In the era of overwhelming choice, constant distraction, and artificial intelligence, many parents are looking for a way to connect their kids with something worthy and real. At 232 Music Studios, students are learning life skills, feeling music’s power, and growing in ways not even their parents expect.
Derek has been at 232 since he was six years old. His grateful father, Chris, has watched him develop into a disciplined and joyful student.
“It’s been wonderful,” Chris says. “It’s just been a great experience for everyone. I think it’s a great way for Derek to balance enjoying something that he likes while also growing in patience, discipline, and his interactions with teachers and adults. He’s had the opportunity to learn how to relate to different teachers in their different styles, which has been beneficial for him in a broader sense, even at school. He’s been learning that if you give them an opportunity, teachers are going to lead you to the things that you’re trying to accomplish.”
Derek has also discovered the pure joy of performance and creativity.
“The confidence piece has been there, but piano has given him the opportunity to lean into it and embrace that confidence,” Chris says. “Every time there’s a show, he is so excited about it and the opportunity to perform on the grand piano. He loves the opportunity to compose his own music and arrangements. I’m really thankful that 232 allows him to do that. You’ll never see him spend more time practicing than when he gets to do one of his own songs. He also loves playing the piano at school in the morning and around lunch time.”
Stories like this excite 232 Co-Founder Drew Bartels.
“I love hearing how music makes its way outside of our studio,” Drew says. “There was one point where Derek and his family were on a trip in Europe, and they came back with this video of him performing on a grand piano in some hotel there. Seeing him take that opportunity to share music literally across the world was just so cool.”
Chris has also seen his son’s love of music creating a connection point between the two of them.
“He just loves when I pull up the instrumentals of different songs that I grew up with, and he’ll play the melody,” Chris says. “We were going through an old album from 2001…the songs are extremely melodic and he loves that. We do some of this fun stuff along with his book work, and that’s been a great way to get him practicing. To be able to share music with him has been really great.”
Drew is thrilled to see parents connecting with their kids in this way.
“Derek’s dad is able to pull out this piece that was a part of his growing up and something that moved him, and he can share that with his son,” Drew says. “Derek gets to connect with something that his dad connected with in the past. How cool! That is incredible. That’s one of the things we love…hearing how piano lessons bring music not just to that one person, but to a family. It puts music into a household, and who knows what might happen from there?”
Chris says he’s felt supported all along this musical journey with his son–something that truly sets 232 apart.
“The staff at 232 are there to help on more than just a musical level,” Chris says. “We feel like we can talk about anything with them. We’re a phone call away and we’ve never hesitated to make that call.”
Ultimately, Chris says it’s this fostering of the whole person that has kept his family at the piano bench.
“We’ve never been in this for mastery or pressuring him to be the best piano player ever,” Chris says. “It’s all the other stuff…the amount of growth that’s happened in all those other areas. The discipline that’s required, the creativity that’s come out of him, the confidence of knowing that he can stand in front of people and be a showman, the character building activities. Whether he plays piano the rest of his life or if he doesn’t, there’s so much that has happened that he is going to take with him for the rest of his life.”
