Academy Instructor Brings Artistic Approach to Child Education

For John Reynolds, early childhood education is much like arranging a grand symphony.

Each instrument has its own distinct, vital part to the overall score and is able to immerse a listener's imagination with wave after colorful wave of emotion. While they all have their own roles, each instrument and its sound also flows and weaves into the rest of the orchestra to open the senses and mind to something much larger than a single note, melody or concept. 

This musical ideology is the bassline of the educational curriculum at the , a creative learning-focused school for children and adults of all ages started by Reynolds last year in downtown Hampton.

In addition to encouraging students to listen to different music and try playing an instrument of their choice, from guitars to drums to pianos to saxophones to violins and more, Reynolds also focuses on providing individuals a chance to "find what their passion is" and teach them how the arts and foreign languages can open their minds to new concepts as well as strengthen their skills in language and all other fields of academia and work.

"Music is something that if you learn enough and practice enough, it becomes automatic," said Reynolds. "Everything from your brain down to your fingertips. It's slow to get things going and it can be difficult, but all of a sudden if you practice it on an everyday basis, it's magic. It just happens. That's magic. That extends to other parts of life, and to be able to teach that to children [and adults], it's fascinating."

Reynolds opened NEAMLA on the third floor of the historic Lane Block building, which is located at the corner of Lafayette Road and High Street and also includes and , in June after teaching K-4 French and applied music at Berwick Academy in Maine for 12 years.

Reynolds lost his job at Berwick Academy two years ago when administrators made the decision to "absorb" positions after school enrollment dipped for several years in a row.

While that could've been a traumatic experience given the years he spent at the school, Reynolds said it gave him the "extra push" he needed to combine all his hobbies and passions into the kind of adaptable, evolving arts and language school he's wanted to open for roughly a decade.

"I've always been a teacher — my entire life," said Reynolds, who has a master's in elementary education. "I was the kind of kid who, when I learned to do something, my joy didn't come from performing it or doing whatever I learned in front of an audience. It's been showing others how to do something. That has always fascinated me."

NEAMLA currently has a five-instructor staff and offers a variety of programs and classes for all ages, ranging from private and group music lessons, art classes, French and Spanish instruction, and much more.

There are also private tutoring sessions — available at NEAMLA or at the student's home — as well as private school and SAT prep courses, Saturday morning Zumba classes for senior citizens, and an exploratory group music class for children under the age of four and their mothers.

Many of the programs are for children, as Reynolds said music and the arts are especially beneficial to children 7 years old and younger because during that time a child's brain does most of its language development, although Reynolds hopes to provide Hampton and surrounding communities with many different targeted educational programs to help enrich anyone's creativity and prime them for success in life.

Reynolds, who is laid back and conversational with students in his lessons, said enrollment is "really starting to take off" and said he has many ideas for the academy that will allow it to "evolve with the community" unfettered.

He's "fallen in love" with the downtown location and the community, and looks forward to expanding his academy now that it's beginning to gain traction with locals and students as far away as Merrimack, Massachusetts, and Southern Maine.

"I don't want to go anywhere," said Reynolds. "I want to see things grow, but not growing too big. Just enough so we remain good at what the community wants and what we do without pulling our hair out."

More information about NEAMLA can be found on the academy's .