By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Stock photo/submitted
Westborough – Parents want the best for their kids. When it comes to music education, they want fun and effective lessons their kids will love. The problem is there are so many choices it can be overwhelming finding the right teacher. The New England Music Academy (NEMA) offers group or private lessons that make learning music feel fun and easy, and that will last a lifetime for their students. NEMA welcomes anyone who wants to learn music to call, schedule a visit, and “start making music together.”
The academy is tucked away at 30 Lyman St., in Westborough. There, students explore music in a fun, friendly and non-competitive environment. In existence since 2005, NEMA is entering its 15th year of offering group and private lesson for all ages.
It’s NEMA’s philosophy that sets them apart from other programs, according to its founder, Deanna Wong.
“NEMA believes in learning real music theory and having fun while doing so,” she said.
Young children can learn complex music concepts when presented in a fun, game-based group setting, she added.
“Even the music and movement classes for our youngest, babies to 4 years, will be presented with little bite sized bits of keyboarding or theory,” she noted. “Our Beginner Music classes for the Kindergarten age child include learning to read and write music through the keyboard. They learn to sing and match pitches, and they write songs on the music staff that any musician could read and play.
“We are in the age of information and there is just so much coming at parents all the time. It can be overwhelming. Parents just want to do what’s best for their kids, and give their kids quality opportunities to help them develop into well rounded kids. But it’s tough.
“Learning music can be intimidating, but it shouldn’t be. It should be just as fun as other activities that parents choose like soccer, swimming or dance.”
Wong said that traditional lessons often focus on preparing for competitions, exams and adjudications. But for New England Music Academy families, it’s about the process of building a solid foundation in music literacy and having fun while learning music together week after week.
“Our NEMA parents are getting precious one-on-one time with their kids, watching them in class, seeing how they interact with their teacher and their classmates. Over time, parents not only gain incredible insight on how their kids learn, but they learn to play too!” Wong said. “I don’t know of anywhere else that invites parents into the learning process like NEMA does.”
“We are not your traditional music lessons,” she added. “Fun is a core value of the school and it is written into the DNA of every program.”
“A young boy, who came into one of our summer sessions, exclaimed, ‘This is going to be awesome!’ when he saw all the games and props that we were planning to use. He knew he was in for some serious music fun. That’s exactly what music lessons should be.”
Wong noted that one parents shared “It’s an ideal environment for a child to learn. This is a journey, one to share with your child. You learn together and grow together in music.”
Another parent said that they would stop all other after school programs before they would give up their music classes at NEMA.
“The parents are our heroes. They don’t want the drudgery of the traditional piano lesson they grew up with. We have wonderful families who continually recommend our school,” Wong said.
For more information, visit NEMA’s website http://www.nemusicacademy.com or phone: 508-898-3888.
