A music school in the northern areas that runs almost entirely on love and charity has finally moved out of the founder’s house and into classrooms – opening up opportunities for growth.
Pandora’s Music Box, which over the years opened doors for students to perform in public, will now operate from a church in the area.
The safety of the young music students at the school is also now no longer an issue, founder Verrick Erasmus said on Wednesday.
He said the school was eager to welcome more students in the near future.
Christ The King church in Gelvandale will now be the school’s new base.
Speaking at a thanksgiving service held on Wednesday at the church – where tutors and newly donated instruments were anointed with holy water – the congregation prayed for the continued growth of the school.
The church opened its doors to the school earlier in March, with three classrooms available for the school to use throughout the week.
The school also received a donation of a drum set, a bass guitar with an amp, an electronic piano and a laptop from musician Andre Mackey on Saturday.
Pandora’s Musical Box was established in 2010 by Erasmus, who has various diplomas in music.
He said he was determined to prove that talent could outweigh trouble in the gangtroubled area.
Erasmus said he had never imagined that the school would be as popular as it was today and that it would have the opportunity to perform and host gigs.
The nonprofit organisation is also raising funds to take 22 students and eight mentors, including some parents, on a 14-day tour of Europe in September 2020.
The group would also be writing a musical exam with the Royal School of Church Music at one of its facilities, Erasmus said.
“When I started the music [school] I did it part-time from my house in Numan Street and I only had three students.
“I never expected the community to respond so positively to my idea of outweighing the social problems we face with music,” Erasmus said.
He taught children from various homes, he said, adding that some of them found music to be therapeutic.
Pandora’s Musical Box now has more than 120 enrolled students for 2019.
It was registered as a nonprofit organisation in 2016.
Erasmus said it did not charge the normal music rates to make the services available to everyone.
He said he was excited about having a bigger space to work from, saying the school could welcome more music lovers of all ages.
Erasmus said the church was more secure than his home because it was enclosed and had fencing around it.
At his home, he often worried about burglaries because instruments were kept on site.
“We can now run classes simultaneously unlike before because we were very cramped.
“We are fortunate to have these premises at a very minimal rate.
“We also have our own drum set that was donated by a music band, ChapterTHREE.
“They organised a benefit concert at the Boardwalk Amphitheatre on March 2 and with all the proceedings they bought us the instruments,” Erasmus said.
He said the school was truly blessed to have a community that cared about the future and safety of the children.
“I have my own space now, and I no longer worry about burglaries.
“Just this weekend there were shootings [near his house], but for once I was relieved because we had moved the school.
“With the bigger space we can open our doors to more students.
“Our youngest student is four years old and the oldest is 67 years old. You are never too old to learn to play an instrument,” Erasmus said.
The school offers piano, violin, guitar and drum classes to people of all ages in and around Gelvandale.