Each month, in addition to weekly private lessons, all students attend a 60-minute group performing class. The classes are casual and the focus is on performance. Students are invited to perform all or a part of a song, and feedback is provided by RCM faculty members. Regular attendance at monthly performance workshops helps our music students develop the skills necessary to perform in front of an audience: confidence, poise, self-esteem, a sense of accomplishment, the ability to think on their feet, validation and support from their teachers.
Faculty:
Jacob Wilkins began music lessons at age 1 (Musikgarten classes) and never stopped! He began classical piano training at age 5, tenor saxophone at age 10, and bass guitar at age 12. During high school, Mr. Wilkins worked at Rochester Conservatory as an apprentice teacher and theory class assistant. After graduating from the International Academy HS in Bloomfield Hills, he received the prestigious Medallion Scholarship from Western Michigan University (0nly 20 are awarded per year) which is a full tuition and expenses scholarship. He studied classical piano at WMU and while there earned 4th place in the Chopin competition, the only undergraduate to place that year, as a freshman. While at WMU Jacob was the sound engineer for Gold Company, the university’s renowned vocal jazz ensemble. Mr. Wilkins has a long list of sound engineering credits, including the American Choral Directors Association convention in Chicago, the International Choral Olympics, Choralies Festival in Vaison-la-Romaine, France, and numerous jazz artists including George Clinton, New York Voices, Janice Siegal from Manhattan Transfer, Victor Wooten and Sinbad. He’s happy to be back on the east side of the state as of July 2018 and teaching piano again at the Rochester Conservatory! In Mr. Wilkins you will find a thoughtful, intelligent, and patient teacher who is eager to help his students reach their full musical potential.
Benjamin Wilkins has grown up at the Conservatory. As the son of owners, Cliff and Kay Ellen Wilkins, Ben began his musical instruction in the Musikgarten classes at the age of one! He continued into private study, which included 11 years of Classical piano lessons, 5 years of clarinet lessons, and 7 years of guitar lessons. Mr. Wilkins also worked as an assistant theory class instructor and apprentice guitar teacher throughout high school. After high school, he pursued a Guitar Performance degree at Oakland University. He has also been a collaborating composer and lead guitar player for the band called Alive in Standby, a progressive rock group, which he co-founded. The band has been very successful, releasing 4 albums and going on numerous concert tours across the United States, including performing as a featured local band at Comerica Park for the Warped Tour. The four band members of Alive in Standby have announced, during the summer of 2016, that they have decided to go in a different musical direction under a brand new name: The True Blue. His new project is available on all streaming platforms where they continue to write, perform and release original music. Mr. Wilkins has been teaching piano and guitar professionally since 2007. He has a kind and friendly demeanor as a teacher, and knows just how to put his students at ease. He is comfortable with all ages and levels, Classical, Rock and Pop styles.