Embarking on its 25th anniversary this fall, AfterSchool Music celebrated the milestone by moving into its new permanent location at 316 North Broadway – a “gorgeous Victorian home with stained glass, spacious teaching rooms and lots of room to grow.”
The move established a new era of world-class music instruction right where founder Lauren Canna grew up.
“I am a product of several great teachers from Pitman and it’s my honor to work with our local kids as well as students from all over Gloucester County,” Canna said.
“Welcoming folks into our town to visit our Uptown business community and enjoy our parks and library is a point of pride for my teachers and me.”
After almost three decades of teaching – everything from classical music at universities to one-on-one lessons for individuals ranging from young children to senior citizens – Canna’s network, experience and high demand has resulted in a prominent music school that fosters everyone who walks through the door.
“At my age, the people I went to college with have all started retiring,” she acknowledged. “But I feel like I am about to start a whole new career.”
Having worked in the industry spanning choral conducting for groups such as the Sparrow Women’s Chorale and voice curriculum development for grades K-7, Canna is seen as both a mentor and organizer in the professional music community.
In addition to AfterSchool Music nurturing thousands of music lovers over the last quarter century, Canna has had students reach Broadway and cruise ship stages, as well as prestigious classrooms as renowned professors.
“When a student graduates and they’ve been…here since elementary school, it’s just very special,” Canna reflected. “…You know the family, you see them through all the tough years, you see them shine when they get solos, parts in a musical, placed in South Jersey Band or Choir.”
“You get to celebrate all these little wins. Every recital, every tough part of a song mastered, every new level they move up to. It all adds up to helping create this awesome person who you know is going to take that musicality with them…”
From music enthusiasts to pre-professionals, Canna is proud to be a part of any student’s journey, and believes that everyone has the ability to make and enjoy music – and that it shouldn’t be something to stress about.
“We want to create adults who can noodle on the piano, strum out a song on their guitar for their kids, sing in their church choir or audition for a local musical,” she explained.
But, of course, for those who want to take their studies to the next level, AfterSchool Music encourages songwriting and public performances, and offers a more curated experience for serious students – which often results in scholarships that recoup the investment in lessons over the years.
“It’s an investment in yourself as a person,” Canna relayed. “The soccer ball will eventually not be a part of your kid’s life. But their voice, their ability to play the guitar or piano, that never leaves you.”
AfterSchool Music currently offers private music instruction for all ages and levels in voice, piano, guitar, bass, saxophone, flute and clarinet.
John Zachowski and teacher David Van Antwerp
Fiona James
“Parents should look for [teachers]…with advanced [degrees], professional development, and access to modern techniques and materials,” Canna said.
“If your voice teacher uses the word ‘diaphragm,’ if your dance teacher is not body-positive, or if your arts teacher never addresses the digital arts, keep looking.”
Owner Lauren Musick Canna.
The instructors at AfterSchool Music are true masters of their craft, as they teach at day schools and colleges, practice and perform locally, and are devoted to students at every stage of learning.
“…While they have high standards for the ambitious students, there’s compassionate rooms for the casual students, too,” Canna said. “There are no scary teachers here. No tears. No feelings of ‘I’m not good enough’ and no rigorous competitions.”
In addition to one-on-one lessons for a variety of instruments and genres, be on the lookout for future offerings coming soon, which include parent/toddler classes, theater classes, and perhaps even a new choir, as well as the expansion of AfterSchool Music’s Woodbury branch and the launch of Driving Music Home, the school’s in-home lessons business.
