MusicMakers is not a music school for EVERYONE, and we know it. At MusicMakers, there is a lot happening “behind the scenes” that contributes to the total “MusicMakers Experience.” We have a proven record over 13 years of producing several professional musicians, but more importantly — amateur musicians who will enjoy music for their LIFETIME (and yours!). That is our overall goal — that your investment today results in generations of payoff in the realm of art, beauty, and enjoyment for your family.
Everything we do works around one factor: We take the ABSTRACT study of music and create TANGIBLE opportunities to apply what is studied:
- Qualified Teachers
In order to make music tangible, a student MUST have a qualified teacher with successful experience, and that teacher must LOVE to teach. All of our teachers are required to have at least a Bachelors degree in Music or Music Education. Many of our faculty have graduate degrees, and/or special certifications and licenses. And, they are passionate about the Art and CRAFT of teaching. - Motivation to Practice
We offer plenty of “performance” opportunities because we believe in SHORT-TERM GOALS. If a student does not have a tangible reason to practice, they usually won’t practice (and make no bones about it, MOST students do not like to practice and NO, this is not a sign of ‘lack of talent’). Take soccer, for instance: would you have your child drill soccer moves over and over every day, without ever applying those moves to an actual game? Of course not. Therefore, our yearly calendar involves several opportunities to perform (all non-mandatory) including master classes, winter celebration concerts, duet concerts, faculty recitals, informal studio recitals, and the Annual Recital Extravaganza Weekend each June. - Student Becomes Teacher
All students attend master classes, which are included in the tuition. These are about 90 minutes of peer teaching, where each student plays a piece that is a “work in progress,” and is critiqued by their peers! The teachers are in the room to be the “facilitators” but we encourage the students to focus on “listening” and “watching,” using critical analysis skills to then verbalize and or demonstrate. The students love these master classes, and we even play some “theory” games at the end to win prizes. - Parent Becomes Teacher
Let’s face it, a lot of music learning is naturally going to happen at home when the student practices. Many parents are not musicians, and get stressed about “how” to help their child practice at home. Oftentimes, children quit music mainly because it became too much of a stress on the parent (or family), and this is tragic. We offer Parent Workshops (at the same time your child has a master class) with our Director, Paula Penna, who is an expert in music education. She helps parents in any way they need, so that they can better facilitate the time at home, in between the lessons. - Organization
The confused mind always says “no.” In terms of music lessons, this means “no to practice,” “no to music,” “no to learning.” We keep your lessons highly organized using our exclusive “MusicMakers Book of Music Making” which outlines every assignment, has a daily practice record, a calendar, and a place for parents and teachers to communicate. We have highly trained office staff to answer your questions between lessons. Our website keeps growing to include many resources. And, our calendar is organized quite effectively.