Youth Rock Bands
Melody Makers Afterschool Program
Melody Makers Afterschool Program
Join a band, write new songs, and receive individualized instrumental instruction. Free for income eligible families.
Learning to listen to others, understanding musical expressions, and integrating ideas into a cohesive performance can be a profound experience; however, forming and managing a band can be a challenging endeavor. Our supportive environment provides a location to meet peers, the instruments and equipment for music-making, and a safe space for a collaborative musical journey that introduces aspiring musicians to the beauty of creating something larger than themselves.
Sprouts Education (Bethel):
Brookside Primary School (Waterbury):
Randolph Elementary School (Randolph):
Students have access to learning tools allowing them to connect their drums, guitar, bass, or piano with software which provides instant feedback on their playing, and easy-to-follow lessons.
“I want to come every week for the rest of my life!” – WH, 2024
“My favorite part is hanging out with friends and drumming.” – EJ, 2024
Culminating years of experience as a professional composer and bestselling music arranger, Giovanni Tabor offers a unique perspective on music education which incorporates industry specific entrepreneurial skills in addition to fundamental music instruction aligned with the National Core Arts Standards.
While working toward a Bachelor of Science in Music Education at the University of Vermont, Giovanni had the wonderful opportunity to study the philosophy of teaching, mentoring, and curriculum development under Dr. Patricia Riley, a co-creator of the National Core Arts Standards. His studies at UVM provided a foundation of pedagogical techniques, and a lifelong commitment to cultivating diverse and inclusive excellence in music education—responding to the needs of all students. Later, Giovanni went on to earn his Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition from the Vermont College of Fine Arts where he studied advanced harmony, contemporary Japanese music, and the compositional techniques of Joe Hisaishi with Andy Jaffe; advanced orchestration and composing for strings with Roger Zahab; as well as music composition for interactive media and advertising with Ravi Krishnaswami.
Incorporating elements of the Montessori, and Feierabend method, Giovanni is focused on facilitating a comprehensive education which is not merely acquired by dictation; but instead, by creating foundational experiences which foster each student’s intrinsic desire for learning. Greater than a student’s technical proficiency in instrumental music, true music literacy is the most important factor to cultivating a lifelong passion for musical self-expression. Victor Wooten explains in Music as a Language,
[When] you were a baby … even though you spoke the language incorrectly you were allowed to make mistakes—and the more mistakes you made, the more your parents smiled!
Too many rules at the onset hinders students’ confidence in self-expression—sometimes leading us to never hear what they have to say. By focusing on the development of true music literacy, Melody Makers enables students to use their instrument as a conduit of self-expression, rather than simply hearing music come from their instrument.
As a Melody Maker’s student, your child has access to $30,000 of instruments and equipment, the same gear used by professional musicians, including maple drum sets with B12 bronze alloy cymbals, acoustic and fully-weighted pianos, and guitars / basses in every size. In addition to instruments, students can use our recording studio to create professionally recorded albums.
To learn more about enrollment and scheduling, please contact Giovanni via email at giovanni@sprouts.education, or phone at (802) 431-8629.