February 26, 2018
A special announcement from Leela:
[Summary: I'm opening my own music school, Rose City Folk School, in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland!]
For years, I have been a vagabond music teacher, wandering from music store to church basement to warehouse with my banjo, my guitar, my tap shoes, and my overstuffed bag slung heavily on my shoulders. My schedule has been a haphazard puzzle of jagged geography and slow moving traffic, noisy coffee shops and random rooms full of wide-eyed banjo players or singers who made it all worthwhile.
After all this wandering (and wondering), I am beyond excited to announce that I have finally found my professional home in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland! Starting in April, I will be opening my very own music school called Rose City Folk School, located at 5140A NE 42nd Avenue. It is a sweet ground level room with a bathroom and a kitchenette. I will be able to offer a more expansive schedule of classes, workshops, special events, and private lessons than ever before. I have so many ideas and dreams for this space and for the community that will grow within these walls! I hope to eventually bring in more top-notch, supportive teachers to expand our offerings as well as renting the room out for special workshops and events.
Since the birth of my daughter in 2014, my transient professional life has become ever more challenging. Every minute stuck in traffic, haggling over schedules, hunched over my computer, or packing and unpacking my instruments is a minute I don’t get to spend with her or doing what I love: teaching! My passion, however, for sharing the joys of music and dance with others has not waned in the slightest. I cannot begin to describe the delight I experience as I watch you master your first banjo tune or hear about your first jam… The happiness as the rhythm of your first clogging step comes from your feet… And the absolute elation as you hear your own voice ring out in harmony with singers you have just met. I have been teaching now since I was little more than a child and it still never gets old to see the light in your eyes or the light bulb going off as you realize that you CAN sing, dance, or make your very own music!
This is why I can’t wait to see what might be possible with the “birth” of Rose City Folk School. My hope in this venture is to make my professional and family life tenable and stable, which will allow me the freedom to serve more singers, musicians and dancers of all ages from a more grounded and inspired place. After a lifetime of transience (starting as a child in a touring family band at age 6), I am eager to plant myself in one place, in my home neighborhood, and see what I can grow there. I hope to support the growth of an even stronger, kinder, and more diverse community of musicians and singers!
I have always relied on the encouragement and support of my students, my friends, my family – who tell me I can do this, who remind me of the difference that my work can make, who sign up for my classes, who tell their friends about my work, who come to my shows… I couldn’t do it without you! I also want to recognize the tireless work of the volunteers and staff over the years at Artichoke Music, where I taught some of my first banjo classes. I hope to continue to work with them as a sister school in NE! I also want to acknowledge the wonderful work of Our 42nd Avenue, the community development organization that is helping make this space accessible to me, as a new queer- and woman-owned business.
Are you interested in getting involved and supporting this new community? If so, there will be many ways you can help!
A special announcement from Leela:
[Summary: I'm opening my own music school, Rose City Folk School, in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland!]
For years, I have been a vagabond music teacher, wandering from music store to church basement to warehouse with my banjo, my guitar, my tap shoes, and my overstuffed bag slung heavily on my shoulders. My schedule has been a haphazard puzzle of jagged geography and slow moving traffic, noisy coffee shops and random rooms full of wide-eyed banjo players or singers who made it all worthwhile.
After all this wandering (and wondering), I am beyond excited to announce that I have finally found my professional home in the Cully neighborhood of NE Portland! Starting in April, I will be opening my very own music school called Rose City Folk School, located at 5140A NE 42nd Avenue. It is a sweet ground level room with a bathroom and a kitchenette. I will be able to offer a more expansive schedule of classes, workshops, special events, and private lessons than ever before. I have so many ideas and dreams for this space and for the community that will grow within these walls! I hope to eventually bring in more top-notch, supportive teachers to expand our offerings as well as renting the room out for special workshops and events.
Since the birth of my daughter in 2014, my transient professional life has become ever more challenging. Every minute stuck in traffic, haggling over schedules, hunched over my computer, or packing and unpacking my instruments is a minute I don’t get to spend with her or doing what I love: teaching! My passion, however, for sharing the joys of music and dance with others has not waned in the slightest. I cannot begin to describe the delight I experience as I watch you master your first banjo tune or hear about your first jam… The happiness as the rhythm of your first clogging step comes from your feet… And the absolute elation as you hear your own voice ring out in harmony with singers you have just met. I have been teaching now since I was little more than a child and it still never gets old to see the light in your eyes or the light bulb going off as you realize that you CAN sing, dance, or make your very own music!
This is why I can’t wait to see what might be possible with the “birth” of Rose City Folk School. My hope in this venture is to make my professional and family life tenable and stable, which will allow me the freedom to serve more singers, musicians and dancers of all ages from a more grounded and inspired place. After a lifetime of transience (starting as a child in a touring family band at age 6), I am eager to plant myself in one place, in my home neighborhood, and see what I can grow there. I hope to support the growth of an even stronger, kinder, and more diverse community of musicians and singers!
I have always relied on the encouragement and support of my students, my friends, my family – who tell me I can do this, who remind me of the difference that my work can make, who sign up for my classes, who tell their friends about my work, who come to my shows… I couldn’t do it without you! I also want to recognize the tireless work of the volunteers and staff over the years at Artichoke Music, where I taught some of my first banjo classes. I hope to continue to work with them as a sister school in NE! I also want to acknowledge the wonderful work of Our 42nd Avenue, the community development organization that is helping make this space accessible to me, as a new queer- and woman-owned business.
Are you interested in getting involved and supporting this new community? If so, there will be many ways you can help!
- You can donate! I will be sharing a crowdfunding/”friendraiser” option in the next few weeks to help with the costs of setting up the new space. Get in touch if you’d like to add your support sooner.
- You can sign up early for classes and workshops! My next classes will begin the week of April 2 and will be announced very soon!
- You can set up private lessons! I will finally have the space and time (starting around mid-March) to offer private banjo lessons again. I am also available for private singing lessons and small group coaching! Send an email and we'll set up a time!
- You can volunteer to help set up the physical space (painting, moving, etc.). Fill out this FORM if you’re interested and I will send announcements when help is needed!
- You can donate items to the studio. I will be sharing a wish list soon, but it will include lamps, rugs, a few couches/comfy chairs, office supplies, a smart phone, and much more. Fill out this FORM if you think you have something I could use!
- You can become a school member! I will be announcing membership options soon, which will include the Tune of the Month Club (a new banjo tune and jam class each month), the Song of the Month Club (a new harmony song and singing gathering each month), and more.
- You can offer your services (donation or trade)! I may be looking for assistance on a variety of aspects of setting up a new business – legal, accounting, marketing, artistic, grant-writing, etc. Fill out this FORM if you think you might have something to offer and I will get in touch!
- Share, share, share! Tell your friends about the new school and invite them to take classes! Put up flyers. Share the crowdfunding link, the new logo, and/or the website on social media as they are announced (and as you wish).
- Just show up! Come and sing, play, or dance. That’s what it is all about!