November 19, 2008
by Brent Hovey
Reporter
Aurora -- It started five years ago as a dream inside Vera Holczer's living room as she taught music lessons to a handful of children.
Today, Holczer's dream has blossomed into the Aurora School of Music, where she has close to 600 students.
On Nov. 8, the school of music celebrated its five-year anniversary.
The day was celebrated with performances, food and a general party atmosphere, as students provided music all day.
Mayor Lynn McGill attended the anniversary and called the Aurora School of Music "a first class music school." And Holczer said it was a wonderful day.
"I was very happy to see so many people come out and enjoy the day," she said. "It's been a wonderful five years. The Aurora community has been super supportive."
In five years, Holzcer has built one of the top music schools in the area. Students travel from two hours away, although most come from Aurora, Hudson, Bainbridge, Twinsburg, Solon, Chardon and Akron.
There are 26 teachers at ASM, each with an area of expertise. Most have master's degrees in a certain music field.
They teach students to play many instruments in a classical style, and recently added a rock program. ASM also gives voice lessons.
The age of students ranges from 3 up through high school and beyond. Holczer and her staff take great pride in preparing students for music careers in college and the remainder of their lives.
"We accommodate a lot of skill levels, but they all learn from the best teachers," said Holczer. "When you learn 'Twinkle, Twinkle' you have to learn from the best. I've never believed a beginner should learn from a beginning teacher."
HOLCZER strives for the best, and the school occasionally brings in big names in the classical music world.
Alexander Ghidin, who won the Cleveland International Piano Competition, is coming from Russia to the U.S. for the sole purpose of teaching at ASM in February 2009.
Antonio Pompa-Baldi, Phillip Thomas, Martha Aarons, Barnabas Kelemen, Irina Svyatlovskaya and Sunanda Rao are others who have taught students.
Holczer said bringing in these world-class musicians builds the excitement for the students.
"The excitement sprinkles down from them to the students and has a long lasting effect," she said. "They never forget what a world class artist says even if their teacher has said it a hundred times. It makes them feel good."
As much as the school strives to be the best, Holczer said the staff keeps the experience fun and the atmosphere relaxing.
"We have a high standard, but there is lots of positive energy and lots of fun," she said.
When asked if she expected the school to be so successful five years down the road, she said "yes," because she had been planning it.
"Starting this school was the dream of my life," she said. "Since I moved from Hungry to California to study piano, I had this in my mind.
"We have great team spirit with no backstabbing or competition. I dreamed of this, but didn't think it would grow to 600 kids. But it's been possible with my wonderful staff."