New Piano creates new opportunity for Community School students
Posted on Wednesday January 5
The Community School recently received a generous donation of a baby grand piano, and staff and students are thrilled.
Donated by local resident Jan Taft, the piano now sits proudly in the school’s living room, where it will become an active part of daily life for students enrolled The Residential Program.
“This is a great opportunity for our students,” said Admissions and Development Director Michelle Peaco. “We are thrilled that our students will have the chance to expand their music education, and we are grateful to Jan Taft for making this opportunity possible.”
For many years, the school has dreamed of having a piano, particularly for students in its Residential Program. Students in this program spend the academic year living at the school’s converted farmhouse in downtown Camden, while they work toward high school graduation.
Music has always been an important part of The Residential Program, and the school is often filled with the sounds of students singing, dancing to the radio, or strumming guitar. Residential students also host occasional open mic coffee houses, and music has always been a featured activity on weekend camping trips, as staff and students gather around the campfire with guitar, fiddle, banjo, accordion and their own voices, sharing stories, songs and their own musical traditions.
Meanwhile students in The Passages Program for teen parents participate in monthly Music Together classes and use music as a springboard for exploring rhythm, rhyme and other literacy enhancing activities.
Now, students will have the chance to formally study piano, gain new skills, and create new musical traditions that will last for generations to come.
The Community School is seeking volunteer piano tutors to assist with piano instruction, and interested parties should contact Michelle Peaco at 236-3000, ex. 110, or michelle.thecommunityschool @gmail.com.
