Performing Songwriter Joanna Katzen. For more about Joanna Click here
Performing Songwriter Joanna Katzen is teaching at our Gardner Lesson Studios
We are so pleased to have Joanna join City Music. She is a Berklee College of Music graduate with great teaching experience. She has taught privately and in workshops, and has performed professionally. Her passion for music will inspire you.
Ms. Katzen welcomes students of all ages for:
Voice lessons
Piano lessons
Guitar lessons, including:
Contemporary, folk, finger-style and beginning classical
Joanna’s music skills are perfect for any level student. Whether your music interest is new or your are re-visiting a favorite pastime, Ms. Katzen tailors her lessons to suit your preferences. She will make your musical efforts a success.
Call City Music Gardner now to be included in Joanna’s schedule.
Nathan Samulak offers lessons at the City Music Lesson Studios in Leominster. Click Here to meet Nathan.
City Music Welcomes Nathan Samulak
to their Leominster Music Studios
Nathan has a BA in Music and has been performing and teaching violin and viola professionally since 2001.
We are really excited to have Nathan at our studios. Just re-located from Ann Arbor, Michigan, Nathan arrives with many accolades from his teaching there. He is an engaging person that quickly puts students of all ages at ease. He plays a variety of styles including world fusion and classical, and is happy to gear his lessons toward the student’s musical interests. Nathan also offers lessons in the Suzuki method for students as young as age four.
Beginning students of all ages OR students of any age that want to pick up their violin again – Nathan can get you playing!
Nathan will be offering studio hours beginning in September.
We’re putting young musicians together to experience the fun of playing in a group and working towards a live performance. You can do it!
Groups will be assembled by age, interest and instrument suitability. City Music staffer and professional musician John Nickerson will oversee each session assisting in repertoire choices and arrangements while supervising rehearsal technique. Players should be able to play basic chords and rhythms on their instruments as the sessions will focus on working together towards a future performance.
8 Weekly 90 minute Sessions held Sundays 4 – 5:30 or 5 – 7:30 pm, in Leominster only.
Sessions Dates run June 29th through August 24th. (no rehearsals July 6th)
Summer Rock ‘n’ Roll School fee is $260.
Hurry! Sign up now! The fun starts June 29th. Only two groups will be formed, so space is limited. Click here for the application.
The Fender name remains historically synonymous with Rock n Roll of any style, and that said, will always be a popular choice for any player as a first, second, third – or more – guitar. Fender maintains a quality expected of the name used by performers from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton to Jim Root. The popularity of the Fender brand has prompted them to create price points to make the guitar more accessible to all players.
A Fender Standard Stratocaster is a sensible value for beginning players and working professionals. It is constructed in Fender’s Mexican factories with cost-effective components that make it an affordable quality instrument. To the average viewer, it looks and sounds like the classic Strat. For the player it performs well, and until you have developed an opinion about your own preferences, it is excellent instrument at any level. For professionals, the price-point of the Fender Standard version makes sense when the security of your equipment is a concern. It is a work horse that does the job at a price that allows for customization.
Fender Standard Stratocaster Options:
SSS or HSS Pickups
“C” shape neck,
maple neck or maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.
three single-coil pickups with 5-way selector,
vintage synchronized tremolo
chrome hardware
The Fender American Standard Stratocaster is considered the standardof excellence by many throughout the world. The quality is irrefutably the best of the Fender brand and well worth the investment. The American Standard is constructed in the US, with superior materials and higher quality control than Fender’s Standard versions. The product is reputed to hold, and in many cases, increase, in value. Professional players – especially those who record – are sold on the tone quality of the American Standard, and coupled with their finer playing appointments, believe them highly worth the price. This is a guitar you love as is. For the price, you should not need to customize it.
Fender American Standard Stratocaster Options:
SSS or HSS pickups
maple neck or maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.
“C” shape neck,
Fender Custom Shop Fat ’50s single-soil with 5-way selector
master and no-load tone control,
2-point synchronized tremolo and
chrome hardware
And then, the Fender American Special Stratocaster is the answer for those who really want American made product, but simply cannot justify the high-end price of the American Standard Strat. Constructed with less costly parts but high quality control, the Special is a great compromise with middle-of-the-road pricing that even allows room for tweaking by the customizing enthusiast.
Fender American Special Stratocaster Options:
SSS or HSS pickups
maple neck or maple neck with rosewood fingerboard.
The fact remains that Fender is a sound product at any price point, for any level player. City Music carries all three product lines. Stop in and compare for yourself, and discover the beauty of the Stratocaster at prices that can’t be beat.
Hourly GIVEAWAYS,
Grand PRIZE Drawings
Free burgers, hot dogs and CAKE!
Back to School deals store-wide
Meet n Greet City Music Instructors
Test Drive Fender’s new USB Guitar
Concert line-up will include performances by:
Ken Macy (WMA winner)
Andy Cummings (WMA winner)
Johnny Romance & the City Boys
Mark Frederick Fisher (WMA winner)
Captain Chris Coombs
City Music’s Catching Rhythm
and more TBA
Enter City Music’s Drawing to win great prizes:
A Fender acoustic guitar ($199 value)
A FREE month of music lessons ($88 value)
A Bull Run Restaurant gift certificate ($50 value)
And other brand name instruments TBA
~ PLUS ~
If you bring back-to-school supply items for the City Music School Supply Drive for the Salvation Army you’ll get a free City Music folder and an additional entry to City Music’s Drawing!
Discounts and Back to School deals will be available at either location.
Concert, party, giveaways and drawings to be held at the Leominster location only.
At the Bull Run Restaurant on Sunday April7th, 4-8pm.
City Music is accepting applications for our 13th Showcase for musicians 18 years and under. This is an all ages event, and celebrates ALL genres of music. So, if you and your friends have been looking for a place to play, this is your chance.
Play on stage with a full, professional sound system
Earn $$$ CASH – each group gets to keep a portion of their ticket sales
Plus, the group with the best ticket sales wins a recording session at The Root Cellar, in Westminster.
And you will support music in public schools! City Music donates the proceeds from this and all FutureStars events to public school music programs – more than $10000 since 2005! The 2013 Showcase will benefit the Leominster Public Schools.
Applications are available at your nearest City Music Store.
A common question we get at City Music is: “Should my child start on an acoustic or an electric guitar? Shouldn’t he/she learn the basics on an acoustic, before starting electric?”
This is a valid question, and while we can’t say unequivocally ‘yes’ or ‘no’, we can give you pointers to help guide you.
Electric and acoustic guitars are essentially the same instrument: they both have six strings, they both are tuned to the same six notes. Beyond that, the electric/acoustic properties lend the two guitar types to different situations and different interests.
Acoustic guitars:
do not need amplification to be heard
can be played anywhere
are perfect for smaller, strictly acoustic groups
come in a variety of sizes, shapes to enhance comfort
necks and fret-boards tend to be wider than electric – smaller hands may find chord formation more difficult
There is still time to register for our October 25th Drum Circle, to be held at our Leominster location. Hand percussion aficionado Chris Landry, will guide the group through the concepts and techniques of great group hand drumming! *Bring your own drum*
Don’t have a drum? We have a great selection of djembes, congos and bongos, to get you going. Sign up for the drum circle, and you’ll get 10% off your drum purchase.
Hurry! Registration (done by clicking here, or calling/visiting our Leominster store) is only $5.00, so sign up now (space is limited)! Please make sure to include your contact info so that we can confirm your spot!
Nancy Rines and Pat McKee, winner of the Zildjian Cymbal at the Drummers' Bash
What fun! Our first Drummers Bash was great. The weather held out nicely, and City Music’s Rockin’ All Star Staff played on. Thanks to all the visiting drummers that sat in with the All Star Staff (Johnny ‘Romance’ Nickerson, Rampage Bassist Iain Perry and our own ‘ Superhero’ Andy Cummings) Special thanks to our drum staff Greg Prendergast and Chris Landry for their rhythm demos on the kit, cahons and djembes.
Lots of drummers joined our drum circle, hosted by Chris Landry, with a little help from Fitchburg Middle school’s ‘Shake, Rattle & Drum’ group. We got a taste of hand drumming in the styles of several cultures. Chris will be hosting a Drum Circle at City Music in Leominster on October 25th (Sign-up is required. Fee: $5 per person. Bring your own drum). Chris is also accepting hand percussion students Thursday afternoons – see our Leominster music store of details. Continue reading “Drummers’ Bash a Big Hit!”→
Percussionist Chris Landry will be hosting a drum circle at City Music’s Drummer’s Bash on September 29th.
Christopher Landry is a self taught percussionist, with a focus on Djembe, Bongos and Cajon. Chris is a full time Middle School Science teacher in Fitchburg, Ma, and holds a Master of Education degree from Fitchburg State. Chris began studying the Djembe while in college at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. He was influenced by his exposure to Yoruban culture, the people of Nigeria, and the music that was used in ritual and ceremony. He has since traveled around the length of the East coast, attending drum circles and festivals, seeking out professionals who would teach him different rhythms and techniques, including Mohamed Sene. The Bongos, and Cajon, soon followed with his exposure to Cuban and Brazilian cultures, specifically with the spirituality that is practiced there and the music used in celebration. Meeting Bongoseros and other percussionists allowed Chris to gain a deeper understanding of the feel of the percussion instrument, not just basic rudiments. Continue reading “Chris Landry to Host a Drum Circle”→
