Photograph by Beth Duquette
Joe and Leila McVeigh
As the Middlebury Community Music Center celebrates ten years of serving the community, we are excited to share stories from our community about how MCMC has been an integral part of their musical journey. Joe and Leila McVeigh are two members of the community who have seen the center grow from its earliest days to the thriving hub it is now.
The McVeigh Family first started working with Sadie in 2011 when they signed their child Nat up for piano lessons. Nat naturally gravitated to jazz band in middle school, starting off on keys. Halfway through seventh grade, Nat asked to learn the saxophone. Summer lessons with Bear accelerated Nat's progress out of the beginner stage, and tenor sax quickly became their primary instrument. Nat was excited to experiment on multiple instruments, and returned to Bear for some trombone basics the following summer.
Working with Bear turned out to be transformative for Nat, and created a safe and encouraging place to develop as an improviser. As their studies continued, Bear wanted to start a new class that would create small ensembles for students of different instruments to play together. At first, the class only had three people enrolled–Nat and two brothers–but MCMC kept the class going and supported Bear’s vision of what would grow into a professional jazz group.
As Nat’s confidence as an improviser grew, they were exposed to more opportunities to perform and develop. Whether in festivals, school, or professional gigs around town, Nat and the Back Porch Jazz Group created a path through their music studies that led them to Berklee College of Music.
As Nat has grown as a musician, Joe and Leila have watched MCMC evolve in parallel. As Nat was finishing high school MCMC began offering Jazz Camps in the summer and then was able to hire Nat as a counselor after they went to college. For the McVeigh Family, what makes MCMC special is its accessibility for musicians at any level to engage with the organization.
Joe calls MCMC a “small organization with a big reach,” adding, “If you look at the variety of lessons that are offered on so many different instruments, both individual or in group settings, there’s an amazing array of offerings.” This commitment to providing both a depth and breadth of musical experiences supported Nat’s growth and continues to offer ways for them to remain engaged with the community as an adult.
The McVeighs are now seeing that commitment grow outwards to include other businesses and organizations in the community. MCMC now partners with the local library to provide free concerts, churches, and community spaces for salons and events, and local arts organizations in designing and running interdisciplinary arts summer camps.
All of these collaborations add up to tangible impacts in shaping a thriving community for Joe and Leila. “I think that in today's fragmented world,” Joe reflects, “it’s all about connections, and the more connections we can make, the better. And what better way to connect than with music and through music.”
One challenge they foresee for the Center is related to its growth and expanding connections with the community. Joe and Leila both recognize the limitations of a program limited to just one physical space. MCMC’s mission of providing access to inspiring musical experiences to more and more members of the community is already outgrowing the four walls of the house on Main Street, bringing in community partners like the nearby Town Hall Theater to expand musical offerings and opportunities.
This growth creates an exciting new chapter for MCMC after its first decade of work. With new connections and collaborations with other businesses and organizations, MCMC’s vision and mission are spreading to new venues and taking new shapes in the community. What makes MCMC special to the McVeigh Family is its inclusivity and diversity of offerings that make it accessible to so many different types of potential students.
Leila sees this mission as being fundamentally driven by passion and care. “It’s really blossomed over the past decade, and it’s been really amazing to watch the love and the thought and the work get poured into MCMC to make it what it is.”