As of September 2020, The GNCMS is no longer in operation.
We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for your support of our Community Music School! However, it is with mixed feelings we are announcing that the GNCMS will no longer be giving individual lessons, and our staff will be stepping back to focus on the mission of our parent/original organization, Virginia Beach Children’s Music Education, otherwise known as CHIME.
As we all know, 2020 has certainly proven to be an interesting/frustrating/frightening year to be alive. As members of the arts community we have seen symphony seasons end in March, the Virginia Arts Festival cancel all events, schools close for in person instruction, marching band cancelled for the fall, theater and music camps cancelled or trying to do something online; the list seems endless. Even thinking of these with sadness, frustration or irritation seems selfish and self-centered in light of the suffering we are seeing worldwide. Yet, we can only really see our world through our own individual lenses most of the time; having to close our Community Music School and change our business model because of reduced demand and diminished funding is what has weighed us down most heavily when someone asks how the pandemic has affected us.
While we will no longer be giving in-person lessons to students as a School, CHIME will continue its work with our current students and teachers as needed, providing tuition assistance so lessons can continue in the teachers’ private studios. We will also keep our phone number active, so that anyone needing referrals to instructors or information about the application process can reach us. Also, please be assured that any donations previously received by the Music School will be used by CHIME to sponsor lessons for those in need.
Thank you again for your support as we make this change. At this point, none of us really knows what the future holds, what music instruction will look like for the rest of the fall and beyond. Our hope is that we will all find safe ways to continue to share our love of music and our joy in making music education available to all.
Sincerely,
Nikki Bergman, Founder, Virginia Beach Children’s Music Education
Marguerite Alley, Director, Great Neck Community Music School (a special program of CHIME)
As we all know, 2020 has certainly proven to be an interesting/frustrating/frightening year to be alive. As members of the arts community we have seen symphony seasons end in March, the Virginia Arts Festival cancel all events, schools close for in person instruction, marching band cancelled for the fall, theater and music camps cancelled or trying to do something online; the list seems endless. Even thinking of these with sadness, frustration or irritation seems selfish and self-centered in light of the suffering we are seeing worldwide. Yet, we can only really see our world through our own individual lenses most of the time; having to close our Community Music School and change our business model because of reduced demand and diminished funding is what has weighed us down most heavily when someone asks how the pandemic has affected us.
While we will no longer be giving in-person lessons to students as a School, CHIME will continue its work with our current students and teachers as needed, providing tuition assistance so lessons can continue in the teachers’ private studios. We will also keep our phone number active, so that anyone needing referrals to instructors or information about the application process can reach us. Also, please be assured that any donations previously received by the Music School will be used by CHIME to sponsor lessons for those in need.
Thank you again for your support as we make this change. At this point, none of us really knows what the future holds, what music instruction will look like for the rest of the fall and beyond. Our hope is that we will all find safe ways to continue to share our love of music and our joy in making music education available to all.
Sincerely,
Nikki Bergman, Founder, Virginia Beach Children’s Music Education
Marguerite Alley, Director, Great Neck Community Music School (a special program of CHIME)