Arts & Entertainment
St. Michael Mom, Music Teacher Expanding School in Rogers
Signature Music School can teach everything from piano to percussion, and features a personal touch.
St. Michael mom of four, Jennifer Hickle, is proving that one can chase her dreams and be a mom at the same time. (She even homeschools. Now that’s ambition!)
Hickle started Signature School of Music in 1998 in Plymouth when a neighbor asked if she would teach their kids piano lessons.
“I went and asked my piano teacher because I was still taking lessons at the time and he said, 'Yes, you can!’” Hickle recalled.
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She started with two, and then pretty soon she had four students. Eventually she was teaching lessons every Saturday.
“I paid for my college and graduated debt free because I taught piano lessons on Saturdays,” Hickle, a North Central University graduate with a music degree, shared.
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By the time Hickle was 20, she’d hired two teachers, which grew to 10 teachers who went to students homes in Plymouth. “We didn’t advertise or market at all; it was all word of mouth.”
Fast forward thirteen years and Signature School of Music has been sharing space with North Ballet Academy in Rogers since September 2009 . “We’re outgrowing the space and ready to be on our own,” she shared. The music school started with around 20 students at the Rogers location and has now grown to 140.
The new studio located on the other side of 101 will have six small private studios and one larger classroom for choir and percussion programs. (Think STOMP!)
Currently, the music school offers private lessons for: piano, guitar, voice, violin, bass, drums, trumpet and clarinet. They also offer choir and percussion classes. All of the teachers are hand-picked by Hickle herself who won’t just take any music teacher. “I turn between 7-10 teachers down a year, I want teachers who are excited about music, love teaching and are friendly, relatable people.”
Hickle is clear that she is out to change the image of music lessons. “We want this to be an amazing experience,” she says, “and with a four to five-year retention rate of our students, I think that speaks for itself.”
Signature Music School will have a grand opening celebration on Saturday, August 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at their new location, 20998 134th Ave, Suite 109 in Rogers.
Mention this article for a $25 discount on registration.
