By Kyle Fitzsimmons
Review Staff Intern
Ron West has been teaching the piano for 35 years.
But it wasn’t until 1997 that he began focusing on teaching the instrument to young children, ages 3 to 7.
This summer is the first that West, a native of of Macomb, has brought his portable piano lessons for youngsters aptly named ‘Tiny Tunes? to Lake Orion.
West said he has taught in Lake Orion before but this year he decided to do something different.
‘Normally I don’t teach (in Lake Orion) in the summer but I thought I’d put together a summer camp,? West said. ‘I did one at Warren Community Schools and it was very successful.?
West added the format of his summer classes comes with the added pressure of keeping the easily distracted youngsters focused for two to two and a half hours a day, four days a week.
‘I just started developing ideas on how to keep them interested,? he said.
The key, West said, is to keep each lesson as exciting as possible so the kids don’t know they’re learning.
‘Take a 3-year-old who has been with me a year and a half,? West said. ‘They literally know how to read music before they know how to read words. Before they go to kindergarten they’ve played 20 songs.?
‘It’s a huge head start for the kids,? he added.
July 15 was West’s inaugural summer version of ‘Tiny Tunes? at the CERC Center. He integrated classic childhood fun and games in teaching the kids their first song in ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb.?
Launching ‘Tiny Tunes? into the successful portable piano class it has become came with no shortage of legwork and determination.
West said he started off making cold calls and handing out fliers to various pre-schools and day cares in his native Macomb County.
The response was immediate.
‘I set a date for the first class and we did it at the music store I worked at because I had no place to do it at,? West said. ‘I didn’t cap it off capacity wise, I was just going to teach the class and there were 20 kids each class. It was too much.
From there, West said, he trimmed the class size to 8 to 10 kids. At that point churches and schools from all over Michigan opened their doors to him.
West said although ‘Tiny Tunes? is geared toward children of such a young age, his turnover rate is surprisingly high.
‘I have probably a 70 percent turnover on classes,? he said. ‘A small percentage of them are going to play music all their life. It depends on how they were taught; if you teach them traditionally you’re going to scare them off. You have to ease them in.?
At 55-years-old, West said he is no longer a kid himself and plans to franchise his classes in the near future.
‘I never know what the next day is going to bring,? he said. ‘The classes are completely improvised because I don’t have a choice no matter what I have on the plate for the day when I walk in they might have nothing to do with it.?
For more information on West’s classes you can visit his Web site at www.tinytunes.org.