New Terrapin Community Music School Aims to Reach Local Youth

The School of Music will provide foundational music knowledge and private lessons.

By TJ Wagman ’20

A new music program at the University of Maryland will provide local youth with opportunities to learn and practice music. The Terrapin Community Music School (TCMS) launches this fall with weekly programs for children and high school students; registration opens next month. 

The program is based out of the School of Music with support from Arts for All, the university-wide initiative that aims to increase the reach of the arts across campus and beyond. TCMS’s creator and director is music educator Allison R. Durbin ’15, P.h.D. ’23. 

“As a music teacher, I am keenly aware of the benefits of engaging with others and community in the creation of music, so I wanted to create a program that facilitates this connection while opening the doors of the School of Music to our immediate community,” Durbin said. 

TCMS builds on the success of the Hatchling Community Music Program, which SOM launched in Fall 2022 to provide caregivers with ways to interact musically with their children. The program quickly expanded from one class to six. Hatchling’s “Music Play” classes, for children under five, will continue in the fall, in addition to a new “Music Explorers” class for children five to eight.

It also adds a new offering for high school students, the TCMS Academy: sophomores and juniors from Prince George’s County Public Schools with at least one year of experience on their instrument will have the opportunity to receive low-cost, high-quality weekly one-on-one lessons, musicianship classes and group coachings.

Weekly instruction will be provided by graduate assistants in the School of Music and will feature three two hour blocks of private lessons and musicianship classes. Lessons will be collaborative, with students working with their teachers to decide what music and technique to focus on. Musicianship classes will feature a number of rotating topics to provide foundational music knowledge and expand musicality, including introductions to music theory, piano, composition, improvisation and more.

TCMS eventually hopes to expand the program to include younger students, vocalists and high schoolers from across the state.

“The performance opportunities and high quality instruction provided by the Terrapin Community Music School are a testament to our commitment to advocacy and empowering students through music,” said Greg Miller, director of the School of Music. “With Allison’s leadership and experience, the program will make a positive impact in the community and beyond.” 

Registration for the Terrapin Community Music School Academy opens June 1! Hatchling Community Music Program registration is open now. For more information on these programs, visit the TCMS website. Questions can be sent to tcms@umd.edu.