Takoma Park, Maryland, a quirky counter cultural oasis perched on the edge of the nation’s capital, is well known for its commitment to supporting local artists. Many of the town’s 17,000 residents are aging hippies, first-time feminist moms, or retired and semi-retired “green” professionals – proud refugees from the urban rat race. Among them are a goodly share of award-winning musicians anxious to impart their talents, often at minimal charge, eager to see children and young people thrive again after the devastation wrought by COVID-19.
The town already is a musical cornucopia – four major schools, including the Richardson School of Music, founded in 2013, and the venerable House of Musical Traditions, which got its start in 1972. But the latest kid on the block, the Takoma Music School, or TMS, is a far less traditional hybrid. Here aspiring hip-hoppers and self-styled pop divas, some of whom are barely in their teens, are mentored by some of the area’s best known musical performers. Looking for the next Alicia Keys or Avril Lavigne? She may be right here waiting to spread her wings.
What makes TMS so unique, however, is that students don’t just learn to play music, they can also produce it. The school offers students the opportunity to mix and record their music and even cut CDs. It’s a one-stop shop rarely found in the music industry these days. And with a popular community radio station located practically next door, the school can potentially serve as a pipeline for young talented artists to find, hone, and share their musical gifts for exposure well beyond the local area.
TSM’s co-founders, Nikhil Rao and Adrian Rowland have toiled in the music industry for years. Rao’s a multi-instrumentalist himself and even has his own electronic music ensemble, Bottled Up, for which he writes lyrics and sings. The band plays local gigs and produces and distributes its own videos. A self-styled musical entrepreneur born to Indian parents, he knows the pressures that aspiring young ethnic artists in particular face. He’s intent on creating a space where newbies of all ages and backgrounds can gain the confidence and support to strive, persevere, and perhaps one day make it big.
“There’s no dearth of talented people in this area anxious for musical training, but they need good teachers and community-based encouragement to see their talents identified and then encouraged to develop,” Rao says. “And they also need sound engineers standing by that can help them record and produce their music. It’s all here.”
The school’s hybrid model, fusing music instruction and professional quality recording in the same space, seems ideally suited to our times.
The school’s hybrid model, fusing music instruction and professional quality recording in the same space, seems ideally suited to our times. There’s a shortage of music teachers, especially in the most avant-garde styles, in the public schools. And record labels aren’t supporting sound studios the way they used to. Thanks to advances in technology, some aspiring solo artists can record and cut professional-level music videos in the confines of their own bedrooms, which they then freely distribute on YouTube or their own websites.
But getting discovered by recognized producers can still require a supportive studio environment, which includes session musicians and acoustic-quality mixing equipment.
Fortunately, Rao and Rowland didn’t have to build their new school and studio space entirely from scratch. In fact, the infrastructure for both was already in place. Charlie Pilzer, a Grammy Award-winning sound engineer who’s been associated with the Smithsonian, was already managing Tonal Park, a sound studio located in the center of town.
When Pilzer caught wind of Rao’s idea for integrating the two elements, music training and sound recording, into a single shop, he quickly threw in his lot with Rao and Rowland, offering to expand and lease the current space. Having the “bricks-and-mortar” in place, plus a supportive landlord, was a huge advantage. Real estate costs are typically a major hindrance to establishing a new school or sound studio, especially in the current housing market. But with Tonal Park and the Takoma Music School housed together, teaching, practicing and recording music becomes more affordable for everyone.
The school’s revamped facilities are truly state-of-the-art, with multiple music lesson rooms, an award-winning mastering room, and a recording studio that consists of a control room, vocal booth, and two spacious tracking areas. Music lessons occur in the same sound-proofed studios as the recording sessions, and advanced students can have their music recorded professionally on the spot.
Julia Smith, an aspiring singer and songwriter who grew up in Takoma Park, and recently turned 24, is thrilled about the opportunities afforded by TMS. She decided to accept an unpaid internship to learn more about sound recording while she searches for a proper voice coach. Youngsters from all over the area are beating down the school’s doors, she says, because they’re starved for opportunities elsewhere. Rao and Rowland encourage cooperation and sharing of skills among the students, and Smith herself is already mentoring a 12-year old drum enthusiast. “We have to help each other,” Smith says. “It’s the only way for all of us to fulfill our dreams.”
The school already boasts an impressive roster of teachers, including a number of local superstars with small record labels and bands of their own. Laura Harris, TMS’s resident drum teacher, is a long-time member of an enormously popular DC punk band, Ex-Hex. Andrew Field-Pickering, curator of the Future Times record label, is a veteran of the Montgomery County Public School System where he taught after-school arts education for nearly 20 years. And dance choreographer Joyce Lim owns and curates another renowned DC record label, 1432 R, described by the “Washington Post” as a “hotbed of modern Ethiopian sounds.”
These aren’t just passionate and dedicated tutors – they’re mentors with connections that can help shepherd the school’s budding virtuosos through the maze that is the music industry.
Takoma’s other schools don’t fear the competition. In fact, they’re thrilled to have h such a dynamic upstart nearby. The Richardson School, located less than a half mile away, just received a major state grant to expand its own facilities, and the House of Musical Traditions, which literally occupies the same block as TMS, plans to offer the school’s students discount rates on sales of its instruments in exchange for teaching referrals. “There’s more than enough music to go around here,” Dave Eisner, HMT’s owner, says.
Despite having launched the school with money from friends and family, Rao and Rowland say they’re not worried about their enterprise folding. At its formal launch in early May, hundreds of local residents and area musicians stopped for food donated by the Olive Lounge while local DJ notables like Pharaoh Haqq and Baronhawk Poitier kept the music flowing. Positive “buzz” was everywhere. Most of the local news media have already run features on the School, hailing it as a harbinger of musical innovation and a beacon of hope for youth still emerging from the doldrums of the pandemic.
Most of the local news media have already run features on the School, hailing it as a harbinger of musical innovation.
“It’s not just whether you want to play the guitar or flute. Maybe you have a talent for sheet music or want to be a composer or arranger. Or just want to sing. At TMS we want to be able to nurture the fullest range of possible gifts,” Rao says
“We’re not really about the bottom line. Our aim is to make a difference in the lives of young musicians. That’s our special niche. No one else I know of is doing it. With any luck we’ll inspire others to follow in our footsteps.”
TMS is soliciting donations to build a new session/lesson room to accommodate the influx of new students and aspiring performers. Donations can be sent to the school’s Go Fund Me site: https://gofund.me/93169c3f.
