THE MUSIC with Michele music studio is making waves in Tullahoma, offering a unique approach to music education, teaching that healing power can come with teaching and learning music.
A musical odyssey that began in the sixth grade with piano lessons has now evolved into a thriving career for Michele Gibson, owner of Music with Michele.
“I was the youngest of 12 kids in my family, so that’s always a fun, unique thing,” she shared.
Michele pursued a music education degree with a vocal emphasis at Brigham Young University in Idaho. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she met her husband in a choir during college, leading them to various locations before settling in Tullahoma just last year.
With five children of her own, ranging in age from 3 to 11, Michele’s passion for music and education is deeply ingrained. Her husband, a choir teacher at East Middle School, played a pivotal role in bringing the family to Tullahoma.
“We love small towns; we really, really like Tullahoma,” Michele expressed, emphasizing their appreciation for the town’s charm and natural beauty.
Michele’s teaching career took root well before she officially entered college. However, the birth of her first child sparked her interest in teaching piano to young children. Recognizing the challenges in traditional teaching methods, Michele sought innovative ways to engage and educate her young learners.
Her search led her to the Let’s Play Music curriculum. Becoming a licensed teacher for Let’s Play Music classes and their Sound Beginnings classes, Michele found a fresh and practical approach to teaching music to children.
“We’ve kind of changed the way we teach young children because they don’t have the attention span, and they don’t always have the finger strength,” Michele explained.
The curriculum’s emphasis on group classes and research-based methods resonated with her, prompting her to take the plunge into a new teaching adventure.
Describing her initial hesitation, Michele admitted, “I’ll be honest. I’ve never seen a Let’s Play Music class at all.” It was a suggestion from her sister-in-law that sparked her interest. Overcoming concerns about the financial investment and the group class format, Michele dove into her training three years ago and began teaching her first class in 2020, right in the midst of the pandemic.
According to Michele, what sets Let’s Play Music apart is its focus on the music-learning window.
“Your typical private piano lessons work really well for older students but not so well for young kids,” she said.
Drawing on research from renowned figures in the field, the curriculum targets the optimal age range for musical learning, between 0 and 9. Michele emphasized, “The brain learns music best between ages 0 and 9, and learning music uses the same part of the brain as learning a language.”
Michele delved deeper into the challenges young children face when starting music education.
“They pick up music a lot faster than adults, but the big problem with young children is they lack finger dexterity and strength, and they don’t know how to read,” she explained.
Let’s Play Music addresses these challenges through a three-year program designed for ages 4 to 6. Michele said these are all group classes.
“That’s really helpful at this age because they kind of feed off each other,” she said. “It creates this energy in the class.”
One of the unique aspects of Let’s Play Music is the emphasis on play-based learning.
“Children learn best through play. That’s what research showed us. So that’s how we teach them. We play a lot more classes, and if you come to the class, you’re gonna see us jumping, laughing, storytelling, singing lots of songs, putting on puppet shows, [and creating] lots of imaginative play,” Michele described. This approach engages young learners and helps them develop foundational skills in a fun and interactive way.
“It’s a good way to trick them,” she said. “They come, and they’re excited for class.”
Let’s Play Music goes beyond just teaching piano skills.
“Another thing that’s very different is we don’t just teach piano, but we’re teaching all the skills needed to create the complete musician,” Michele said. “We call it the complete musician, but basically, they’re gonna have all the building blocks of music.”
The program covers a range of musical skills, including sight reading, harmony, melody, chord theory, classical music, and rhythm, all presented in an engaging and playful manner.
“I just started a YouTube channel, and I hope that it will help other people that are gonna bless families to find ways to connect with their kids,” Michele said.
As Michele continues to contribute to the musical and educational landscape of Tullahoma, her commitment to fostering a love for music and learning remains unwavering. GN
