On a busy Wednesday afternoon at the Joy of Music School, students strum ukuleles, raise violins to their chins and find the notes on a piano. For many of them, this marks the first step of a rewarding journey to mastering an instrument.
Thanks to the nonprofit's mission, for these kids, that journey is completely free.
Driving on Interstate 40, you might have seen the brick building at 1209 Euclid Ave. where the school operates. There, students ages 4 to 18 can take private lessons and group classes, all taught by volunteers.
Piano is the most popular instrument, but students can also learn to play the guitar, violin, viola, cello, ukulele and drums. The nonprofit teaches upright bass on occasion too, as well as traditional band and orchestra
instruments. "If a kid wants to take it, we'll try and find a way to make it happen," executive director Michael Ray told Knox News.
Students can sign up for classes with a more specialized focus, too: Rock Band, Music Production and Engineering for Teens, Music Theory and Songwriting and Music for Littles.
Teaching music and tools for success
Along with teaching music, the school hopes to teach its students "tools for success" − "valuable things that if I said them out loud and you were hiring someone, you'd be like, well, that's a trait I want," Ray said. "Works well with others, knows how to communicate, detail-oriented, you know, goes home and does their homework and practices. It's like, these are things that cross over into the real world pretty well. And then, you know, if they can play music their whole lives, just whether it's for fun or professionally, that's amazing."
But the music itself is transforming lives too. Ray shared a story about one student, a bow-tie-wearing 10-year-old boy who's "multi-talented" and "very ambitious with music." He plays piano, violin and trombone and sings. At home, he often practiced on his family's upright piano, but his dream was to have a baby grand.
Not long after that, Ray got a call from someone moving to Knoxville who had packed their baby grand on a moving truck to bring, but no longer wanted it. The stars aligned, and the piano was delivered to the boy's house on his birthday, which he promptly proclaimed the greatest day of his life.
To get involved with lessons or classes, there are household income guidelines or other circumstances such as attending a Title I school or qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch that mean a student can join. The nonprofit also requires eligible participants to attend regularly and have a parent or guardian who can stay on campus during the program.
To donate, volunteer or learn more about signing up, visit joyofmusicschool.org.
This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: Joy of Music School teaches free lessons and other 'tools for success'
