CHANGING ITS TUNE
Music Training Center rebrands as virtual learning site
PLYMOUTH » With his new Music Training Center location at Plymouth Meeting Mall shut down by the pandemic, founder and owner Darryl Schick simply applied his fondness for innovation to a potentially difficult situation.
Schick and his staff of teachers found ways to funnel their passion and dedication into transitioning not only Plymouth Meeting but three other MTC schools into virtual learning venues — complete with one-on-one instruction, group classes and livestream performances.
“We actually got closed down on the day we were supposed to open in Plymouth Meeting,” said Schick, who had relocated the school from Ridge Pike in Conshohocken. “We reopened when the order was lifted in June, however we continue to operate all of our programs virtually. The storefront is open and we have a receptionist there to give tours, but because of COVID we’re still doing everything through our online platform.”
In addition to the Plymouth Meeting location, which was rebranded as Plymouth Performing Arts Center, the award-winning MTC also operates schools in Ardmore (Ardmore West Shopping Center), North Wales (Airport Square Shopping Center) and Marlton, N.J. (Marlton Crossing Shopping Center Center)
Founded in 2002, MTC now employs more than 50 degreed music and theatrical
arts educators and administrative staff members.
Since March, MTC has launched virtual private lessons in piano, voice, violin, viola, cello, saxophone, guitar, drums, and acting, further enhancing the online experience for its students by conducting virtual master classes with Broadway stars from “Hamilton,” “Frozen,” “Waitress,” “Aladdin,” “Mean Girls,” “Harry Potter” and “Wicked.”
The Plymouth Meeting Mall location on the lower level next to Legoland has afforded the center a unique opportunity to promote its philosophy that you’re never too young for an education in music.
“The reason we ended up where we are at the mall is that they wanted to put all of the family activities on the lower level,” Schick noted. “We have seating for up to 100 audience members and an occupancy even higher than that. There is a glass wall, so everybody walking by the concourse in the mall can turn and look straight through a glass wall onto our stage. I think it’s a pretty good overlap,” Schick said of the location, “because our programs begin with newborns. We have a program called First Notes, a music class for newborn children all the way up to pre-school. Before the pandemic we had about 90 children a week coming for that class. Overall, in Pennsylvania we have more than 300 children coming to those classes. Once they get to be about five years old we can transition them into a music lesson track where they can pick up violin or piano or singing. When they get to be seven years old they can pick up on other instruments, like strings or brass instruments.”
The school recently introduced ukulele lessons for 5-year-olds, Schick said.
“One of our 5-year-olds did a Zoom recital the other night and it was just amazing,” he said. “We had more than 600 children perform in the last few weeks. We actually have recitals in June, August and December. It’s one of the nice things that came out of the pandemic because we have the ability, because it’s online, for an extended family that otherwise could not travel for a physical recital, to participate in seeing the students perform. And for those kids who don’t want to become musicians and singers as a primary arts pursuit, we also have a musical theater track where they can (gain experience) becoming actors beginning at age five. We have another program called Mini Stage for as young as four years old, where they learn to perform with singing, acting and choreography, and when they get to second grade, they can join our productions like ‘Annie’ and ‘Frozen’ that we license the rights to perform.
Although the online classes will retain their importance at MTC, Schick said the staff is looking forward to the return of inperson learning as well.
“We’re looking forward to the day we can bring students and teachers in to fulfill the mission, but for now it’s just open for people to come and see it. For nearly two decades, MTC has been providing quality music and performing arts education to thousands of families in Pennsylvania and New Jersey,” Schick noted. “I am proud to say that even during the Pandemic, our amazing teachers have adapted to online teaching and continue to provide essential arts education to more than 1,000 children each week. Thanks to our wonderful staff, the dedicated communities we serve, and the families who have grown with us, we look forward to returning to our schools in 2021, while continuing to offer our online programs for students who prefer to continue in the online format.”
MTC is offering free introductory online lessons in voice, piano, violin, viola, cello, guitar, drum, and saxophone, and winter break Musical Theatre camps through Dec. 31.
For more information about Music Training Center, visit musictrainingcenter.com.