A local music school has experienced a rise in enrollments, doubling their students since the beginning of the pandemic.
Mae Collard said she started her music school in her lounge room and was surprised by the amount of adults, kids and teenagers signing up for instrumental lessons.
“We’ve all experienced the downside of the pandemic, but this has been an exciting upside,” Ms Collard said
“Seeing children discover the joy of music and then wanting to pursue that with lessons, has been wonderful.”
The Mae Collard School of Music in Ferntree Gully runs music programs at primary and secondary schools, as well as a school of its own which expanded to include a fourth room in January.
Andrew Feagan signed his daughter Scarlett up to the music school last year and said she came home from her first lesson beyond excited.
“She insisted she get a keyboard as she wanted to practice every day. We’ve had lots of mini concerts since then,” Mr Feagan said.
“I love hearing her music through the house and it’s made Scarlett so happy.”
The music school is located at 15 Alpine Street, Ferntree Gully.
Ms Collard said most of the students loved having a weekly escape from technology like TVs and Ipads.
“With the ups and downs of lockdowns, playing an instrument and singing was something they could continue to work on from home, regardless of what was happening around them, and we were really proud as teachers to be able to provide this,” Ms Collard said.
“Hopefully we’ve seen the last of lockdown and we can watch these talented music students progress in real life and on the stage, surrounded by other like-minded people.”
