Letter From The Founder
Hi!
During the summer of 2022, as I was gigging and teaching, I began to take note of an interesting fact; every single musician I talked to during gigs as well as co-workers at the studio’s I was teaching at, had taken private lessons growing up. Private lessons seemed to be a prerequisite to being a professional musician or teacher. To be sure this wasn’t an anecdotal anomaly, I began to look into the national statistics. Survey after survey I viewed showed nearly 100% of professional musicians and teachers had taken private music lessons growing up.
With this in mind, I began to think of the costs of these lessons. Private lessons can cost upwards of $100 an hour. Naturally, the only students who are getting these lessons are the ones whose families have enough disposable income. In turn, it is not a stretch to see how the only individuals able to become professional musicians and teachers are those who come from affluent families.
Now with this being said, I want to be clear that The Community Conservatory’s goal is not for our students to grow up to be professional musicians. If this is what they want, then they will surely be supported by us; however we are much more interested in democratizing the developmental benefits that come from private music lessons. Private music lessons help students develop their communication, expression, creativity, coordination, and problem solving skills all while being guided by a positive role model. Perhaps most importantly, playing an instrument can bring so much joy to a person's life. Especially as a mental health crisis continues to impact students, this should not be overlooked. Ultimately, I founded The Community Conservatory because these benefits should not only be available for students whose families can afford them.
Finally, I want to truly thank everyone who has supported The Community Conservatory in any way. Whether through time or money, know that your support is helping, on a very real level, democratize music education. If you or your family has a budget for giving, I ask that you reach out to me and have a conversation on why The Community Conservatory might be an appropriate organization to receive part of that budget.
-John Hoddinott - Founder and Director
203-731-9108
Director Instructor
John Hoddinott Jules Chetcuti
Board of Directors
John Hoddinott David Anctil Mary Peters,
Luana Barcelos Samuel Sweikert