A hidden gem

"Yes, there is a music academy in Fostoria," read a recent social media post. And, sure enough, at the west end of the second floor of the BANKquet Hall at 125 S. Main St, in Suite 11, is Ascend Music Academy. As relatively quiet of an existence as it has had since opening in 2016, it has hosted lessons for as many as 80 students. A small logo on the storefront window is the lone evidence in the downtown area that, at any given time, someone ranging in age from 6 on into their 70s may be learning a stringed instrument, percussion, piano or voice. "I think because we're up on the second floor and it's hard to find us, we're kind of an unknown treasure," said Ascend Music Academy Director Jody Strong, who is also the school's primary piano instructor. "Most of our students come through word of mouth, which is really the best way for places like this to keep open. Most of our kids know somebody who comes here, or the moms know another mom or dad who has kids who come here. That's how we get a lot of our business -- and whatever advertising I can afford to do. "As many people who do know about us, there are always people who say, 'I've lived here my whole life and I never knew you were there. Where are you?' And then when I explain that we're on the second floor of the building, they're like, 'That's why we didn't know you were there.' We don't have a storefront." What Ascend does have is, currently, a group of 70 students who receive individual lessons from any of four instructors. Dani Hummel-Sass teaches vocals and piano, while Dave Mitten gives lessons in guitar, bass, ukulele, banjo and mandolin and Michael Conley instructs both on a drum set and in marching percussion. Strong, a New York City native who moved to Tiffin in 2004, taught with Mitten at Alt's Music Center until it closed. Second Wind Music Center now occupies the building at 118 W. Center St. "We really felt like there was a need to continue some type of artistic journey here in Fostoria," Strong said. "Community members had the (Expressions) dance school, but they didn't have any music or theater or visual arts and we felt the need to stay here and serve this community, and we did exactly that." Mitten lives in Fostoria, and the others drive from Tiffin to instruct for 30 minutes per lesson. "We keep our costs as low as possible," Strong said. "We're lower than most music lessons at this point, and we do that quite on purpose. We should be a not-for-profit. We're not, but we should be because we treat it like a not-for-profit. We keep our costs pretty low; it's $20 per lesson. Usually, it can be up to $40 or $50 per lesson up in Toledo. And we do that on purpose because we want to be able to serve this community and if we raised our prices too much, it'd be a rate where people wouldn't be able to come. We make less money, but in turn, we're able to provide this and that's more important to us." Ascend was known as Forte Music Studios for its first two years before rebranding. "When we first opened, Forte Music, the store in Tiffin, loaned me some instruments," Strong said. "When we started out, we needed instruments and amplifiers. When Alt's closed and I decided to open here, I didn't have the wherewithal. I had no money; I just had this idea. So, my friend, Ed Adams, who owns Forte Music in Tiffin, very generously loaned me a piano and loaned me what I needed for Dave, for amplifiers and such, and got us going. "We were in little, individual rooms and we'd put a chair in the hallway for (parents) to sit in. It was very haphazard, but we made it work. Then, after those first two years and we were able to get our footing, I no longer needed to keep things on loan from Ed and I was able to move in here and buy all this furniture and buy our new piano. It wasn't anything against Ed or Forte Music. It was just that we had finally grown enough to venture on our own. "So, I hired a marketing guy who said we should probably rebrand and have a fresh space. ... Without Ed, I'd have never had the opportunity to even start, and he was amazing. He's still a great friend of Ascend Music." Strong said the majority of the academy's students are age 18 and under, but a good number of retirees are among the adults who take lessons. "First and foremost, we're looking to give that positive, joyful music experience that people will always have in their hearts," she said. "And if they end up being interested enough in it as a career, that's great, too, but that's not really the most important thing. If that happens, fantastic. They're then to the point where they go to a music conservatory for college or it's just for joy. "We also have a lot of seniors who come here, post-retirement, who are just looking for new hobbies and things to do. I can't tell you how many calls I get from people 65 and up who say, 'I've always wanted to take piano. Is it too late?' And it's never too late. Or, they say, 'I took lessons when I was in my teens. I loved it. I still have a piano and I'm so rusty now. I need lessons to get back into it.' And I'll work with them until they get their groove back." The academy also hosts recitals in the winter and spring for students to show what they've learned. Strong said such performances, while not required, are strongly encouraged. "It's one of the highlights of our year, biyearly," she said. "It gives the kids something out of that routine of lessons every week and it gives them something to work toward. It helps in overcoming performance fears and having the opportunity to learn a piece of music and achieve as close to their level of perfection as they can. ... We work to the point where that student is so proud of what they're performing and they probably have it memorized by the time we get there. "And they get to dress up and they get to perform in front of family and friends and we have, like, a snack table and a little celebration afterward. It's really special, especially to see kids who at the first recital were so mortified that they were in tears and by their third or fourth recital they're up there showing the little ones how it's done. "That confidence gets built through the times that they do those recitals. Definitely, the parents will tell us that it also helps them in school with social skills and confidence things that help them throughout their lives. So, we really value those recitals." Ascend is open 2-8 p.m., Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays and by appointment. For more information, contact Strong at 419-618-8839 or by emailing jody@ascendmusicacademy.com.