NSU Community Music Academy receives recognition from ACHE

(Tahlequah, Okla)--Launched in the fall of 2014, Northeastern State Universitys Department of Music and Continuing Educations collaboration project, the Community Music Academy has done nothing but grow exponentially.

As proof of its success, the program was honored on March 5 and 6 at the Association for Continuing Higher Education (ACHE) Great Plains Spring Conference in Des Moines, Iowa. The Community Music Academy will receive the Exceptional Program Award (Noncredit).

The Community Music Academy offers high-quality private and group lessons on a three-tiered system. Individually, students and community members can choose from three levels of instructors for a lesson on their chosen instrument: NSU faculty instructor, NSU Music graduate or community member instructor, and undergraduate instructor.

The academy currently has 17 instructors, seven faculty, five graduates/community members and five undergraduates.

Along with individual lessons, students can also opt in to group lessons. The academy currently offers Music & Me, a music exploration course for young children, ages 0 to 24 months, and their parents and Group Piano for children age 3 to 5, which provides background for future private lessons.

Although the academy is less than a year old, it is quickly approaching 100 students. Piano is currently the most popular lesson; however, lessons are available for a wide range of instruments as well as voice.

This is such a great opportunity for NSU, its music students and the community, Patricia Surman, Community Music Academy Director and artist teacher of flute at NSU said. This provides our instructors with a way to teach at school, our students get a good teaching ground, as this is like a lab for them to practice, and its provided us with the opportunity to be more involved with the Tahlequah community.

Roger Hoverson, currently studying music at NSU, jumped at the opportunity to become a part of the academy upon its inception. Instructors average anywhere from three to 30 students, and Hoverson, who was teaching lessons prior to teaching at the academy, has taken on quite the workload.

Teaching for the academy has definitely taught me how to keep a schedule, time management skills and communications skills, Hoverson said. This experience is invaluable to me. Experience is a huge factor when hiring anyone in any field, and I am planning on moving after graduation. The experience I am getting here is definitely going to help me when I begin teaching flute in another area.

For the group lessons, the Music department has been able to hire a piano instructor, Ginger Allen, an NSU music graduate and community member, to help with the workload.

Surman, who instructs lessons, but also manages the placement of students, explained that the academy has tried to provide the community with instructors that match all types of student needs.

We have students with developmental disabilities and we have students who have professional, musical career goals, Surman said. I spend time talking with the parents of each student to match them and place them where they need to be to be able to enhance their lesson experience.

Lessons can be purchased in a 30, 45, or 60 minute format, and run 13-16 weeks depending on the term.

For Hoverson, the best part of the experience has been watching his students accomplish what they deemed as previously impossible. The NSU and Tahlequah communities will also have the opportunity to see the accomplishments of the academys students at the end of the semester.

OnMay 2in the NSU Center for Performing Arts in Tahlequah, the academy is planning a recital to showcase its students accomplishments throughout the semester.

For more information about the Community Music Academy, please contact Patricia Surman at 918-444-2703 orsurman@nsuok.edu.