05 Aug Finding Your Inner Musician at WIMA

Sky and Joel Ovadia

When my son, Aidan, was about 10, he started asking for drum lessons. My response was somewhere along the lines of, “No freaking way!”. The mere thought of having a drum kit in my house was enough to give me a massive headache. Also, we’d had a previous unsuccessful stint at piano lessons that required the purchase of a keyboard – which now serves as a musical dust collector.

But he was relentless, begging me to look for drum teachers or music schools. And then one day we were visiting an outdoor street festival where Joel and Derek Ovadia, the affable brothers and co-owners of a new music school called WIMA had set up a table, offering free half-hour music lesson trials.

Aidan grabbed the WIMA business card and hounded me until I grudgingly booked that trial lesson, all the while trying to convince him to try something a little quieter, like the saxophone or the electric guitar.

But drums it was, and he was hooked from his very first lesson. For weeks, Aidan walked around with a set of drumsticks, furiously practicing his rudiments on a set of pillows.

And then it happened. I bought my son a drum kit. Our musician was born.

I knew that Aidan was loving his drum lessons and I was super impressed with his teacher. Kind, patient and soft-spoken, he was the perfect match for my quiet son. But it wasn’t until his first recital that I realized what an amazing place WIMA is. Not only was I completely blown away by how much Aidan had learned in just a few months, but I was thoroughly touched by how each teacher got up on stage to introduce his or her student with incredible words of encouragement and praise – regardless of level or ability.

That’s when I knew WIMA was different from other music schools. They aren’t just about teaching music.

They’re all about encouragement and building self-confidence and self-esteem in a super fun environment.

WIMA students learn an appreciation and understanding of music through the songs they want to learn. Case in point – inspired by her brother’s success at WIMA, my younger daughter, Sky, decided she wanted to take guitar lessons. Her first song of choice? I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas.

Learning an instrument is so much fun when you have your favorite tune as inspiration.

We’ve been part of the WIMA family for several years now. Sky’s about to begin her third year of guitar and Aidan still takes drum lessons. He’s also a part of the awesome Rock Band program where WIMA students work together as a group and learn to compose, record and perform – just like a real rock band. Both Aidan and Sky have also participated in WIMA’s amazing school-wide Rockestra which has recorded two live music videos to date.

WIMA Rock Band, Concussion Photo credit: Liz Salzman Photography

I can’t say enough about how being at WIMA has contributed to my children’s emotional growth.

When he first started his lessons, Aidan was quiet, shy and uncomfortable in the spotlight. Learning to play the drums, with the encouragement and support of his WIMA teachers, has been instrumental in developing his confidence and self-esteem. Watching him perform onstage now, I can hardly believe he’s the same kid who was content to remain in the shadows. When he’s playing the drums, moving and grooving behind his kit, his joy and passion is palpable and contagious.

If you’re looking for music lessons for your kids, or even for yourself, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a more welcoming and encouraging music school than WIMA. With two locations, in Pointe Claire and Côte-Saint Luc, it’s easily accessible to West Islanders and West Enders alike.

Don’t miss WIMA’s Côte-Saint Luc Open House on Thursday, August 28th from 3-8pm. Try an instrument, meet some teachers and sign up!

Registration is ongoing, and the Fall 2014 session starts on September 2nd.

For more information, please visit http://www.wima.ca/ or call (514) 505-6606.

You can thank us later :).

This post was brought to you by WIMA Music Academy.  All opinions expressed are my own.