---
title: Low-Cost Lessons Raise Musical Bar for Local Teens
date: 2024-04-15T05:30:00-04:00
author: University of Maryland
canonical_url: "https://today.umd.edu/low-cost-lessons-raise-musical-bar-for-local-teens"
section: Articles
---
# Low-Cost Lessons Raise Musical Bar for Local Teens

*April 15, 2024* — by [Sala Levin ’10](/author/sala-levin-10)


> Terrapin Community Music School Matches Grad Students With Youths to Expand Access

*TCMS Music Class 04072024 JD 9783 1920x1080 — DuVal High School sophomore Conor Rammelsberg receives a bass lesson from Britney Hansford ’26, a bass performance and music education major, at The Clarice as part of the Terrapin Community Music School program.*

The steady, percussive clacking reverberating from a classroom in The Clarice has the drive and precision of a full drumline, with just a tiny fraction of the volume. “Give me one!” a voice calls out. “Give me two! Give me three! Break it down!”

That’s music education doctoral student Lauren McGinley, calling out instructions on a Sunday afternoon to a small group of teens, each standing behind a desk and tapping out a unified beat with a pair of drumsticks on the tops of their chairs.

This warmup exercise is a snippet of the [Terrapin Community Music School: High School Academy](https://music.umd.edu/community-engagement/terrapin-community-music-school/academy) (TCMS), a program the University of Maryland launched last fall to offer affordable music education to high school students in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties. Each week, students receive one-on-one lessons in their instrument from School of Music (SOM) graduate students, and amp up their experience with a group musicianship class, where McGinley leads discussions on theory, the emotional impact of songs and music history.

“I like how interactive it is,” said violinist Boyan Tiwang, a junior at Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Springdale, Md. “The one-on-one lessons have really helped me improve as a musician, as well as the musicianship class. I’ve learned a lot about music theory that I wouldn’t have known otherwise.”



*People drum on chairs backs — Youth musicians from Prince George's and Montgomery counties take a musicianship class with a UMD School of Music student during a session of the Terrapin Community Music School: High School Academy.*



**Sidebar note:**

Terrapin Community Music School: High School Academy will open enrollment for its fall semester next month. A middle school program will be introduced in the fall. To learn about the program and how to enter, visit [its website](https://music.umd.edu/community-engagement/terrapin-community-music-school/academy).





**Topics:** [Arts & Culture](https://today.umd.edu/tags/arts-culture), [Campus & Community](https://today.umd.edu/tags/campus-community)


**Tags:** [Music](https://today.umd.edu/topic/music), [Student Experience](https://today.umd.edu/topic/student-experience), [Arts](https://today.umd.edu/topic/arts)


**Units:** [Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center](https://today.umd.edu/topic/clarice-smith-performing-arts-center), [College of Arts and Humanities](https://today.umd.edu/topic/college-arts-and-humanities)