Ever since Jared Kidder opened his store, the 3-C General Store in Shell Lake on Fifth Avenue, he’s broadcasted music outside for passersby. Now, across the street there’s a building whose occupants will add their music to the mix. The music made at 21 Fifth Avenue will be made by students, young and old, on the piano, the guitar and possibly various brass instruments.
The sign near the door is that of a grand piano with the words, Appassionato, the Lesson Studio. The teacher is Tamara “Tam” Aderman Smith. If the name Aderman sounds familiar that’s because it’s on the outside of the Shell Lake Arts Center’s main auditorium honoring the man who, in 1968 inaugurated the Arts Center and then in 1973 left his teaching career to become a Professor through the UW Extension department to oversee the arts projects at the center.
Both of Tams’ parents, Darrell and Billie, were music teachers in Shell Lake for years. Mom was a piano teacher who taught children as young as five and dad was a Shell Lake K-12 music teacher and a 5-12 instrumental music teacher.
Everyone in the family was musical, Tam’s sisters and brother, so it was not surprising that she attended UW Eau Claire and received her BA in Music Education.
Music surrounded her when she and her family sang in the church choir and they all played instruments. After graduation, Tam not only taught band and jazz band in Hayward, she got involved with Shell Lake’s Salem Lutheran church choir in 1984. After teaching several years in Osseola, she changed things up a bit by moving to Denver, Colorado working in an administration position for seventeen years. In Colorado she married and they had two girls. Because her husband’s career let him work from home, it didn’t matter where they lived and eventually Tam knew that she wanted to raise their children back home in Shell Lake.
They made the move in 2004 and she immediately got involved musically by becoming the organist and coordinator of lay ministries again for the Salem Lutheran Church.
By 2007 she was employed as a piano teacher for the K-12 students in Spooner, a position she kept for eight years working with 90 kids thirty hours a week. Added into her busy schedule of wife, mother and teacher she became a substitute organist for six area churches.
Music played heavily in her life and eventually the family moved to the Trinity Lutheran Church in Spooner where she leads the choir and is one of the organists. She teaches piano to grades 3-12 through the Shell Lake community Education program and she also teaches junior high and high school choirs along with playing for the Solo and Ensemble contests held each year.
Seeing she helps with musical concerts in three local schools, it’s amazing that she still has time to open her studio for private lessons. But she has and she encourages adults who always wanted to learn how to play the piano to come in and talk. Her fee schedule will encourage everyone to sign up for a few months at a time in order to save money and help make a commitment.
If you’d like to know what kind of teacher she is, look at it this way, her favorite quote comes from Ludwig Van Beethoven who is credited for saying, “To play a wrong note is insignificant. To play without passion is inexcusable.”
But the story of what you can learn at 21 Fifth Avenue has just begun because not only are there piano music lessons from Tam, you can learn to knit from Lisa MiKula and Nick Schultz will be giving guitar lessons for all levels and all ages.
Coming soon will be loom weaving, brass lessons and instructions on learning to crochet. Jewelry and wooden items will be displayed for sale and oddly in the mix is a wide selection of catering equipment for rent that includes salad bars, large coffee urns and chafing dishes along with other bits and pieces.
There’s a table and chairs in the back area for classes in practically everything and suggestions are welcome as to what anyone wants to learn, Tam will try to find an instructor.
It’s an eclectic affair of creative possibilities and all it takes is a phone call to get more information at 715-645-0995 or Facebook to keep up to date on classes.
There’s already a studio area in the front of the room and clay artist, Patti Fox, often sits in the window area as she works on her’ pot head’ projects.
But that story is for another time really soon.
Last Update: Nov 07, 2016 7:11 am CST
