Music School for Young Children in Worcester

Wanted to share this press release from our advertiser, Pakachoag Music School, in case you were looking for music instruction in Worcester. Good luck! bsp

Worcester Area Music School
Expands Programs for Young Children

The specialized Suzuki Method
for teaching young children how to play an instrument
is expanding at Pakachoag Music School starting in February

Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester, one of the original pioneers of early childhood music education in the Worcester area, is pleased to announce that its Suzuki music lesson program, for children aged 3 and up, will expand this winter to include:
• Suzuki Guitar instruction;
• Two new Suzuki violin instructors; and
• Group violin classes, both beginner and intermediate levels.
With very few Suzuki-trained teachers residing and teaching
in the Central Massachusetts area, Pakachoag Music School, is particularly pleased to be able to expand this unique program offering to area families.
The Suzuki Guitar program will be led by Jeremy Milligan (left), a Master’s Degree candidate in Classical Guitar Performance, specializing in Suzuki guitar pedagogy, at the Hartt School of Music in Hartford, CT.
As the Suzuki guitar program develops, group guitar classes, which offer the opportunity to experience the social aspects of music, learn from peers, polish pieces for performance and to review the repertoire, will also be offered. Parents of children as young as four years old may request an assessment session with the teacher to determine child readiness for lessons.
A new intermediate Suzuki Violin class – which also includes a fiddling component – will be taught by Amy Matherly on Saturdays. Amy joined the faculty in October, and also teaches Suzuki violin at the Bancroft School in Worcester.
The Suzuki violin program will further expand to include lessons for children now as young as 3 years. This change is possible with the addition a fourth Suzuki trained violinist to the Pakachoag Faculty: Audrey White (right). Audrey, who completed Suzuki training with Dr. Suzuki in Japan, holds a degree in Viola Performance from the New England Conservatory of Music; and a dual master’s degree in conducting and viola from UMass/Lowell. Audrey, originally from Worcester, is the current conductor of the Worcester Youth Orchestra. She founded the Intensive Community Program of the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra in the ‘90’s where she also conducted BYSO’s Preparatory String Orchestra (PSO) and taught on the faculty of NEC’s preparatory division.
Amy and Audrey join Pakachoag teacher Sheila Reid who teaches Suzuki Violin – private lessons and beginning group classes each week during after-school hours.
As explained by the Suzuki Association of the Americas: Suzuki based his approach on the belief that, “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability that can be developed. Any child who is properly trained can develop musical ability, just as all children develop the ability to speak their mother tongue. The potential of every child is unlimited.” Suzuki’s beliefs and the method he developed have now reached thousands of teachers, children and families in many nations.
The important elements of the Suzuki approach to instrumental teaching include the following:
• an early start (aged 3-4 is normal in most countries)
• the importance of listening to music
• learning to play before learning to read
• the involvement of the parent
• a nurturing and positive learning environment
• a high standard of teaching by trained teachers
• the importance of producing a good sound in a balanced and natural way
• core repertoire, used by Suzuki students across the world
• social interaction with other children: Suzuki students from all over the world can communicate through the language of music”

For more information, call School Director Sarah Smongeski at: 508.791.8159, or go to www.pakmusic.org and look for “Suzuki”.

About Pakachoag:
Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester – an independent not-for-profit community school of the arts and member of the National Guild For Community Arts Education -- has achieved a reputation during its 27 year history for providing the very best in music education and enrichment. Not only does the school attract hundreds of families each year from 35 towns in Central Massachusetts including Auburn, the City of Worcester, Rhode Island, and Northern Connecticut, it is also recognized as an on-going resource to the larger community, contributing to the vibrant and rich culture that makes central Massachusetts such a great place to live and work.
The School currently offers over 30 different programs and classes each year, and hosts more than 25 different performance programs (in- and out-of-house). In addition to Music Together classes in Auburn (offered Tuesday through Saturday, and Thursday evenings), these classes for children aged birth through five are also offered at three different satellite locations in W. Boylston, Sterling, and Sturbridge. In 2009, the School was named a key program partner for All Saints Church’s Afternoon Tunes program, a youth-to-youth music instruction program led by volunteers and mentor musicians, providing music instruction to Worcester youth at no cost.