Stitching Music Back Into Society's Fabric: Real School of Music

Music is everywhere. At the gym, at restaurants and grocery stores, at the pool, and likely in your car and home, it's hard to escape the pull of a catchy tune—and many would never want to! Melody and rhythm have long been an integral part of society, and music instruction has long been a part of the school day for children starting at the very youngest ages.

More and more, however, music and arts programs are being underfunded and under-emphasized in public schools, a fact that staff at the Real School of Music sees as a tragedy. Real School opened its doors in 2008 with a mission to reintegrate music into education and life for its students. Music played such a strong role in the lives of its founders Thomas Byrne, Mike Abbott, Tom Schneider, Jason Macres, and Wendell Wickerham that they couldn't imagine having grown up without it. Since then, Real School has grown to three locations in Burlington and Andover, MA as well as Derry, NH.

From its inception, said Real School Burlington's General Manager James Towlson, the Real School of Music's goal was "to foster the mission of serving the community with music and enrichment in all types and styles." The school offers a variety of different options from private and group lessons to ensemble programs and summer music camp programs.

Towlson, a seasoned musician who joined the school in 2012 as an instructor after years of touring, took over as general manager of the Burlington location in 2020. Immediately, the school's job got a thousand percent harder, as the pandemic forced them to change their model and shift about 90% of their lessons to virtual. They were able to still run their summer music program that year, holding the majority of the lessons outdoors. Now, said Towlson, the school is back to normal operations.

The Real School of Music seeks to be a part of people's lives and the community, said Towlson, rather than just somewhere to go, take classes, and go home. They have partnered with People Helping People to run food drives for Burlington's Food Pantry, offer parents' nights out, and host offsite events.

With 28 instructors and 22 private studios in the Burlington location alone, plus and ensemble and performance spaces, "name an instrument," Towlson said, "and we probably offer it"—including instruments like banjo and mandolin. They also feature singing, recording and audio production classes, and a theater program.

"I'm proud it's here," says Towlson, and proud to help the school achieve its aim to "give kids and adults the opportunity to learn and have music be in their life."