3 minute read

Education

from Oklahoma Magazine December 2022

by Oklahoma Magazine

from Oklahoma Magazine December 2022, page 18

Article from: Oklahoma Magazine December 2022

Shopping

All About the Music

Academies and conservatories of music dot the Oklahoma map.

The Oklahoma Music Academy in Tulsa off ers an ensemble rock bandstyle class for qualified students. Photo courtesy Oklahoma Music Academy Oklahoma houses a variety of colleges with well-respected music programs, but several academies that focus solely on the music also exist for students of all ages.

Oklahoma Music Academy, located in Tulsa, o ers private lessons and tutoring for guitar, drums, voice, piano and bass guitar.

“We also o er a rock band style ensemble class for quali ed students that focuses on contemporary music, called After School Rock,” says Mac Ross, co-owner and instructor at the academy. ere, he teaches guitar, bass and ukulele.

A similar program, called Summer Jam, ends with a big performance at Cain’s Ballroom.

“ e concert is free to enter and we raise money for Fostering Connections, a local nonpro t,” says Ross. Summer Jam requires either an audition or a recommendation from a teacher. e academy also o ers classes for those just starting out; Little Maestros is a learning track for young children.

“We branded it to create a delineation from other branches of our general program, so that parents of children ve to eight years old could see that we have instrumental tutoring available for this age group,” says Ross.

e other brand new class at OMA is called Mini Mozarts: Mommy and Me, which caters to children under the age of ve. Each session has music-based lessons including crafts, music memory games, exploring rhythms and creating instruments.

Red Dirt Music Academy, located in Oklahoma City, was opened by Cory Moon in 2018. e academy o ers half-hour, hour and group lessons for guitar, banjo, ukulele, drums, mandolin, voice, piano, violin, viola and bass.

“We o er all types of music lessons for all levels of musicians,” says Moon, who owns the academy and acts as its director. During the summer months, Red Dirt held a musical theater production camp where students sang songs, acted out scenes and learned dances from Shrek e Musical.

“We also have di erent types of camps that end with a concert performed by the students,” says Moon. On top of that, group ensembles are incredibly popular at Red Dirt.

“One is a folk/bluegrass ensemble and the other is a rock band ensemble,” says Moon.

If parents are unsure about how lessons will go or what instrument their children want to learn, Red Dirt o ers a free trial lesson. Here, the teacher can get to know the student, gure out what goals he or she wants to achieve, and subsequently build a game plan.

Moon also created a program called Ukes for Kids. Partnering with the Children’s Hope program at the Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children OKC, the weekend course provides group ukulele lessons for kids who might not be able to participate otherwise. DREW JOSEPH ALLEN