Music as Social Connection

Offers students the opportunity to schedule private lessons with faculty instructors during the week of the camp to support individualized musical development.

Runs a week-long jazz education program at Colby College in Waterville, Maine, serving middle school, high school, college, and adult students, with over 50 participants each week. The camp includes ensemble instruction, master classes, private lessons, and curriculum components in jazz history, improvisation, and jazz literacy.

Hosts nightly faculty concerts at the Gordon Center at Colby College during the camp week and organizes weekly public performances by student ensembles, held on Friday evening and Saturday morning as part of the camp curriculum.

Offers daily ensemble instruction focused on jazz repertoire, improvisation, and ensemble skills, along with one-hour daily master classes grouped by instrument and led by faculty. Also provides afternoon sessions in ear training and jazz literacy, including jazz history discussions and faculty presentations.

Utilizes at least thirty volunteers weekly in roles including greeting, serving, food preparation, dishwashing, merchandise sales, ushering, and facility maintenance. Offers volunteer opportunities to individuals as young as thirteen, and engages weekday volunteers in administrative tasks such as data entry, mailings, and social media.

Produces evening concerts and special events featuring folk, bluegrass, singer-songwriters, jazz, global traditions, poetry, and storytelling in an intimate historic venue recognized as the longest continuously operating folk music venue in the United States. Events include monthly public listening events and family-friendly performances.

Maintains a listening library of 1,516 vinyl albums and several hundred CDs from Al "Captain Fun" McKenney's collection, accessible to the public.

Provides a free, weekly 30-minute interactive program of live music, stories, and movement for children ages 18 months to 5 years and their caregivers, livestreamed on YouTube with archived access.

Brings live, interactive music performances to senior living communities, healthcare facilities, and community spaces to engage older adults and vulnerable populations.

Operates and maintains a historic 19th-century building, completed a renovation in 2017 to achieve full handicap accessibility and enhance the performance experience.

Offers live streaming of performances via Caffè Lena TV, with 100% of ticket revenue benefiting the performing artists, and provides subscription options for on-demand viewing and archive access.

Formed and performs as the musical trio Jamcrackers, composed of Dan Berggren, Peggy Lynn, and Dan Duggan, performing original works inspired by Adirondack river drivers, and continues performances posthumously to honor Dan Duggan’s legacy.

Advances public understanding of current and historical folk music through programming and performance, as stated in IRS filings.

Offers group and ensemble music instruction for students from 18 months through adulthood in American roots music, including guitar, mandolin, upright bass, and banjo, through the Caffè Lena School of Music. Classes are offered in-person and online via Zoom, with recorded sessions archived for ongoing access.

Provides full scholarships that include instruments for individuals in need and maintains an instrument library to support access to music education, particularly for children.

Offers music and visual art classes for young children and their families through 15-week trimester or 30-week academic year programs. Provides both adult/child and child-only class formats led by trained educators and musicians, with improvisational accompaniment, serving developmental stages from infancy onward.

Authored and published the Diller-Quaile Series, including instructional materials like the First Solo Book and First Duet Book, and The Splendor of Music, which synthesizes over fifty years of teaching experience. Conducts research on musical development, teaching and learning, and community music practices.

Operates multiple ensembles including the Reading Orchestra, Intermediate Orchestra, Diller-Quaile Orchestra, Youth Opera, Chamber Ensemble, and Camerata—a chamber orchestra for intermediate and advanced adult musicians. These programs serve students ages 9 and up, with specific ensembles targeted at ages 11–18 and adult participants.