September is my favorite month of the year, for many, many reasons. When the very first new student walks through our doors looking a bit anxious, not quite sure what to expect from this “Merriam Adventure” their parents signed them up for, I always picture them 10 or 20 years down the road. Maybe they’ve ended up in finance, or business, or medicine, or technology of some kind…maybe they’ve even become a full-time musician. But I can see all of them sitting down to an instrument, and without effort, without stress, just pure joy, expressing themselves through music. Maybe that’s because I have 5 kids of my own, and I always had an intense desire to give my children experiences and lessons that would serve them well in life, and above all, pursue their passions and find fulfillment and joy. And perhaps, as a professional pianist, I wanted everyone to experience the same pleasure I know ALL musicians experience when they share music together. The second reason I love September is that myself and a few other senior staff members will be hosting our annual Strategies for Success meetings over the next several weeks – which is my chance to meet each and every one of our new students, and give them some tips and insight into what it takes to succeed here. Having seen close to 50,000 students pass through our doors since I began the school in 1988, we’ve learned a few things about how to keep people motivated, and understand the difference between success and failure in music education. I absolutely love the chance to speak to people about it. As a school, I can’t think of a more profound or more valuable mission than focusing on unleashing the power of music inside every student we teach. And everything we do here is continually driven by that vision: taking someone of any age, and any level, and teaching the artistic, theoretical, and technical aspects of music in the most relevant and engaging ways so they can enjoy music while they learn, and well beyond their time here at Merriam Music – hopefully for the rest of their lives. And most exciting for me is this that this September, we’ll welcome more new students through our door than any other time in our 28 year history. To see even more families continue to connect with our dream of teaching music as a language – with full comprehension, not just memorization and regurgitation – fills me with immense confidence that Merriam continues to play a critical role in our community, and leading our industry as we spread music as far and wide as possible. I hope everyone takes the time to enjoy meeting your teacher, connecting with our staff, and most importantly, taking the time to learn and understand how to maximize your year with us. There are countless events, many of which are available at no charge to you as members, that can extend and enhance the classroom […]
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