The Franciscan Life Process Center is expanding its educational offerings with the return of private music lessons in piano, guitar, drums, brass instruments, and voice. This addition complements the Center’s longstanding music therapy program and provides an opportunity for community members of all ages and skill levels to engage in music education.
Enrollment is now open for weekly half-hour lessons at both the Center’s Lowell and Grand Rapids campuses. The lessons are designed to cater to individuals from age 8 through high school, as well as adults, with flexible scheduling available Monday through Friday. The lessons will run in a 15- to 20-week semester, providing one-on-one instruction tailored to each student’s individual needs.
Since its founding by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in 1972, the Franciscan Life Process Center has provided educational, developmental, and cultural enrichment opportunities for individuals and communities throughout West Michigan. With campuses in Lowell and Grand Rapids, the Center is committed to helping individuals unlock their fullest potential as they journey through life.
“At the Franciscan Life Process Center, we’re dedicated to helping individuals unlock their fullest potential as they journey through the process of life,” said Sandy Koteskey, Director of the Center. “During lessons, our goal is to provide an enjoyable educational experience that supports the development of the whole person. Beyond specific musical skills, we can work on building confidence, enhancing creativity, and promoting healthy self-expression.”
The lessons will be taught by a team of credentialed music professionals, each with up to two decades of teaching experience. In addition to traditional music instruction, the Center offers adaptive music lessons for students with physical, cognitive, social, or emotional challenges. These tailored lessons, which adjust formal instruction to meet the specific needs of each student, are available at no additional cost.
“Because of our team’s background in music therapy, we are able to adjust lessons for individuals who may have struggled with traditional instruction in the past,” Koteskey said. “Our services are tailored to each individual student, even taking into consideration their music preferences, to help them learn musical concepts in a supportive setting.”
The cost for lessons ranges from $375 to $500 per semester. The summer semester is set to begin on June 9, though students can join at any time with registration prorated. While the Center can provide lesson materials, such as sheet music, for an additional cost, students are expected to bring their own instruments.
The Franciscan Life Process Center has a rich history of music education that dates back to the 1980s. What began as a simple music studio in Ada, Michigan, under the direction of Sister Mary Margaret Delaski, has grown and evolved to meet the changing needs of the West Michigan community. The music program was initially named Franciscan Rhythms, a nod to the belief that “musical rhythms express patterns deep within our nature and within the earth itself.”
In the early 2000s, the increasing demand for both music education and music therapy prompted the move to a larger space at the Center’s main campus in Lowell in 2003. The expansion continued in 2011 with the opening of a second campus in downtown Grand Rapids, located in the Basilica Center at 654 Davis St. NW. The Center continued to focus primarily on music therapy in recent years to meet the growing demand for this service, but with the current expansion, music lessons are now available once again.
“Now we have the space and capacity to get back into teaching,” Koteskey said. “We are grateful to be able to offer lessons again to those in the community who may not need therapy but want to stay connected musically.”
For those interested in learning more about music lessons or music therapy, Koteskey can be reached at skoteskey@LifeProcessCenter.org or by calling 616.897.7842 ext. 315. Additional information is available on the Center’s website at LifeProcessCenter.org.
For more information, visit LifeProcessCenter.org.
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