Jaclyn Bradley, founder of the Lorain Rock Town Music Academy, 401 Broadway, plays guitar in the Dark Side of the Moon instruction room at the studio on July 13, 2020. The academy began lessons the week of July 6 with instructors and students taking appropriate precautions to avoid the spread of the novel coronavirus. Bradley, a Lorain native whose musical career has led to gigs from Los Angeles to Holland, hopes to grow the space as public health conditions improve.
A new school of music is bringing the beat back to Broadway.
Music teachers and students have begun coming together at Lorain Rock Town Music Academy, located in the Duane Building, 401 Broadway.
Lessons began the week of July 6 and will continue with safety precautions in place due to the novel coronavirus.
“It was so exciting to have kids here,” said founder Jaclyn Bradley, a Lorain native whose musical career has taken her across the country and to Europe. “They left their lessons on a high and were totally excited to be learning music.”
There were 23 students over two days the first week and Bradley hopes to grow the studio as public health conditions improve.
“I think everyone understands the unprecedented time that we’re in,” she said. “Safety of these students and these teachers is definitely my highest priority.”
COVID-19 has not dampened Bradley’s enthusiasm for music instruction or the studio space.
The project began in February and Bradley thanked helpers Everett Query, who built a stage inside; Janet Garcia, a leader of the FireFish Festival who helped decorate the space; and Patti Estaugh, building manager.
Instructors Wesley Crow, of Cleveland, and Dougie Manross, of Columbia Station, will teach guitar, while Richard Olin, of Amherst, will help learners navigate the 88 keys of the piano.
Bradley will serve as lead voice coach.
The teachers aim to help students learn proper theory and technique as they develop skills to play songs that inspire them, Bradley said.
Students are more inspired to practice songs they want to learn, she said, recounting her own rehearsals while studying opera at Indiana University and her students’ enthusiasm for artists ranging from Jeff Buckley to Chris Cornell to Lady Gaga.
The teaching areas include photos and colors based on three classic albums.
The “Yellow Submarine” room, based on the Beatles’ masterwork, has a poster of the Fab Four and a piano with ivory, ebony and lots of yellow.
The painted piano still is functional, Bradley said, because it was taken apart for painting, then reassembled and tuned, to ensure no parts would stick together.
The “Purple Rain” room pays homage to Prince’s classic LP of the same name.
That work was the first album Bradley received as a girl when an older cousin selected it as a gift.
The “Dark Side of the Moon” room includes a poster with printed lyrics of Pink Floyd’s classic song, “Wish You Were Here.”
There is a stage and microphone stand, along with keyboard and couch.
“This is definitely designed to be a performance based school,” Bradley said.
In the age of COVID-19, that is difficult as numerous musical acts of all genres have canceled live shows for months.
Many singers, musicians and instructors have been creative with technology to continue rehearsing and performing, Bradley said.
But the goal eventually is to teach and inspire local students to play out — ideally at the new restaurants sprouting up in Lorain, she said.
The city, like a mythical phoenix, is rising from the ashes of the past.
“I am so proud of all the growth that’s been happening in the last few years in downtown Lorain and I want to contribute to that,” Bradley said.
Her grandparents used to tell her about times when Broadway was a vibrant downtown, she said.
Now many people are taking a second look at smaller cities where they can find neighborhoods and community, Bradley said.
That makes it the right time for Lorain to flourish, she said.
“It feels alive again,” Bradley said. “The people of Lorain have such heart, and it’s a diverse city and we have this beautiful waterfront.”
Along with guitars, microphones, piano and keyboard, the studio includes a germ-killing station with hand sanitizer for those entering and exiting.
The students and instructors wear masks while meeting one-on-one.
For now, families must wait outside for their students.
Seats, instruments and high-touch areas are sanitized between lessons.
Lessons are scheduled on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
That will grow as needed, Bradley said, but starting small helps keep the space as safe as possible.
Lorain Rock Town Music Academy welcomes people of all ages, Bradley said.
Current students range in age from 6 to 78, she said, and it is becoming popular for grandparents to take up instruments as their grandchildren take lessons.
For more information, reach Bradley at 440-522-4081 or info@rocktownlorain.com.