evaluation of the student’s commitment and progress. New and continuing students who are enrolled in private lessons, classes, or ensembles, are eligible for financial aid. Financial aid recipients are expected to provide volunteer services for PMAC as scheduled through the office.