Document text
Learning to play Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Kaysey Acker-Covey and her 3-year-old son, Torrin, check out the electric keyboard at the Ashland School of Music. The first-year, independent school will offer classes for children 18 months to 11 years old beginning Feb. 1. Story, page 3A. New music school in Ashland aims to teach music to the preschool set By DAMIAN MANN How do you transform a 2-year-old's frenetic rappings on the coffee table into the regular rhythms of a musician? That clever trick is the goal of Donn Rochlin and Rene Johnston, who head the new Ashland School of Music, which will start enrollment Friday. They admit it's not an easy task to tutor toddlers. But these two teachers, along with some supportive parents, hope their efforts will make Jackson County a bit more musical. "It takes tons of patience," said Associate Director Johnston. "That's why the parents are so valuable. We start out playing games and slowly work on getting the kids to learn music." Since it's not a day-care facility, the music school will require parents to be with their children. But parents don't seem to mind. "It's great to start kids at a really young age, especially when the parents can be there with the kids," said Sondra Dehaas of Medford. "It's also like getting two classes for the price of one." Dehaas, who has two children but only one old enough for the class, said she will be learning music along with her daughter, Allison, 3. "It'll be a real bonding experience for us." Anne Duncan of Medford, who has three children, wants her 2-year-old son, Solomon, to get the kind of training she couldn't receive. "I didn't get the chance when I was young," she said. "My parents just didn't have the money." But she admits Solomon will be a handful for the teachers because it is difficult for him to settle down to learn rhythms. "That will be the hard part," she said. The school, located at 3175 E. Main St., will hold an open house for parents and children from 2 to 5 p.m. Feb. 2. Children 18 months to 11 years old can sign up for the 45-minute class that will be offered every week. Described as a holistic keyboard-based music curriculum, the school will slowly attune students to the world of music, developing musical rhythms, showing how one note is a higher sound than another. "Anything you can sing you can play," said Rochlin, a piano teacher and founder of the independent school. Studies of audio pathways in the brain show young children can learn musical techniques at a more rapid rate than adults. Rochlin said the course will also help parents who might consider themselves tone deaf. "They get to learn right along with the kids," he said. Johnson, who also offers a "stress-free method" for learning the piano, said the school will offer a two-year curriculum. As the school expands to four teachers, Johnson said similar courses will be offered to teenagers and adults. The cost for a month's worth of 45-minute lessons taught once a week is $60. Call the school at 488-7705. Reach reporter Damian Mann at 776-4476, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.