Pakachoag Music School Enters Fourth Decade of Success
Friday, May 31, 2013
A Suzuki violin student engages with elders during an outreach concert at Tatnuck Park in Worcester.
Now entering into its fourth decade of existence, the Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester has been one of the most recognizable and brightest spots on the Worcester County cultural scene for over a generation.
Over the years it has changed a bit, adjusting to new times and challenges, recently revamping its website and even adjusting its mission statement, but it's always been centered around and committed to the same basic goals, i.e. to nurture musical journeys which cultivate the imagination, inspire creativity and develop artistry its students, no matter the age or given skill level.
The Programs
Programs that are currently having quite an effect include the "high commitment" Suzuki Violin program, now in its third year, and the Music Together program, for children ages birth through 5 and their parents, which has been called by many in the area the best toddler/pre-school musical opportunity they have experienced as parents. These are just two of many popular, acclaimed and valuable programs offered by this unique school.
Classical-oriented faculty specialties include instruments such as piano, guitar, violin, organ, flute, cello, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet and, of course, perhaps the most challenging instrument of all, voice. But don't be scared by the thought of having to make such an important decision, like what instrument to master, at such an early age. A Pakachoag musical education allows the student to experiment and spread their wings.
"We welcome everyone - no matter one’s age, background or perceived talent. We are classically oriented so I do go through an informal ‘interest survey’ when someone calls for private lessons just to be sure what we offer can match expectations. And while we are classically oriented, it does not mean someone only must have that as their ‘musical’ interest. We provide a foundation that can branch in many directions," says Sarah Smongeski, executive director of the Pakachoag Music School.
With the arts continuing to struggle to find funding in public schools, the demand for the type of education offered at Pakachoag has grown immensely. The school now offers classes and private lessons at five separate locations and attracts students from over 40 communities reaching as far as Bolton, Southborough, the Brookfields, Sturbridge and the Rhode Island and Connecticut borders.
More than Just an Education in Music
Most importantly, students who attend Pakachoag get far more out of their education than simply a basic ability to play a certain instrument or a rough idea on how to read or write music. Students get a full education that will help them in many different aspects of their lives, as Sarah Smongeski remarks.
"Our primary goal for young children is that they develop a love and comfort for making music. They also learn things like motor coordination, language development, and ways to express themselves or channel their emotions appropriately and productively."
For older students who take private lessons, as Sarah goes on, "in addition to the art of playing an instrument, they are developing self-discipline, time-management and the list goes on and on."
Through the Student Performance Program, students also learn how to gradually and prudently push themselves beyond their self-perceived limitations and how to correct and not get discouraged by mistakes. Something that makes Pakachoag "standout" according to Smongeski.
"We are all setting on-going goals, as teachers and students. The students learn, over time and through repeated engagement, what it means to ‘polish’ a piece of music for performance, they understand what it means to stretch beyond what you thought you could do, and they also learn how to recover when things do not go as expected on stage. Those are lessons which cannot easily be replicated in other educational settings; and they are lessons which are significant, transferrable across all areas of learning, and lasting."
Of course, benefiting individuals in this way directly benefits the greater community as well. The Worcester and Massachusetts area are constantly rejuvenated and kept vibrant with a constantly revolving source of the critical thinking, community engagement and productive citizenship that only the arts can be provide, leading to the necessary creativity and resultant innovation that keeps a community productive and healthy, and a destination for families, businesses and entrepreneurs.
Therefore, hopefully, for all our sakes, the Pakachoag Music School of Greater Worcester remains a successful enterprise far into the future.
For more information on Pakachoag please click here.
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