For almost two decades the Community Music School has worked to enhance the musical talent of Southeastern community members of all ages, an achievement it celebrates during its 18th Southeastern Music Celebration.
The first part of the Celebration, the Middle School Band Camp, concluded on Friday, July 17 with the Summer Band concert, where middle schoolers performed with Southeastern faculty and music students.
“It’s a grand performance. It’s really a big thing,” said Jivka Jeleva, the CMS’s program director.
During the performance, younger students had the opportunity to perform with seasoned musicians and faculty conductors, among them Dr. Richard Schwartz and Paul Frechou. Schwartz has been participating in the program for nine years as an instructor and is now the assistant director of the Summer Celebration.
“For this year it has been fantastic, as well as the other years,” said Schwartz. “The kids are great, and the camaraderie between the faculty and the students has been first rate. It’s basically full immersion into the world of music.”
From July 15 through 19 the piano duet, chamber music (strings) and guitar workshops will be held. Each workshop, like the middle school summer camp, will conclude with a concert showcasing what students have learned during their time with the CMS.
Other than the Summer Celebration, the CMS also holds classes during the fall semester, and while most of its students are of pre-college age, anyone can enroll as long as they have the desire to learn.
“Pretty much anyone who wants to take private lessons, on any instrument, can come to us,” said Jeleva. “Our fees vary according to the qualifications of the instructor, which range from music students to faculty.”
Jeleva, originally from Bulgaria, earned her bachelor’s degree at the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria and completed her master’s degree at Southeastern. Jeleva, a violinist, started teaching with the CMS as a graduate student and since then has found the program very satisfying, not just for her students, but for herself as well.
“A number of our students who started here as small children have gone on to great careers in music,” said Jeleva. “Many of these students compete in music competitions in the area and around the country and have had great success. For me, it has been a great experience. I feel honored and blessed to be able to impact children and the community in a way that I would not have been able to otherwise. It’s been very good.”
Anthony Guillot, 13, is a saxophonist from Madisonville who studied under Schwartz and was one of many students who performed during the Summer Band Concert.  
“I started playing [saxophone] in the fifth grade, and I started with the music school about a year ago,” said Guillot. “The school is great. I got a lot better.”
More information on the Community Music School and registration for its classes can be found on its Southeastern webpage, by emailing [email protected] or calling 985-549-5502.