The Music Cellar sings the sweet tune of success

MILLERTON — Musical harmony was restored in the village of Millerton this summer as Jonathan Grusauskas (best known as Jonny G, the creator and visionary behind The Music Cellar, located right off the Harlem Valley Rail Trail) succeeded in raising the funds needed to purchase The Music Cellar building this past August.

Located at 14 Main St., the raspberry-colored building along the trail has been a hub for musical instruction and exploration in the community for the last five years.

Before moving into that space, The Music Cellar was previously located in the space where the T-Shirt Farm used to be located at 64 South Center St.; it’s since moved around the corner to 14 Main St., along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.

From Toddler Jam and Story Hour to Mom’s Morning Out and private music lessons, The Music Cellar offers residents of all ages from around the Tri-state region the chance to explore their passion for music and unlock endless musical possibilities.

Though The Music Cellar managed to weather the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact by switching from in-person to virtual programming, Jonny G acknowledged last spring how the pandemic has cut into their business.

Another impact of COVID-19 was the increase in value in the local real estate market, especially in the Harlem Valley and areas like Millerton, Pine Plains and across the border in neighboring Salisbury and Kent, Conn., which led to the building being placed on the market. Responding quickly to his landlord’s announcement that she wanted to sell the building, Jonny G decided he wanted to buy the hot piece of property. He set up a GoFundMe page this past March to raise the necessary funds with the community’s help as he didn’t have the money for a down payment all by himself.

Thanks to an overwhelming amount of support and generosity, The Music Cellar was able to raise the funds needed to put down the down payment on the building. Jonny G said the studio met its goal by August, raising $18,000.

When The Millerton News previously reported on The Music Cellar’s fundraising campaign this past spring, the total fundraising goal was $25,000. With $18,000 raised through the GoFundMe page, Jonny G attributed the remaining $17,000 to generous support from his family and donors, with the rest coming from his personal savings.

Extending his gratitude to all those who contributed to the fundraiser and allowed The Music Cellar to secure its home base of 10 years, Jonny G said, “In a world where school budgets so often suffer, and the arts are considered extracurricular luxuries rather than the integral piece of humanity that they are, it gives me hope to see so many coming together to show their support and valuation of music education. It makes me proud to live in a community that sees the importance of music and creativity.”

Elsewhere in the community, local residents and long-time supporters of the studio were equally delighted to see The Music Cellar reach its goal.

“[My husband] Greg and I were thrilled to see the outpouring of support from the community,” said Brooke Lehman, co-director of The Watershed Center in Millerton, who rallied the community to contribute to the GoFundMe page, “and we weren’t surprised because Jonny and the rest of the crew at The Music Cellar have been such a gift to the community for so many years. It’s really heartwarming to see so many people showing up and giving back.”

If things had gone differently and The Music Cellar had disappeared from the village, Lehman said the community would have lost the heart of its cultural programming.

“My hope is that The Music Cellar serves as a nucleus for other forms of creative endeavors to anchor themselves in Millerton in the future,” she said. “For Millerton, really having a building or a cultural institution devoted to music right in the heart of town — right on the Rail Trail — serves us as a community well into the future.”

“They are an important part of what makes this community so vibrant and fun,” said NorthEast-Millerton Library Director Rhiannon Leo-Jameson. “It really shows you how much they mean to Millerton and to our local creative community, that they were able to rally behind them like this.”

Jonny G often volunteers to sing and perform at the library, and is a regular part of its programming for children of all ages there.

“The Music Cellar has provided some of our youngest library patrons — infants, toddlers and preschoolers — with the ability to connect with music during their early childhood years, which are some of the most pivotal years in socio-emotional learning and development,” said NorthEast-Millerton Library Youth Services Coordinator Kristin McClune. “The impact of that is not insignificant, and knowing that they will continue to be a resource in our community brings me a lot of joy for their organization and for Millerton as a whole.”

Jonny G and those who work at The Music Cellar have also volunteered with the North East Community Center (NECC) in Millerton frequently over the years. They've also made it a point to participate in other community events, always contributing to the vibe of the village and promoting Millerton in the most musical of ways.

This article has been corrected to note The Music Cellar's address as 14 Main St., along the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. 

Helping to foster a love of music at an early age, Jonny G, center, led a group of local toddlers in drumming to their own beat at the Toddler Jam session on Wednesday morning, Oct. 27. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle

Helping to foster a love of music at an early age, Jonny G, center, led a group of local toddlers in drumming to their own beat at the Toddler Jam session on Wednesday morning, Oct. 27. Photo by Kaitlin Lyle