Music academy celebrates formidable expansion year
- Mary Lou Montgomery
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
MARY LOU MONTGOMERY
For the Courier-Post
A year ago, Hannibal native Carrie Griffen took a leap of faith, based upon a vision. She foresaw a studio where individuals could hone their music skills, and where accomplished musicians could share their knowledge with others. In addition, as a seasoned music instructor and performer, Carrie sought a stage on which to showcase musicians of various accomplishment levels and genres in concert, coming together for the enjoyment of others.
She took the first step toward fulfilling that vision in 2024 via the purchase of the now 118-year-old mid-town structure that long-housed Hannibal’s First Methodist Church - which incidentally is the church of her youth.
After making necessary building repairs, cobbling available space into individual instruction rooms and compiling a group of talented instructors, in early 2025 she officially launched the Hannibal Music Academy and Performance Hall, located at 901 Broadway.
On Saturday Jan. 10, 2026, the academy was officially welcomed into the Hannibal business community via a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Hannibal Area Chamber of Commerce.
Today, the academy offers instruction from 10 teachers. Classes include guitar, ukulele, drums, piano, violin and voice.
Just prior to Christmas, the academy hosted two Christmas recitals, showcasing the talents of of a total of 40 individual students, as well as offering two collective performances.
“I had everybody learn ‘Deck the Halls’” Carrie said. “They all got up on the stage” which previously served as the church altar. Each member at his or her own accomplishment level, on the instrument of choice, collectively performed the Christmas classic. “They all did it together, everybody was on point. They all stopped together. To do it perfectly was magic. There were 20-plus students on stage together at once.”
The recital was divided into two segments; performances on a Thursday and Saturday, just prior to Christmas.
“These are people who have never, never performed together; to do it perfectly was magic.”
HMA Band
The academy showcases the teachers’ own talents as well as their teaching abilities. The instructors have created a house band, aptly named the HMA Band.
“We did the Carol King/James Taylor concert in September. There were 125 people in the audience and we got a spontaneous standing ovation. It was like a whoosh. We planned an encore song, ‘Locomotion.’ When we started in with Locomotion, they started doing a chain through the aisles, and that was spontaneous too. My associate pastor from Florissant started the Conga chain. It was funny.”
Upcoming on the calendar for the HMA Band is a Valentine’s show, featuring 1970s music. “Half of the show will be music from the Taylor show, and we’ll be adding love songs from the ‘70s.” The show, themed “Love is in the Air,’ is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Valentine’s Day, Feb. 14.
A special offering for Valentine’s Day will be musical telegrams. “We are going to have singing telegrams for Valentine’s Day. People will be able to call up and order them; we will be dressed as a big heart.” Singers will include Carrie and some of the students. “We’ll go to a person’s house or workplace and sing a Valentine. That will be fun,” she said.
There is a dual purpose for the singing telegrams. In addition to offering a unique way to share a Valentine’s message, “I’m going to get the (voice students) more confident about singing out in public. And people love getting a song. I think it is going to be good, a win-win.”
Piano lessons
In addition to traditional piano lessons, the HMA is offering a web-based, group lesson program, “Piano Express,” which is proving to be popular.
“Piano Express is a web-based software the students use for their book series,” Carrie said. “It is a different brand of books; back in the day we used John Thompson’s books, and in the past 20 years people have been using Faber and Faber.
“Piano Express is web-based, a group lesson program. The software grades the songs so that the teacher can spend time teaching music theory and technique and not spending time on grading the performance of the song. It is game-based so you feel a little competitive. The computer will give you 50 percent complete or 80 percent complete; the software makes a big deal out of it. The student can work at his or her own pace; they go a lot faster progressing than on one-on-one lessons.”
Each student in the group setting practices the lesson on a weighted keyboard. “The teacher will circulate the room and be able to plug into the headphones as well; and hear what the students are doing.
“You get more technique, more music theory versus the private lessons. The skills that are learned are very similar to Faber and Faber.
“Piano Express has been around for over 10 years, and it has already been proven that students progress faster,” Carrie said.
“Once you get past level six, you need the one-on-one instruction.”
Upcoming
The Hannibal Music Academy is hosting a nondenominational Workshop Singspiration at 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17. “I’ve invited all local churches in the Mark Twain area to send their worship leaders to participate,” Carrie said. It is a free event, for people who enjoy worship songs.
On Feb. 21, a Bluegrass concert is planned. “I asked people what kind of genre they like to listen to,” and Bluegrass was a popular response. “We have two bands on that concert coming, one from Kirksville and one from Quincy.”
Music as a healer
Carrie, who has taught music professionally for most of her adult life, remains dedicated to the benefits of music education.
“I can tell by the way people talk, people are getting more positive. Music has a way healing, the lessons themselves, the practice. If you commit to something and you see progress, it makes you feel better inside; it gives you more confidence.
“Even if you go back to Biblical times, David played the harp to console Saul.
“Somebody had to teach Saul,” she said.
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