It's time to kick off our summer concert series, and we're starting with a fundraiser for the Effingham High School Band. Enjoy the sounds of Maylae in the SMC parking lot on Friday, May 7, where they'll perform some of their original works as well as some of your pop and rock favorites.  We'll have hotdogs and hamburgers cooking on the grill and plenty of cool beverages, with all proceeds from food sales going directly the the EHS band.

Maylae will be selling T-shirts and donating $3 for each one sold to the EHS Band.  Please come out and  join us to support the program!

 

That seems to be the consensus following Fender Guitar's Greg Koch's tour stop in Effingham last month. Over 40 people listened and learned from the master himself as he entertained the group for several hours, reveling in stories from the road and impressing everyone with his talent, knowledge, and love of guitars.

Greg demonstrated Fender's new American Special guitars, a new line of lower-priced, American manufactured guitars. 
He also introduced us to the new G-Dec Amp, which has computer connectivity and over 100 audio preset loops, tracks created for Fender by some of today's top artists.

Greg is a funny guy who kept us laughing all night long with his stories and really connected with the audience.  And we were thrilled to have people drive from as far as Springfield to join the session.  It was just awesome!

 

If you happened in to the store earlier this month and saw a lot of knee-high folk, you probably felt pretty old. That's because we were surrounded by preschoolers as the West Side Preschool School students spent two days making music music at Samuel Music Company!

The students from several preschool classes visited and explored the world of music and music making with Brian Bannister.  They learned all about instruments - the different types, how some are made, and how to make a variety of pitches and sounds on some.  They held a concert, playing rhythm sticks, bells and percussive instruments.  They explored singing by singing  along with the Disklavier (Old MacDonald, of course)  while watching the magic of  the farm animals appearing on the screen.  They explored the world of digital keyboards and the variety of sounds they create through the press of a button.  From string instruments to brass, drums to voices, the kids explored the world of sound.   They even learned how to  manipulate their voices to impersonate Popeye the Sailor Man through the magic of the Clavinova and a microphone.  Brian sensed more than a few future karaoke singers in the crowd!

The children brought a true sense of wonder to us and we thoroughly enjoyed having them at SMC.  If you have a preschool class interested in touring our store, please give us a call.

 

How many hours a day does your child play video games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero? How about a REAL jam session at Samuel Music with REAL instruments? That's what our Summer Camp JAMZ is all about!  Taught by our MusikGarden professionals and some of our studio teachers, the camp promises to be a week packed with learning and fun.

In just one week...
your child will never forget the fun they had, the education they received, and the love of music that was instilled in them that will last a lifetime!

Class size is limited, so call or e-mail today to make your reservation 217-342-9221 , jdust@samuelmusic.comor cdietzen@samuelmusic.com More information on website: www.samuelmusic.com.