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STRIKING THE RIGHT
CHORD Notasium founders Preston Clarke and Stephen Norman-Scott now bang pots, strum the banjo and rush down slides – all aimed at teaching kids music appreciation BY LAURA ZOLMAN KIRK | PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIANA BROUGH
Launched in August 2015, the instrument-
themed play space, music school and coffee shop mash-up was an idea of Preston’s that had been brewing for a while. An indie singer, songwriter and musician who spent his early career playing in Los Angeles and New York City, Preston and his family relocated to Durham, where he was hired as the lead instructor of the Rock ‘n Roll High School in Apex. “Trying to get the younger kids in there was really tough,” Preston says of the school. So he sought to create something targeting that demographic, getting “to kids in a musical way before they’re ready for lessons.” Most kids 5 and younger don’t have the focus for classical instruction yet, “but they have the attention span to play with something,” he says. He chatted with pal Stephen – an artist turned entrepreneur who founded web development and marketing firm CSupport Services – who was looking for something new in his work life, too. In just a few short months, the Notasium concept – a musical wonderland meant for J u n e / J u l y
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