PIANO LESSONS AND MORE – 2004 REGISTRATION FOR UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY’S YOUTH CONSERVATORY

Utah State University’s nationally accredited Youth Conservatory (YC), celebrating 26 years serving young pianists in Cache Valley, announces its fall registration for new and returning students. A registration open house is Tuesday, Aug. 10, from 6-7 p.m. in the lobby of the Kent Concert Hall in Utah State’s Chase Fine Arts Center.

An orientation for new members precedes the registration from 5:30-6 p.m. Students should accompany their parents, since placement tests are given during

the registration process. Attendance at the open house is the best way to secure placement, as space is limited and classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, according to YC program coordinator Brooke Reynolds. 

A second registration will be held Tuesday, Aug. 31, also from 6-7 p.m. in the Kent Concert Hall lobby. An orientation for new members will likewise precede

the registration from 5:30-6 p.m.

Registration may also take place by phone (contact the YC office at [435] 797-3018) or by mail.

“The Youth Conservatory was founded by Utah State’s internationally known professor Gary Amano to offer comprehensive piano instruction to young people and practicum experience to Utah State piano majors,” said Reynolds.

“The strength of the program is in its comprehensive approach in teaching young musicians,” said YC Director Ralph van der Beek. “Not only do we offer private lessons, but valuable weekly musicianship classes that focus on music theory, ear training and the lives and music of great composers. We also provide several exciting and rewarding events during the year, such as the Halloween Carnival and the Monster Concert. These popular events are not only a fun social experience, but are an incentive for students to achieve a high standard of performance.” 

The YC offers 30-minute private piano lessons as well as 55-minute group musicianship class each week. With the exception of the pre-school and kindergarten-age children, students are encouraged to enroll in both lessons and classes to achieve optimum learning results, Reynolds said.

“The YC program is one of the most affordable and convenient ways to help children develop musicianship and gain the enduring benefits from early music study,” van der Beek said. 

New to the program this year is a group class for adults that includes instruction in beginning piano and music theory.

Tuition starts as low as $23 a month for the kindergarten and pre-school music classes and for the piano- lessons-only option, and $36 a month for both private lessons and classes. 

“We also offer families with more than one child the advantage of having the same lesson time for all their children,” Reynolds said. “Many families are able

to have each child’s lesson in the same weekly half-hour block.”

Classes are scheduled Monday-Thursday during after-school hours and are taught in the Chase Fine Arts building on the Utah State campus.

The YC’s faculty and teaching staff draw from experienced musicians with doctoral, master’s, and bachelor degrees in music, as well as outstanding college students. “Children rarely have the opportunity to work this closely with specialists in the field of music,” Reynolds said. “With all the wonderful extracurricular programs available for children in Cache Valley, it can be difficult to pick the ones that will be the most enjoyable and offer the greatest lifetime benefit. However, the lifelong rewards of music study are incomparable, at least in my book.”