Manhattan Arts Center offers violin lessons to young musicians
http://kstatecollegian.com/article.php?a=9022
Published in the Kansas State Collegian on Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Lacey D. Mackey
Kansas State Collegian
The Manhattan Arts Center, 1520 Poyntz Ave., offers affordable violin lessons for young students in the community.
Mary Ellen Titus, arts center volunteer, said the program began about 14 years ago when she was teaching at Roosevelt Elementary School.
Titus said she had a class of kindergarten through third-grade students whom she wanted to get involved in the arts.
"I love music," she said. "You can work together as a group, and it teaches discipline."
After talking with Hume Music Inc. in Topeka, Titus said she received enough instruments for her students, ranging from 1/8 to 3/4 sized violins.
Titus said she had a local violin teacher conduct the lessons in her classroom, but after Titus retired, the program eventually evolved into an after-school option. About four years ago, Titus said the program moved to the arts center and is now open to students throughout the community.
Half-hour classes are provided from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays at the arts center. With 33 students involved with the program, Titus said she cannot take on any additional students unless they have their own violins.
Many students follow through on the initial contact with the instrument, Titus said, and continue to play.
"We do a lot of ear training," Titus said. "We hope as many as want to will go on to school orchestras."
One of her favorite parts, Titus said, is watching the students learn to work with others.
"Everybody helps everybody else," Titus said. "If you help someone learn something, you learn it better yourself."
The cost for violin lessons correlate to the sliding scale used for student lunches, Titus said. For a student who receives free lunch at school, lessons are $1 per week. For those who have reduced lunches, lessons cost $3 per week, and those paying for a full lunch pay $6 per week for lessons.
Janice Albright teaches the violin lessons at the arts center for the program, but this is not Albright's first time. Albright said she has given violin lessons since 1962.
With students ranging from kindergarten to sixth or seventh grade, Albright said she enjoys working with her young students who are eager to learn.
"They're all too cute, and you just want to to hug them," Albright said. "The students are very attentive, and their parents are so supportive."
Learning to play the violin is not the only thing Albright said she wants students to take away from their lessons.
"It teaches them to do more than one thing at a time," Albright said. "Using physical, tactile, ear and sight. They use four things at one time."
Penny Senften, director of the arts center, said the low-cost lessons provide an opportunity many students would not normally be able to have.
"The main thing that I see is most of the kids couldn't have violin lessons at all," Senften said. "This is a very affordable way."
Senften said the arts center's statement focuses on the concept of providing the arts for people of all ages, and this opportunity makes that possible.
"We offer high-quality arts at affordable prices," she said. "We're very keen on getting the arts to kids."
Posted 2/24/2006
