LANGLEY AIR FORCE BASE, Va. –
For Airmen who enjoy making music as much as listening to it, they're in luck.
The Langley Community Center currently offers a variety of musical and voice lessons for Airmen and their families.
"Our instructors help students enhance their musical talent to achieve their goals," said Marcus Soriano, Langley Community Center programs director.
The center offers a private learning environment that gives students a chance to play the instrument while learning, unlike some schools, which require students complete coursework before actually playing, according to David Silverthorn, drum instructor.
"All of the instructors have an enormous amount of musical experience with our instruments," Mr. Silverthorn said. "I've written two books on drumming to make the learning more personal for my students."
The one-on-one lessons are taught with a common goal.
"We try to inspire our students to love the instruments as much as we do," said Mr. Silverthorn.
The drumming room, which has a full set of drums, a recording computer and guided software along with an miniature digital drum set for the instructor, has given many students, such as Andrew Knepper, a life-long hobby.
Andrew, a 15-year-old Tabb High School student, has taken lessons from Mr. Silverthorn for more than two years.
"It's a lot of fun," he said. "The instructors are helpful and make sure we get what we want from the class."
For the aspiring musician, that goal is to play with the likes of John Mayer and Coldplay.
"I will try to teach anyone willing to learn," said Mr. Silverthorn. "If for whatever reason the lessons aren't working I'll find a new instructor for the students.
My method of teaching is based on relativity. If a student is familiar with sports or video games, I'll relate drumming to their other areas of interest. It helps familiarize the students."
For those who don't dream of becomming drummers, the community center also offers guitar, piano, voice, and violin lessons.
Several of the students will perform in the 7th annual Grand Recital, which is scheduled for May 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the community center. The show is free and open to the public.
For more information on music lessons, call the Langley Community Center at 764-2983.