WHAT: Music Lesson Open House and Concert at Free Grange Music Studio

WHEN: Friday, Oct. 30, 2009 (Open House 3-6 p.m., Concert 6-6:45 p.m.)

WHERE: on Center Street in Bowdoinham (at corner of Main St./Route 125, behind Fox Real Estate) at Free Grange Music Studio

HOW MUCH: Concert $3; Open House free

At Free Grange Music Studio's Open House in Bowdoinham on October 30th, visitors are invited to drop by between 3 and 6 p.m. to meet music teachers Hope Hoffman (fiddle), Tamora Goltz (fiddle) and Jeff Trippe (guitar and mandolin).

This Open House is an opportunity to see the new studio space, ask questions (including general advice about instruments and music), and, if guests bring instruments, to informally play some music with the studio's friendly and talented instructors.

Each visitor or family of visitors at the Open House will receive a complimentary gift certificate for $10, which can be used as credit towards a scheduled violin/fiddle lesson, or be passed on as a gift to a friend.

An evening concert will be held at the studio October 30th from 6-6:45 p.m., featuring performances by some of the teachers at Free Grange Music Studio.

Guests can reserve seats for the concert (10 seats available) for $3 by mail to Hope Hoffman, PO Box 171, Bowdoinham ME 04008 and pick up tickets at the studio anytime after 3 p.m. on day of concert, or purchase tickets at the studio between 3 and 6 p.m. on the day of the concert.

Located less then a mile from I-295, and a tenth of a mile from the waterfront, the studio is within easy walking distance to Bowdoinham's library and hiking trails. Its family-friendly facilities include a comfortable waiting room with books and crayons, and a sunny, colorful teaching room.

Visitors arriving can look for the landmark of window boxes of colorful flowers on the building. The studio has its own parking lot and entrance on Center Street, around the corner from Fox Real Estate.

This year's discounts and special offerings at the studio include:

-- Trio Discount: If three friends would like to combine group and private lessons, a discounted rate is available for advance reservation for an hour and a half block of lesson time, which the trio can divide among themselves in a way that best fits their schedules.

-- Gift Certificates: Gift certificates are available for purchase online at www.hopehoffman.org. Each person or family who attends an Open House at Hope's studio will receive a $10 gift certificate.