Youth Rock Bands

Melody Makers Afterschool Program

The Path to Take the Stage

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.

Program Schedule

Sprouts Education (Bethel):

  • Modern Rock Band: Tuesdays at 2:05 to 4:30 PM for students grades 4-6.
  • Youth Rock Band: Wednesdays at 3:00 to 4:30 PM for students grades 1-6.

Randolph Elementary School Students

Students from Randolph Elementary take School Bus 18 to Sprouts Education (Bethel).

Brookside Primary School (Waterbury):

  • Brookside Rock Band: Thursdays at 3:15 to 4:30 PM for students grades 1-6.

Randolph Elementary School (Randolph):

  • Randolph Rock Band: Fridays at 3:15 to 4:30 PM for students grades 1-6.

What to Expect

1 Weekly Group Session

Once a week, students gather for a group rehearsal to play classic rock songs that have been specially adapted for beginning musicians.

Explore 20+ Instruments

Students discover what instrument they love best with access to professional quality instruments from classics like drum set and guitar to unique instruments such as the Circuit Rhythm and FM synthesizers.

STEM Meets Music

Interactive sessions blending music, engineering, and acoustic science.

Professional Recording Experience

We create an end-of-semester CD album professionally recorded so they can share their talent with the world.

Thriving Musical Community

Collaborate and connect with peers while developing teamwork skills and forming lasting friendships.

We use technology to provide real-time feedback.

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.

Interactive Practice

Students can track their progress with engaging, interactive lessons that adapt to their skill level.

Instant Feedback

The software provides real-time guidance, helping students correct mistakes and improve their technique on the spot.

Student Testimonials

“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

Giovanni Tabor

Music Educator

About the Teacher

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.

Equipment List

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.

Drum and Percussion
  • PDP Concept Maple Drum Set
  • PDP by DW Maple Snare 7×13
  • Mapex Maple Drum Set
  • Pearl 10-inch Popcorn Snare
  • Rogue Drum Set
  • Pearl Travel Drum Set
  • Alesis Drums Surge Electric Drum Set
  • Meinl 8″ Bell
  • Zildjain S Family Cymbals 20″ Medium Ride, 14″ Mastersound Hi-hats, 16″ Crash (Medium Thin), 18″ Crash (Medium Thin).
  • Zildjian Low Volume 18′ Crash Ride (Medium Thin), 16′ (Thin) Crash and 14′ Hi Hats (Thin)
  • Istanbul 14″ Hi Hats
  • Tama Double Kick Pedal
  • Tama Iron Cobra Single Kick Pedals (2)
  • Tone Bells (40)
Guitar and Bass
  • Fender Electric Guitars (2)
  • Fender Loog Guitars (2)
  • Loog Mini Guitar
  • Ibanez Bass Guitar
  • Kala U-Bass Guitar
Pianos
  • Upright Acoustic Piano
  • Yamaha DGX670B Weighted Piano
  • Kawai Grand Micro Piano
  • Arturia FM Synth
Other
  • Novation Circuit (2)
  • Teenage Engineering OP-Z
  • Stylophone
  • Stylophone Beat
  • Otamatone

Equipment

  • SM 57 Microphones (6)
  • Microphone Shock Mounts
  • Fender Rumble 200 Watt Bass Amp
  • Line 6 Spider V
  • Boss OC-5
  • Boss PS-6
  • Sony MDR7506
  • Zoom R20
  • Zoom LiveTrak L-20 Mixer
  • Acoustic Science Wave Generator
  • Practice Pads
  • iPads
  • Jooki
  • Taiko Drum Controllers (6)
  • Music Box
  • Snap Circuits
  • Tune-Bot
  • Drum Dial
  • Noise Reduction Ear Muffs (12)

Contact Us for Enrollment Information

To learn more about enrollment and scheduling, please contact Giovanni via email at giovanni@sprouts.education, or phone at (802) 431-8629.

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