Rhodes Electric Make and Play e-MAP

At the start of American Independence, the Liberty Bell rang out for freedom in Philadelphia. That bell was soon echoed in the morning school bell for children across the country. Our Founding Fathers believed that our democratic system could work best when the population was educated, their minds trained not only for reading and mathematics, but also in the arts. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson spent their evenings with family and friends, listening and playing early versions of the piano, the violin, guitar, flute and harpsichord. Education meant equal time devoted to music education. It was considered a basic discipline, taught with arithmetic, geometry and astronomy in the sciences. Music masters would travel from home to home to teach children how to play and perform, which was an essential part of their preparation for adult responsibilities. Music was more than a skill or an entertainment, it was a way of imparting confidence in the child a! nd the country.

In recent years, sadly, music has now become a luxury in so many schools, and a target of budget tightening. The morning bell is echoed less and less throughout the day. It may be the only music our young students hear that represents their freedom.

America’s Outreach Program aims to restore the role of music within the educational system, as both an art and a science. We want to begin with children in the 7th and 8th grades, teach them to play piano with the Rhodes method and then equip them with the technical knowledge to Make and Play their own instruments.

The original Make And Play kits were put together by young servicemen in time of war to help one another. Now we are engaged in a large conflicts in a still-dangerous world, and our students must struggle to compete without adequate preparation in math and science. We believe the kits will help students develop skills first in these, then in music. They will be de! signed to be both understandable and inspirational. We also will employ skilled American workers to help to build the kits for our children to assemble. We believe that insourcing is better than outsourcing.

Our first step is to work with schools throughout the country, helping to expand or re-invigorate their own programs, whether they are in public or private schools, whether they are in big cities, small towns, rich or poor neighborhoods. Every child deserves a chance to learn.

Our music, education and therapy consultants will work closely with the manufacturer of the Make and Play to bring forth the Rhodes e-MAP the new electric make and play system for the 21st century and beyond.

Along with that, we shall be an important part of developing more new pianos and training systems for all age groups, expanding for both older and younger students, and bringing to the programs a broad repertoire of supplemental material and new songs that will keep the progra! m fresh and vital.

We shall also be developing educational interactive software that will expand and support the existing courses, but has the added benefit of allowing individuals to continue learning at their own pace, providing tutorials that will go into greater depth and complexity, with their own pianos.
This is an ambitious plan, but it is only a beginning. Our goal is to re-democratize music education. Who would benefit? Everyone, from those who build the kits and the electric pianos, to the students, to an America whose citizens hear the clarion call of the future.