“At first, teaching music was a hobby,” Mary Morrison says of her traveling music program for children, “to keep me busy while my children were in various activities at the recreation center.” She knew it was something more the first time she taught a student the “star Wars” theme song and he looked up at here with wide, wondrous eyes, exclaiming “I’m playing it! I’m playing it! That’s the real song and I’m playing it!”
Now, Mary still gets overjoyed watching her students discover music and dance for the first time, especially since most of the children’s families would never be able to afford music lessons if it weren’t for this program. Community Music Centers travels to various Columbus- area recreation centers and provides extremely low-cost – and sometimes free – music and dance classes that include: piano, guitar orchestra, drums, ballet, tap, and sing & sign lessons. The program now also features The Columbus Children’s show Choir and The Columbus
Community string Orchestra.
Mary also stays busy outside of the
recreation centers. Between home schooling her own children with the Ohio Virtual Academy, serving on the Franklin County 4-H council, and helping to keep her community clean by teaching the benefits of recycling as owner and moderator of a worldwide, community- based initiative called Freecycle Columbus, Mary still has time to dream. Her dream? “To inspire my students and children to … audition for ‘America’s Got Talent!’”
Until superstardom strikes, she will be satisfied if more families come to know about the Community Music Centers’ music and dance program, and take advantage of the P.L.A.y. grants that make the lessons affordable for everyone. To learn more, visit communitymusiccenters.freehosting.net. ▪