Young Musicians Competition  KinderKonzert   Young Composers Program  Brummitt-Taylor Program

Music in the Mountains is dedicated to musical education for everyone who desires it .

We offer a Nevada County youth educational opportunities and programs starting at pre-elementary through high school with our annual KinderKonzert, Young Musicians Competition, Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program and a Young Composers Program.  Some of these young musicians go on to receive scholarships, perform professionally and even with Music in the Mountains orchestra.

Another program awards scholarships to Donner Mine Music Camp for band students from both Nevada Union and Bear River High Schools. For adults, we have an all volunteer Festival Choral who perform at the Holiday Choral Concerts, as well as, during the Summer Fest. Designs in Listening adult educational talks are offered during the year. For more information on our youth and adult education programs and sponsorship opportunities, call the office at 265-6173 and ask for Marge or Jeanne.  Your interest and support are always welcome!

MIM Educational Programs are partly funded by:              


Brummitt-Taylor Listening Program                                        back to top

More than 150 classrooms in Nevada County participate in the Brummitt-Taylor Music Listening Program.  Students listen to classical music - all kinds, all periods - five minutes a day, five days a week, for five years.  They gain the familiarity with some of the world's greatest music, and learn about composers, creativity and craft.  You can permanently place a Listen kit in a classroom and help preserve the music for only $250.00!    If you would like to contribute to the success of this program with a donation for a kit, call the business office at 265-6173.

This annual competition is forresidents of Nevada counties, first through twelfth grades. Over $3,000 in prizes is awarded to the winners. The finals are all day Saturday, May 2, and are NOT open to the public. A Showcase Concert of all finalists on Sunday, May 3, at Peace Lutheran Church (directions) is open to the public. Winners will be announced and awards presented at the conclusion of the concert. In addition to the prizes, finalists will have the honor of participating in MIM's Music Live program. Music Live is a new program bringing live classical music into the Nevada County classrooms. Education Committee members Julia Amaral, Judy Kinney and Aileen James will be in charge of the Young Musicians Competition this year. For more information call the business office at (530) 265-6173. (For Contestants: Rules & Application)

(Times are subject to change. Contact the MIM office for confirmation)

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KinderKonzert
June 20, 2008 ~ Inside the Amaral Family Festival Center at the Fairgrounds
(Gates open at 10:45am - bring a picnic for after the concert)

During theSummer Festival, Maestro Paul Perry offers a program of selections from the Festival literature specially crafted for young children. The concert also includes demonstrations of the different orchestral instruments and commentary. The concert takes place inside the Amaral Family Festival Center at the Nevada County Fairgrounds. Parents and their children are invited to bring a picnic lunch and a blanket for after the concert on the lawn at the fairgrounds. Don't miss this year's!  

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Young Composers Program
Showcase Concert June 8, 2008     Peace Lutheran Church, Grass Valley

Music in the Mountains inaugurated its Young Composers Program in the fall of 2003, a new initiative that will give local students ongoing contact with professional composer(s) and concludes with a performance of their original works as part of the Music in the Mountains Summer Festival annually.

 The program is being made possible by MIM’s receipt of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Together with the Nevada County Composers’ Cooperative, these sessions will be under the guidance/instruction of distinguished composers Howard Hersh and Mark Vance, with other area composers consulting from time to time. 

This program is available to Nevada County music students, enrolled in middle school, senior high school and through 2nd year of college, who have exhibited an interest in learning the art of composition. The process includes group seminars and individual instruction with professional composers, a session with professional performers, who will offer insights into writing for their instruments, and a performance of the student works by members of the MIM Summer Festival Orchestra. Students of all skill levels are welcome to apply. It is not necessary for them to have achieved any level of sophistication in writing – their pieces may be simple beginning songs for piano. They should, however, have some basic skills in music notation and have completed at least one piece, however modest its scale. The selected group of young composers ranges from very young novices to older students who are interested in exploring more complex forms. For information about the program or information on the upcoming performance, contact the business office at 265-6173 or check the website: www.musicinthemountains.org.

 The members of the group will have the opportunity of writing new works for instrumental combinations that will include piano, violin, viola, cello and voice.  We will plan an evening with the composer, guest performers, as well as with the selected student composers after the selection process has been completed.  Please do not hesitate to contact us at MIM (265-6173) if you have any questions about this program.

Other Websites:
New York Philharmonic Kids

San Francisco Symphony  Kids Page