DELMAR – Deb Cavanaugh, a Petersburg resident, musician and instructor at Heldeberg Music Together, is preparing a fundraising concert to raise money for scholarships for young students to take music classes. The benefit event will be held Saturday, Dec. 9, at Delmar Reformed Church from 1-3 p.m.
Adult admission for the Winter WonderJam is $10, and children are free. The event will feature a bake sale and music from Deb Cavanaugh and Dandelion Wine. Prior to the pandemic, the WonderJam was held at the church every March.
Cavanaugh, a musician and music instructor for almost half a century, said she never thought she’d be a teacher, but over time, she discovered how much she loved being an educator.
Heldeberg Music Together is a franchise, with its main organization, Music Together, LLC having its beginnings in Princeton, N.J., in 1987. Music Together, an early childhood music and movement program for young children starting at birth up to 8 years old, exposes them to music and helps develop their inner musicality, according to the Music Together website.
Cavanaugh began teaching for the business in 2006, and eventually opened her own center in 2009. Deciding on a business name for her establishment was a challenge, and a woman who worked at Music Together suggested she choose a physical feature in the area that would resonate with area residents and patrons who are familiar with the Albany County area – the Helderberg Mountains.
Cavanaugh said she purposely misspelled the landmark name on the application in order to make the business name legalized, she said. She currently has two locations for her business; Delmar Reformed Church in Delmar, and Refuge, located at 1813 Fifth Ave.,Troy.
The Music Together program allows the instructor to teach caregivers the music and the activities while engaging with the children.
“Everyone is singing and dancing together, which draws even the tiniest babies into the fun,” Cavanaugh said. “There is no pressure on the kids. Some of them learn best by observation while others join right in.”
Learning music from the young stages in life and well into adulthood helps people improve their math skills, language and increase socialization skills, she said.
The teaching also involves parent education, so parents can learn to use songs from the 10-week session at home to help make parenting easier.
Although Deb does not have a set goal for the amount she wants to raise for her scholarship program, she knows she wants to offer the scholarships to families in need. She believes that all families, regardless of financial status should have access to a program that is life-changing and enriching for young children. She also wants to raise additional funds for the scholarship next year and well into the future.
The scholarship money would help provide tuition assistance, as the normal tuition for a 10-week session for a child to take part in the program costs $210.
“I feel that this work is so important, It can change lives,” Cavanaugh said.
During the week of Nov. 13, Cavanaugh took part in the INK songwriting retreat at Silver Bay on Lake George with nine other local songwriters. An attendee credited Cavanaugh for his decision to take his guitar out of the closet and begin playing it again as she discussed the importance of performing at home with their children, she recalled.
“It was so heartwarming. I often hear from families from years ago thanking me and telling me what their children are doing musically now.” Deb concluded. “Music helps in so many ways.”
To find out more information about Cavanaugh’s class and registration, go to her website at www.heldebergmusic.com . Follow Deb Cavanaugh Music on Facebook to keep up on her music and future events and on her website, www.deb-cavanaugh.com.
