ISSUED: 21 August 2018
MEDIA CONTACT: Valerie Owens
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Registration is open for the Shepherd University Community Music division fall music classes and private lessons for community members, including pre-school and school-age children, as well as adults.
Early childhood classes
Early childhood music classes, taught by Frauke Higgins, who is celebrating her 15th year teaching at Shepherd, will begin the third week in September. Early childhood music classes include:
- Musical Discoveries for ages 18 months-3 years, with caregiver, will meet on Fridays from 9:15-10 a.m., September 21-November 30. This interactive class for children and parents/grandparents will introduce the young student to the rudiments of music. The class will explore songs, echo songs, creative movement, rhythm instruments, rhymes, and finger-play.
- Music for Preschoolers, ages 3-5, with caregiver, will be offered on Fridays from 10-10:45 a.m., September 21-November 30; and Tuesdays from 4:30–5:15 p.m., September 18-November 27. Children will sing songs, play acoustic and Orff instruments, develop listening skills, and work with creative movement and circle dances.
Tuition for each 10-week class is $140. There will not be classes the week of Thanksgiving.
Adult piano lessons
Adult piano classes, taught by adjunct music professor Susan Petzhold-Carpenter, will be held Wednesdays from September 12-November 14. Tuition for the 10-week session is $120, plus the cost of materials. Three levels will be offered:
- Level I, 4-5 p.m., requiring no previous music experience.
- Level II, 5:15-6:15 p.m., for those who may have studied before or taken Level I.
- Level III, 6:30-7:30 p.m., for those with more experience or who have taken Levels I and II.
Adult piano class is intended to make learning music accessible to all in a fun, supportive, and social environment. There are no deadlines, evaluations or performances, just the experience of learning a new skill or refreshing an old one. Practicing is voluntary, in recognition of the time constraints for most adult learners. Talent is not a requirement and there is no age limit to the ability to take these classes.
Private lessons available
Shepherd’s Community Music division also offers the opportunity for area musicians of all ages and experience levels to take private lessons from qualified music students and adjunct or full-time faculty, depending on availability.
Students may study voice, winds, percussion, strings, harp, piano, music theory, composition, and improvisation on a weekly basis throughout the school year. Recitals are presented for the public at the end of each semester. The next scheduled student recital will take place on Saturday, December 15, at 10 a.m.
For more information and to register for lessons, contact Sherry Sykes, coordinator for Community Music, at ssykes@shepherd.edu or 304-876-5248, or visit www.shepherd.edu/music/community-program.
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