Imparting a love of music in the next generation
Royalton Music Center now reaches all ages including infants, toddlers via Kindermusik
Lauren Haas Amanfoh is the third-generation owner of Royalton Music Center, the music store her grandfather Richard Eleck, a music educator, started 53 years ago in North Royalton. Photo by JAIME ANTON
NORTH ROYALTON – The Greek philosopher Plato famously said, “I would teach children music, physics and philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns in music and all the arts are the keys to learning,” a thought that carries just as much weight today as it did two thousand years ago.
President Lauren Haas Amanfoh says Royalton Music Center has sought to educate above all else. She said regardless of the decade, technology or trend, her and her staff’s adherence to that goal has never wavered.
Until recently, there had been one age gap in the store’s reach: infants and toddlers. With the introduction of Kindermusik, a research-based program for ages birth to 5 years old, RMC, located at 10167 Royalton Road in North Royalton, now has this covered.
Whether it’s something to pursue professionally or for own enjoyment, Haas Amanfoh said she firmly believes music feeds our souls and minds. She and the RMC staff are passionate about education and the families they serve, beginning with group Kindermusik classes and through their private lesson program. The store has 43 instructors who teach more than 725 students of all ages every week.
“Music has been around since the cavemen. It’s how people remembered things, how history was passed down through song. It’s how they taught the next generation. It is very close to the human soul and truly a universal language,” she said. “And now in our own way, we’re still teaching the next generation through music. “
Through private lessons and instruments for all ages, school instrument rentals, their on-site repair shop, the largest selection in the Midwest of step-up and pro instruments for professional musicians, and music therapy for those with special needs, the store strives to meet each person’s musical needs in order to enrich their quality of life.
Kindermusik
A comical tune plays as a group of toddlers move to the beat while playing with beach balls.
Moved by the music, Owen Halusker, 2, takes his beach ball and shares it with Niam Kriaris, 2.
Movement, connection and learning … Plato was right, and it’s also the foundation of the Kindermusik program, fusing child developmental education with musical concepts to tap into different developmental stages, learning styles of children, as well as social growth.
But with all of that being said, there is another key component to the Kindermusik program. As Haas Amanfoh puts it, “Class is fun, and an awesome time for child and caregiver to bond while singing and dancing together. Kindermusik has done the research, and the songs and activities are based on scientific data. I believe in it so much my own son has attended class from the start, and we look forward to class each week.”
Kindermusik’s curriculum involves a mixture of singing, instrument play, dancing and movement, story time and other activities that help children discover how music can enrich lives and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
Music doesn’t just bring joy, it aids the brain in making neural connections required for virtually every kind of intelligence. Kindermusik International states that when children study music before age 7, they develop bigger vocabularies, a better sense of grammar and a higher verbal IQ.
Activities are designed to develop and strengthen a child’s physical and neural functions, social-emotional skills, early literacy, early math and more. Parents receive each month’s music, as well as at home materials to continue the fun and learning until their next class.
Kids love the class, but so do parents.
“He gets to run around and do something separate from his big brothers,” Diane Archacki, of Broadview Heights, said of her 18-month-old, Seth. “He gets time to be around kids his own age. Another big thing is movement. The class is structured, but it’s not restrictive.”
Stephanie Herman, of North Royalton, said her daughter Makenzie, 4, looks forward to class.
“It gets her out, and she’s able to sing songs with kids her age. She looks forward to it. When we drive by, she always points it out,” Herman said.
Alyssa Schreiber, an accomplished musician and special education teacher, is the instructor, and what she enjoys most is watching children blossom in class.
“One of the most rewarding things is watching a child go from not being able to walk to being able to dance,” she said. “It gives them a base of how music works and how it’s used in our culture.”
Haas Amanfoh said she is impressed by the curriculum.
“I thought it was really special that kids in Australia, Europe and Asia are experiencing the same class as our students here. It has always been said that music is the universal language. I think what I like most as a parent is that each class exercises all the parts of my child. His brain is working on both sides, ears are listening, eyes are seeing, his hands and his whole body are moving. And, the best part is that we get to experience it together,” she said.
Haas Amanfoh designed the class schedule with both stay-at-home and working parents in mind – offering morning, evening and weekend classes in an 1,800-square-foot space adjacent to the main store. Class times coincide with when private lessons are offered for when Kindermusik students are ready to “graduate” to the private lesson program.
RMC also offers free post-playdate classes. The next playdates are scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 11 and 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Visit the store's website to register.
An instrumental part of the community
Sharing a love of music with the young and old in their community is precisely why Royalton Music Center began. Haas Amanfoh’s grandfather, Richard Eleck, founded the store 53 years ago after retiring as a music educator. Her late mother, Sheri Eleck Haas, continued the business, infusing it with her passion for music education as well as the local community. From these humble roots, the store has grown under Haas Amanfoh’s leadership and is now recognized both nationally and globally.
The store has been named a National Association of Music Merchants Top 100 music store in the world each year since the recognition’s inception six years ago, and is the only business in Ohio to do so all six years.
In addition, Haas Amanfoh was just nominated and elected in January to serve a three-year term on the prestigious NAMM 24-member board of directors made up of individuals in the music industry from around the world.
“It’s very exciting and an incredible honor,” she said.
But ask her and she’ll tell you, just as her grandfather and mother would, that it’s still all about the local community.
“Our foundation is to be a community music store, and that is still who we are. We live in these communities; our kids go to school here. It’s our joy to assist each member of your family in experiencing the joy of music,” she said.
RMC hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., noon to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information or to register for Kindermusik, visit royaltonmusic.com or call 440-237-9400.
President Lauren Haas Amanfoh says Royalton Music Center has sought to educate above all else. She said regardless of the decade, technology or trend, her and her staff’s adherence to that goal has never wavered.
Until recently, there had been one age gap in the store’s reach: infants and toddlers. With the introduction of Kindermusik, a research-based program for ages birth to 5 years old, RMC, located at 10167 Royalton Road in North Royalton, now has this covered.
Whether it’s something to pursue professionally or for own enjoyment, Haas Amanfoh said she firmly believes music feeds our souls and minds. She and the RMC staff are passionate about education and the families they serve, beginning with group Kindermusik classes and through their private lesson program. The store has 43 instructors who teach more than 725 students of all ages every week.
“Music has been around since the cavemen. It’s how people remembered things, how history was passed down through song. It’s how they taught the next generation. It is very close to the human soul and truly a universal language,” she said. “And now in our own way, we’re still teaching the next generation through music. “
Through private lessons and instruments for all ages, school instrument rentals, their on-site repair shop, the largest selection in the Midwest of step-up and pro instruments for professional musicians, and music therapy for those with special needs, the store strives to meet each person’s musical needs in order to enrich their quality of life.
Kindermusik
A comical tune plays as a group of toddlers move to the beat while playing with beach balls.
Moved by the music, Owen Halusker, 2, takes his beach ball and shares it with Niam Kriaris, 2.
Movement, connection and learning … Plato was right, and it’s also the foundation of the Kindermusik program, fusing child developmental education with musical concepts to tap into different developmental stages, learning styles of children, as well as social growth.
But with all of that being said, there is another key component to the Kindermusik program. As Haas Amanfoh puts it, “Class is fun, and an awesome time for child and caregiver to bond while singing and dancing together. Kindermusik has done the research, and the songs and activities are based on scientific data. I believe in it so much my own son has attended class from the start, and we look forward to class each week.”
Kindermusik’s curriculum involves a mixture of singing, instrument play, dancing and movement, story time and other activities that help children discover how music can enrich lives and lay the foundation for a lifelong love of learning.
Music doesn’t just bring joy, it aids the brain in making neural connections required for virtually every kind of intelligence. Kindermusik International states that when children study music before age 7, they develop bigger vocabularies, a better sense of grammar and a higher verbal IQ.
Activities are designed to develop and strengthen a child’s physical and neural functions, social-emotional skills, early literacy, early math and more. Parents receive each month’s music, as well as at home materials to continue the fun and learning until their next class.
Kids love the class, but so do parents.
“He gets to run around and do something separate from his big brothers,” Diane Archacki, of Broadview Heights, said of her 18-month-old, Seth. “He gets time to be around kids his own age. Another big thing is movement. The class is structured, but it’s not restrictive.”
Stephanie Herman, of North Royalton, said her daughter Makenzie, 4, looks forward to class.
“It gets her out, and she’s able to sing songs with kids her age. She looks forward to it. When we drive by, she always points it out,” Herman said.
Alyssa Schreiber, an accomplished musician and special education teacher, is the instructor, and what she enjoys most is watching children blossom in class.
“One of the most rewarding things is watching a child go from not being able to walk to being able to dance,” she said. “It gives them a base of how music works and how it’s used in our culture.”
Haas Amanfoh said she is impressed by the curriculum.
“I thought it was really special that kids in Australia, Europe and Asia are experiencing the same class as our students here. It has always been said that music is the universal language. I think what I like most as a parent is that each class exercises all the parts of my child. His brain is working on both sides, ears are listening, eyes are seeing, his hands and his whole body are moving. And, the best part is that we get to experience it together,” she said.
Haas Amanfoh designed the class schedule with both stay-at-home and working parents in mind – offering morning, evening and weekend classes in an 1,800-square-foot space adjacent to the main store. Class times coincide with when private lessons are offered for when Kindermusik students are ready to “graduate” to the private lesson program.
RMC also offers free post-playdate classes. The next playdates are scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 11 and 3 p.m. Saturday, April 22. Visit the store's website to register.
An instrumental part of the community
Sharing a love of music with the young and old in their community is precisely why Royalton Music Center began. Haas Amanfoh’s grandfather, Richard Eleck, founded the store 53 years ago after retiring as a music educator. Her late mother, Sheri Eleck Haas, continued the business, infusing it with her passion for music education as well as the local community. From these humble roots, the store has grown under Haas Amanfoh’s leadership and is now recognized both nationally and globally.
The store has been named a National Association of Music Merchants Top 100 music store in the world each year since the recognition’s inception six years ago, and is the only business in Ohio to do so all six years.
In addition, Haas Amanfoh was just nominated and elected in January to serve a three-year term on the prestigious NAMM 24-member board of directors made up of individuals in the music industry from around the world.
“It’s very exciting and an incredible honor,” she said.
But ask her and she’ll tell you, just as her grandfather and mother would, that it’s still all about the local community.
“Our foundation is to be a community music store, and that is still who we are. We live in these communities; our kids go to school here. It’s our joy to assist each member of your family in experiencing the joy of music,” she said.
RMC hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., noon to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday. For more information or to register for Kindermusik, visit royaltonmusic.com or call 440-237-9400.