Conservatory offers lessons in harmony

In the halls at First Baptist Church of Trussville, you might hear a little extra music besides the church choir: tiny fingers playing their first piano notes behind one door, an expert violinist performing behind another. The church is home to the Conservatory, a fine arts program for around 200 students in Trussville and the surrounding area.

The Conservatory offers lessons in ballet, painting and musical instruments including piano, guitar, voice, drums, brass and woodwind. FBC Music Assistant Holly Smith said the Conservatory started in 2002 to fill a need for community music prep lessons. Conservatory Director Joe Estes and some of the instructors have remained on staff since then. The program has expanded its offerings and now has 11 instructors, but Smith said they still have trouble keeping up with demand.

“You can’t get violin lessons on this side of town and we always fill up,” Smith said. “As soon as we open their lesson slots they get snatched up pretty fast.”

Smith said the Conservatory has grown mainly through word of mouth because of the “big need” for fine arts in the Trussville area. The fact that they can coordinate lessons for multiple family members and teach from beginners to advanced students -— one,

Smith said, teaches in his own home while he continues to take lessons — has made the Conservatory a popular choice for families.

The program also offers musicianship and performance classes as part of their music lessons to make students better rounded musicians.

“I think parents just come back year after year because they want quality programs to put their children into,” said Conservatory Assistant Barbara Joseph.

For Joseph, a 10-year resident of Trussville, teaching piano and voice at the Conservatory is a welcome change from her former job as a public school music teacher. Instead of seeing students for a year and then getting a whole new class, Joseph gets to watch her students improve over months and years.

“Many times I have gotten to literally start a student, which is an amazing thing because parents and even students think, ‘Oh, this is going to be so hard.’ But I’m like, ‘You’ll be surprised, in just a couple months, at all the things you’re doing,’” Joseph said. “That’s what’s great about teaching music: seeing all the lights begin to turn on.”

Some of those students include her Little Piano Pals, a small class for four- to six-year-olds to begin learning the basics of piano.

“It’s intended to make it fun and simple and in a group setting of two to three students, they learn piano,” Joseph said.

There are now four recitals per year for all the music students to be able to perform.

“It’s neat to have that opportunity to hear these kids and their growth,” Smith said.

Piano, violin, guitar and art are among the most popular classes. Smith said there are a few adults taking lessons, primarily in art, but it is mostly children. Joseph said she thinks the community aspect of the Conservatory is important -— students get to meet others who enjoy the same hobby and aspire to be like the more experienced performers.

Though the Conservatory is located inside FBC and shares a few staff members, Smith said it is separate from the church financially and in other ways. Neither the instructors nor the students must be FBC members — in fact, Joseph said she knows only one teacher who attends First Baptist Church. She said she meets church members who don’t even realize the Conservatory exists.

“We’re a part of it but we’re also separate,” Smith said. “It’s more of a community service that just happens to be housed here at First Baptist and made possible by the generosity of First Baptist to use the facility.”

Being on the FBC campus does lend some advantages, though. Participation in the Conservatory helps families learn about summer camps and other youth programs at the church if they want to get involved. Smith said she also likes being able to connect with families on a personal and spiritual level.

“I like knowing that in the business of my job, I can step back and take those moments,” Smith said.

There are also challenges that come with the Conservatory’s location. Lesson rooms are spread throughout the church, and Smith’s office is accessible by a side set of stairs that leads to an underground entrance, which can make her hard to find. Joseph said she’d like to have more space for practice rooms and lesson spots for new teachers as the program continues to grow.

“Right now we are bursting at the seams,” Joseph said.

Joseph also wants to get the Conservatory out in the public eye more frequently. Several Conservatory students recently competed in Trussville’s Got Talent and took home some wins, but she wants to see students play at nursing homes, city events and other times they can share there music.

The Conservatory begins registration for its summer fine arts camps and lessons soon. For more information, visit fbctconservatory.org.