Mission Statement
Music for Life enhances a child's inherent ability to create, express and problem solve through music.
About Us
Music for Life was founded in 2004 to address the importance of music education in the development of pre-school aged children. Study after study shows the undeniable correlation between music and higher brain function in mathematics, self-esteem, spatial and temporal reasoning, etc.. Our curriculum specifically targets all aspects of these developmental keystones while teaching students how to read music on the piano.
We make it easy to get the developmental benefits of music by bringing Music for Life to you. Our teachers travel to over 30 schools in the greater Cleveland area. We are currently expanding to the Washington DC area and plan on travelling to 75 preschool locations by the Fall of 2010! Click here to find out which schools currently offer Music for Life. If you are interested in signing up, but do not see your school listed, please email us.
The class takes place for one half-hour each week. Independent evaluations in the form of live audio recordings, as well as access to take home materials via our website, generate music reading skills that have been left unattempted by any of our competition. Our students are actually reading simple melodies by the end of the program on the piano. We showcase these skills at the end of the year with an adorable concert for family and friends. Interested in private piano lessons? Music for Life instills a love of music that lasts a lifetime, making the transition to private piano lessons easy and more effective by providing students with curriculums that are fun and age specific!
Curriculum
- Classical Composer Recognition
- Music Reading Skills
- Sing-along Songs
- Music Theory
- Rhythm
- Weekly Letters
- Live Audio Recordings
- Piano Skills
- Independent Evaluations
Our Staff
Mary Rafferty
Mary Rafferty is the founder and an instructor at Music for Life. She attended Case Western Reserve University where she attained her Bachelors Degree in Biology. Mary has studied under many great teachers including Michael Mayhew, the associate principal French horn player from the Cleveland Orchestra. She gives private instruction in Piano, French horn, Flute, Trumpet, Violin, Trombone, Clarinet and Saxophone.
Jacque Gosciewski
Jacque has been with Music for Life since its inception in 2004. She is the lead instructor and has acquired her Bachelors Degree in Flute Performance at Baldwin Wallace College. Her love of music can be seen through the passion with which she teachers her music students.
Carmel Lapa
Carmel Lapa has taught piano for over 25 years. She received a Masters Degree in Music from Indiana University and has served on several arts boards supporting arts education for children. She joins our team with the vision of making music education more readily available to children of all ages by expanding the Music for Life program to more schools across the greater Cleveland area.
Rachel McKinney
Rachel McKinney is a graduate of Freed-Hardeman University, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in piano performance. While performing as a solo instrumentalist, she also discovered a passion and talent for collaborative music. This love of collaboration and music education has brought her to Music for Life, where she hopes to help children gain a knowledge and love of music that will last a lifetime. She is currently enrolled in the graduate music education program at Ashland University.