ABOUT us
Our mission is to provide high-quality music education and performance opportunities for individuals of all backgrounds, abilities, and resources. Through caring instruction, meaningful relationships, and a comfortable, inclusive learning environment, we help students find joy, confidence, and personal growth through musical expression.
We are committed to making music instruction approachable and affordable, using individualized and complementary learning strategies to support a wide range of needs, learning styles, and abilities, including students with developmental, learning, or other challenges.
Guided by the belief that everyone can learn to play, we seek to build a better community through music.
The original studio in Webster, NY
Former Rochester instructor Sean Conlon currently teaches music at Finger Lakes Community College, and performs regularly around western New York.
Our Story
Community Music School of Northern New York, Inc. was formed as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in 2025 to carry forward and expand the work of its predecessor, Music Education Centers of Watertown. The Watertown studio was established in January 2020 as an extension of Music Education Centers, originally founded by Christian Schenk in Rochester in 2004 as Music Education Centers at Uncle Andy’s Place.
What began in a spare bedroom of his Rochester home grew into multiple commercial locations and a community of students, families, educators, and musicians. The Rochester program most recently operated at The Piano Works in East Rochester until that location closed in July 2023, while the Watertown studio continued serving the North Country.
Today, the Community Music School of Northern New York builds on more than two decades of music education experience while embracing a broader nonprofit mission. CMS provides accessible music education and performance opportunities for individuals of all ages, backgrounds, abilities, and resources through private instruction, ensembles, classes, workshops, and community programming.
As a community-based nonprofit, CMS works to reduce barriers to participation, support inclusive and adaptive learning, create meaningful opportunities for local musicians and educators, and develop partnerships that strengthen Northern New York through music. Our goal remains simple: to provide a welcoming place where people can learn, create, perform, and connect through music.