Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Ideas

We all know that Maine has had a bottle bill which includes paying a deposit on most bottles when purchased. When my sons were children one of their responsibilities was to count the bottles when the barrel was full and help return them to our local bottle redemption center. And, yes they’d get to keep the money.

Did you know that the Maine Returnable Beverage Container Law has been in place since 1978? It’s a real success story. Maine is one of only 10 states with a law in place. We all know that everyone doesn’t think this is as fun as my children did. We certainly see bottles on the sides of Maine roads periodically.

Collecting and returning bottles is one thing we can do to help out our community but, what about all the supplies and equipment when they outlive their usefulness? What happens to them? Below are some programs and ideas that I know are in place – I’m guessing that you know of others. Please email them to me at meartsed@gmail.com or share them at the bottom of this blog post so others can learn about them.

• Crayola ColorCycle program – Crayola and schools across North America are banding together to help kids understand the importance of their role in protecting the environment. That’s why we launched Crayola ColorCycle. Through this initiative, students in K-12 schools across the continental United States and parts of Canada can collect and repurpose used Crayola markers. ColorCycle is also a great opportunity for teachers and their students to explore eco-friendly practices. Specially developed standards-based lesson plans are available to enrich instruction and promote lively class discussions. Its easy to create an account with Crayola and send your used markers to them for recycling. For more information CLICK HERE. 
• Vietnam Veterans of America accept donations of used musical instruments and will arrange for pick up. For more information CLICK HERE. 
• Ruth’s Reusable Resources – Located at 39 Blueberry Rd., Portland. Ruth has been at this for 25 years and if you’ve never been to the store I highly recommend it. Their mission is to ensure that all students, from pre-k through high school, have the basic supplies and creative tools for literacy, STEAM, and health education through the environmentally-conscious distribution of donated business supplies. For more information CLICK HERE.
• The National Crayon Recycle Program – This “recycling” education, community service has made it possible to stop more than 120,000 pounds of unwanted crayons from going into landfills with the help from schools, organization educators and kids across this country. For more information CLICK HERE. 
• MAMM (Maine Academy of Modern Music) will take used instruments off your hands. For more information email Jeff Shaw, Executive Director and Founder of MAMM at jeff@mamm.rocks.
• The Crayon Initiative collects crayon and recycles them into new crayons and sends them to children hospitals across the country.
• You can drop off used instruments that are in fairly good condition to MCMA (Midcoast Music Academy) in Rockland. They often use them with their students.
• Recycle crayons yourself

Rock Stars in Our Community

MAMM presents award

MAINE MUSIC EDUCATOR AWARD

On November 22nd, MAMM will present the third annual “Rock Stars In Our Communities” Awards at the 2019 CHORDS FOR KIDS Scholarship Gala in downtown Portland.

We are currently accepting nominations for the 2019 Maine Music Educator Award. Based on these applications, we will select a Maine music educator who exemplifies MAMM’s mission and values by providing Maine youth with the discipline,freedom, and guidance to appreciate the thrill of making contemporary music and instilling in them the power of self-expression. The awardee will also demonstrate a commitment to going
above and beyond to create opportunities for Maine youth to develop their creative expression while building important life skills.

Nominate your music teacher today by filling out and submitting the form below by September 30th, 2019.  We will be selecting awardees in September.  Nominees will be notified after we have made our decision.

MAMM Summer Programs

Statewide and local opportunities

The Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) has tons of camp opportunities for learners this summer. The dates, locations and costs are listed below. You can read the details about each of these camps at the MAMM Camps webpage on the MAMM site.

Portland MAMM Camps

June 17 – 21 – Rock Camp (Junior & Teens) $325

June 24 – July 5 – Junior Rock Camp, $550

July 8 – 19 – Ultimate Rock Camp, $600

July 22 – Aug 2 – Songwriting & Recording Camp, $700

August 5 – 9 – Girls Rock Camp, $325

August 5 – 9 – Covers Camp, $325

August 5 – 9 – Strings Camp, $325

August 12 – 23 – Junior Rock Camp, $600

August 26 – 30 – Covers Camp, $325

Statewide Camps

July 22 – July 26 – Augusta Camp, $300

July 8 – July 12 – Bangor Camp (Session 1), $300

August 19 – Aug 23 – Bangor Camp (Session 2), $300

July 28 – Aug 3 – Machias Camp – OVERNIGHT, $900

MAMM Invites Maine Music Teachers

Great opportunity

The Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) is excited to invite Maine music teachers to attend Chords For Kids: MAMM’s Scholarship Gala Fundraiser, Oct 11 AURA for FREE! Teachers just need to produce their school credentials at the door and they and a guest may join us in our celebration that evening.

The event will be a celebration of MAMM’s 11th anniversary and will feature performances by MAMM students, a silent auction, and an award ceremony where MAMM will recognize “Rock Stars in Our Communities”.  Following the award ceremony attendees will dance the night away to Maine’s premiere 80’s band, The Awesome.

MAMM’s 2018 Maine Music Educator Award will go to Allen Thomas, Choir Director at Bonny Eagle High School and Chairperson of the District One Maine Music Educators Association. Thomas was selected from an impressive pool of candidates from across Maine because his work exemplifies MAMM’s mission of building leadership through the musical arts. “We were most impressed by Allen’s real efforts to cultivate leadership skills in his students and empower them to take charge of their craft and music performances,” said MAMM director Jeff Shaw.

To learn more about MAMM visit www.maineacademyofmodernmusic.org.

In Today’s News

MAMM in Portland

Jeff Shaw, originally from Millbridge, and what he has built in the Portland area. In the Portland Press Herald TODAY.

Jeff Shaw, standing center left, with kids at MAMM’s summer junior rock camp at Williston-Immanuel United Church in Portland. Staff photo by Jill Brady

 

Girls Rock

Yard Sail reuniting to perform 

The Maine Academy of Modern Music is pleased to announce that Yard Sail, the school’s very first all-girl rock band, will be reuniting for one night only to appear at the 2018 GIRLS ROCK! show at Port City Music Hall on Saturday, March 3rd.

Yard Sail, winners of the 2017 MAMM SLAM, have been on hiatus since their bassist Skyler Cummings and keyboardist Esme Howland left Maine last Fall to attend Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts.  The group last performed locally at theirSee Ya Later! EP release party in August.

ABOUT GIRLS ROCK:

Each March as part of Women’s History Month, MAMM hosts its annual GIRLS ROCK! concert. The event is a celebration of girls’ involvement in music and will showcase the talents of MAMM’s students who will be performing a combination of solo and full band sets.

In addition to the concert, MAMM also hosts a Girls Rock! camp each summer. Young female rockers get to spend a week building their skills, networking with other like-minded girls, and learning tricks of the trade from various women from Maine’s thriving local music scene.

Tickets to GIRLS ROCK! cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door and limited preferred seating tickets are available for $20. The doors open at 4pm and the music begins at 4:30pm.

NEW THIS YEAR: MAMM will be hosting a FREE afternoon matinee event prior to the Girls Rock! show which will feature the school’s new MAMMOTH programs, including the MAMMOTH Brass Band, MAMMOTH Rock Chorus, and MAMMOTH Strings.

The matinee, which begins at 1pm, will include performances by the MAMM’s after school MAMMOTH programs as well as the MAMMOTH programs held in collaboration with a number of the school’s partner organizations such as Portland Public Schools and Scarborough Strings. Each group will be performing their own pieces and will all join each other onstage for one epic performance!

MAMM’s Girls Rock! is made possible with the generous support of 98.9 WCLZ, Maine Life Real Estate Co, Coffee By Design, Maine Magazine, and Port City Music Hall.

Girls Rock

Tickets on sale

The Maine Academy of Modern Music’s annual Girls Rock! show returns to Port City Music Hall on Saturday, March 3.

Each March as part of Women’s History Month, MAMM hosts its annual Girls Rock! concert. The event is a celebration of girls’ involvement in music and will showcase the talents of MAMM’s students who will be performing a combination of solo and full band sets.

In addition to the concert, MAMM also hosts a Girls Rock! camp each summer.  Young female rockers get to spend a week building their skills, networking with other like-minded girls, and learning tricks of the trade from various women from Maine’s thriving local music scene.

Tickets to Girls Rock! cost $12 in advance and $15 at the door and limited preferred seating tickets are available for $20.  The doors open at 4pm and the music begins at 4:30pm.

NEW THIS YEAR: MAMM will be hosting a FREE afternoon matinee event prior to the Girls Rock! show which will feature the school’s new MAMMOTH programs, including the MAMMOTH Brass Band, MAMMOTH Rock Chorus, and MAMMOTH Strings.

The matinee, which begins at 1pm, will include performances by the MAMM’s after school MAMMOTH programs as well as the MAMMOTH programs held in collaboration with a number of the school’s partner organizations such as Portland Public Schools and Scarborough Strings.  Each group will be performing their own pieces and will all join each other onstage for one epic performance!

MAMM’s Girls Rock! is made possible with the generous support of 98.9 WCLZ, Maine Magazine, and Port City Music Hall.

PURCHASE TICKETS!

Maine Academy of Modern Music

Chords for Kids

MAMMs Summer Concerts

The Kids are Alright

This summer is going to be rocking!  The Maine Academy of Modern Music (MAMM) is excited to announce that its popular The Kids Are Alright (TKAA) family friendly, local music series will take place every Friday in July, 10:30 – 11:30 am at the Deering Oaks Park bandstand.  The events are FREE and open to the public! The series is presented by MAMM in partnership with Friends of Deering Oaks and the Portland Public Library with sponsorship from Aura, Maine Life Real Estate Co, and Maine Red Claws. TKAA aims to present a wide variety of genres and styles of local music with accessible programming to the community.  For the past year, the series has been running for free at the Portland Public Library with big turnouts and has hosted some of Portland’s favorite local acts, like Samuel James and Maine Marimba Ensemble.  The Friends of Deering Oaks provided the opportunity to move the series outside for the summer. In addition to live performances by some of the area’s top talent, each event will feature an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and learn what it’s like to be a musician in Maine. JULY’S SCHEDULE: July 7 – Jason Spooner Band July 14 – Forget, Forget July 21 – The Gina Alibrio Band July 27 – Micromasse Each featured act will be followed by Maine Academy of Modern Music student ensembles. “We’ve seen that The Kids Are Alright really serves a need for quality, diverse music programming for families and young children in the area by the response to these concerts” says Emilia Dahlin, host and coordinator of the series (and mother of a toddler). The Kids Are Alright aims to encourage children’s involvement in the musical arts.

MAMM

MAMM SLAM