Today's Parent 2013

7/29/2019 Today's Parent 2013

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From Chicago to Claremont:

In search of specialized education

tPAGE 10

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Parents find

keys to

success in

piano

lessons

Friday, March 1, 2013

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Dad coachessons on

and off the

court


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TODAYS PARENT/2013 3

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My three sons by Chris OakleyCoach and dad takes sons team

The key to happiness by Sarah TorribioPiano teacher guides students on musical journey

Moving in, moving ahead by Beth HartnettFamily makes home in Claremont for Conductive Education


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Its many a parentsdream to see their childsit down at the piano and

play a song, whether its asoaring piece by Beethoven orthe tinkling tones of a beloved

Disney tune. Getting there,however, takes focus, dedica-tion and long hours of practice.

Many young people drop out infrustration and boredom before theylearn to combine notes and rhythmin a way that makes a compositionsing.

Knowing this, Michael Vargas is aman on a mission. When a kid sits atthe baby grand piano in his studio inthe Claremont Packing House, hewants them to smile, to nod in under-standing and to marvel at how verygood theyre becoming.

My biggest fear is for a kid to say,

Mom, I dont want to take piano les-sons any more. I hate it, Mr. Vargassaid. That would break my heart,because Ive discouraged them notonly from music but piano.

Mr. Vargas does whatever it takes tohelp his students, many of them chil-dren, grasp complex musical ideas. Inhis airy studio, graced with fresh flow-ers, paintings and busts of notablecomposers, hell sometimes jog up and

down the stairswith each step repre-senting a piano keyto demonstratethe concept of keyboard intervals.

Everybody learns differently. Ithrow everything at them and seewhat sticks, he said.

Analiese Knight-Ward, a 10-year-old Condit Elementary School stu-dent, is shy and tends to shut down if

shes not comfortable with someone,her father, Kevin Ward, explained.Luckily, she felt at home with Mr.Vargas right off the bat, he said.Perhaps its the easy patter he keepsup during lessons.

These are the blues, he said, intro-ducing Analiese to a new piece ofmusic. You probably dont knowanything about that, but you willwhen you grow up.

Mr. Ward considers the progressmade by his daughterwho has beentaking lessons at the Michael VargasConservatory of Music for less than ayearto be nothing short of remark-

able. Each week, he is amazed whenshe comes home from a lesson andplays for him. And she never has to beurged to sit down at the piano becauseshe enjoys it so much.

Hes really fun, Analiese said ofMr. Vargas. I like the way he teach-esI get inspired.

Piano teacher nurtures

young musicians, shareskeys to success

PIANO MANcontinues on page 6

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffAnaliese Knight-Wards father, Kevin Ward, brings his daughter to her music lessonsat the Claremont Packing House with Michael Vargas. Even though she has only beenplaying for a short while, Mr. Vargas believes that Analiese has promise.


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Piano teacher Michael Vargas describes how he wants a piece of music to sound during a private lesson with El Roble Intermediate School student Bryan Huang recently in thePacking House. Mr. Vargas has been teaching piano at his current Village West location for 3 years.


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N

ot long ago, Mr. Wards par-

ents, who had heard Analiesehad been taking piano lessons,came over for a visit.

Analiese sat down and said,Grandma and Grandpa, Im going toplay for you, Mr. Ward shared. Ithink they expected her to playChopsticks and go tink-tink-tink.

Instead, she started playingMalaguena and doing runs, Mr.Ward continued. If I could have avideo of them at that momenttheirshocked faces, the tears in theireyesit would have captured howproud they are of her.

Mr. Ward and his wife, EliseKnight, had talked about puttingAnaliese in music lessons for years,but hadnt gotten around to it. Oneday, the family was walking throughthe Packing House in ClaremontsVillage West when they saw a signadvertising piano lessons. They head-ed upstairs almost on a whim, andfound Mr. Vargas in his studio.

He gave Analiese a free, half-hoursession, a courtesy he often extends topeople who are pondering taking themusical plunge.

She sat down and actually playedsomething, Mr. Ward marveled. Ithink she was hooked at that point.

A dream deferred

Mr. Vargas remembers when he wasfirst hooked on piano. He was in seventhor eighth grade when KTLA aired the1984 film Amadeus, a biopic aboutcomposer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

He was transfixed by the musicand consumed with the desire toplay the piano. Unfortunately, hisparents had other ideas. He had beentaking accordion lessons for sometime, which he hated, and his par-

ents wanted him to stick with it.Life went on. Mr. Vargas went to Don

Bosco Technical High School, major-ing in printing. After graduating with

an associates degree and a high schooldiploma, he went straight to work in theprinting industry. But after nearly adecade as a printer, he realized he wasoverworked and unfulfilled.

I looked around and saw the oldtimers getting ready to retire, andsaid, Theres got to be something dif-ferent, he said.

With a desire for a new focus, Mr.Vargas decided to go to college. Hewas walking around the Cal StateFullerton campus when he spotted themusic department. Inspired, heapplied to become a music major, adecision that wasnt exactly applaud-ed by friends and family.

People said, Youre going to studymusic? You cant make any moneydoing that, Mr. Vargas recalled. Isaid, Its not about that. I want to dosomething I enjoy.

He was halfway through his firstsemester when he paid a visit to anadviser in the music department, whostarted off the meeting by asking Mr.Vargas what instrument he played. Whenhe said none, the adviser was floored.

He said, How did you get in here?Didnt you have an audition?

Once it was determined that he hadsomehow slipped through the cracksfor admission to the program, that

there had been no audition, the advis-er got down to business. He suggestedthat Mr. Vargas study voice.

I said, I dont want to do voice, Iwant to learn piano, Mr. Vargas said.The advisor explained that it was vir-tually impossible for someone my ageto learn piano on a collegiate level. Isaid, I dont care.

PIANO MAN

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PIANO MAN

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COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffPiano teacher Michael Vargas shows Bryan Huang how to play a part of a JohanSebastian Bach piece recently during a lesson in Claremont. Bryan first learned to playpiano in Taiwan, where they do not emphasize learning to read music for the first fewyears, so Mr. Vargas has introduced the essential skill into their lesson plans.


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Analiese Knight-Ward, 10, listens to the instructions of her piano teacher MichaelVargas during a private lesson in the Claremont Village. Analiese just started studyingpiano with Mr. Vargas but she already is considering a career in music.


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Once the adviser realized that his seriouslyunder-qualified student was serious aboutlearning the piano, he sent him to the head

of the keyboard department. Mr. Vargas told himhe needed to audition and asked if he could suggestsome appropriate pieces. He left with 3 recommen-dations, Bachs Fuge in D-Major, Mozarts Sonatain G-Major and Claire de Lune by ClaudeDebussy. He had until the start of the next semes-ter to audition. The only problem was, he couldntread music.

He proceeded to teach himself to play the pieces,a process that took countless hours. Many weeks

later, he found himself auditioning in a big roomfull of PhDs and accomplished pianists. He wasnervous, Mr. Vargas said, and bombed big-time.Somehow, he was accepted on a probationary basis.

It was a daunting course of study, consideringthat most of his classmates had been playing pianosince age 3.

I was in a theory class and the teacher put up thescore for a Wagner opera and said, Lets analyzeit, he remembered. I said, Oh my god, Im goingto have to learn fast.

He began to prepare for his next audition, thistime under the tutelage of music professors. Heoften practiced as much as 14 hours a day.

All I did was play piano, Mr. Vargas said.Mr. Vargas performed the same pieces for the jury

and did much better. There was no time to rest on

his laurels, though, because he had to get startedlearning 3 or 4 new pieces.

For the first 2 years, he barely managed to passhis audition. On the third year, Mr. Vargas reached

a threshold where he felt that, given some time, hecould handle any piano piece you threw at him.I got my degree but, more importantly, I learned

to play, he said.It would be several more years before Mr. Vargas

got up the nerve to quit his job and try his hand atbeing a full-time piano teacher. Ironically, his for-mer job has since disappeared with changes in theprinting industry. Meanwhile, his job as a pianoinstructor is paying his bills and nourishing hissoul. Its always about reaching a student on theirlevel, finding their learning style and helping themsucceed.

I can tell that Im doing it. Im always looking ata students hands, he said. But every once in awhile, I look at their face and theyre beaming fromear-to-ear. I know they enjoy what theyre doing.

His own story of bucking the odds, with a tenac-ity that is reminiscent of Rudy Ruettigers deter-mination to play with Notre Dames FightingIrish, gives Mr. Vargas perspective.

I know the frustrations, the fear, how intimidat-ing it can be, he said of being a beginning musi-cian. I did it as an adult, so its still fresh in mymemory.

And as for a new generation of musicians, Mr.Ward and Ms. Knight have no regrets about gettingAnaliese started in a pursuit she will be able toenjoy her whole life.

I think Im doing well, said Analiese. I thinkIm going to move forwardI really want to. Idont want to quit.

Sarah [email protected]

PIANO MANcontinued from page 6


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COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffMichael Vargas piano studio is one of several live-work spaces on the second floor of the Claremont PackingHouse in Village West. Here, Mr. Vargas conducts a piano lesson with middle school student Bryan Huang.


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TODAYS PARENT/2013 10/11

Charles and Debra White,

both former athletes, are nostrangers to the principles of

steadfast discipline and hard work,fundamentals they have transferredto their lives as parents to 11-year-old Payton, a student at ClaremontsDanbury Elementary School.

When doctors diagnosed Payton with cere-bral palsy and said he would never crawl, letalone walk, those natural instincts kicked in.

They sat us down and told us he would havea laundry list of problems: he would never beable to sit up, never be able to chew food,never be able to crawl or walk. It was just a listof never, never, nevers, Ms. White recalled,but I was like, you dont know me. He mightnot have a quote-on-quote normal life, but weare going to do things.

You just love the kid to death and just try todo the best you can, Ms. White continued.

In finding homeopathic treatments to helpPayton, who was nonverbal and unable to walkwithout assistance, the Whites have tried it all:acupuncture, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, mag-net therapy, even a stem cell trial. In the sum-mer of 2010, Ms. White, Payton and a caregiv-er traveled to Claremont for a week to giveDanburys Conductive Education program,ConductAbility, a test.

Founded more than 60 years ago,Conductive Education centers itself around theconcept of neuroplasticity, or the idea that thebrain can reorganize itself by forming newneural connections if taught how to do so. AtDanbury, Conductive Education teachers workwith students to do just thisincorporatingrhythm and movement with verbal tasks. In arecent ConductAbility class, Danbury studentstook turns kicking a small red ball, instructedto first kick it with their right foot, and laterwith their left.

[Conductive Education] is a teachingmethod, not therapy, said Danbury ConductiveEducation teacher Alicia Chatham. Its abouthabilitating instead of rehabilitating, learninghow to live with what you have.

No stranger to physical therapy, Ms. White

was a firm believer in Conductive Educationsmethodology that goes beyond simply workingwith the body and the muscles.

You have to fix the signals in the brain ifyou want to change the body, Ms. Whitenotes. Otherwise you are just jerry-rigging thebody and as soon as you stop stretching him,he is going to go right back.

The class proved monumental for Payton.By the end of the summer, he had made signif-icant strides, standing with the assistance of histeachers and a special walker, socializing andfocusing in a way Ms. White had not seenbefore. It was a noticeable difference to bothhis teachers and his mother.

He just seemed to be more attentive whenyou talked to him and did well with the walk-er. He was chewing better and had improvedhis grip, Ms. White said, who was particular-ly impressed with the improvement to his lefthand, which is typically very rigid. Nobodyhad even thought about working with his lefthand. I was flabbergasted.

Though they lived clear across the country in

Chicago, Illinois, they knew what their nextstep would have to be, struggle or no struggle.

We fell in love with the program, Ms.White remembered. I called my husband andI told him we have to move.Making the move

Being able to enroll Payton in a ConductiveEducation program was the realization of adream for the Whites, who had been strug-gling to find a program that wasnt filled tocapacity. The program in their hometown wasbooked solid, and so was the next closest pro-gram in Detroit, Michigan. Refusing to giveup, Ms. White took to the Internet and foundDanbury Elementary School. She was imme-diately drawn to the schools integrated pro-gramming, providing Payton with the oppor-tunity to attend regular classes while receivingtraining with ConductAbility. Californiassunny skies didnt hurt either, in more waysthan one. The harsh Chicago winters wereproving to be counterproductive for Payton,according to his parents.

During the winter months in Chicago, when

you are in a wheelchair, you cant get out. Youare stuck inside, Ms. White explained. Andwe were noticing that in the spring he wouldmake these great physical gains with his walk-er and he could be outside on his bike and hislegs would get stronger and bigger, and then allthat would go away with the winter.

Their Chicago townhome started to becomea problem as well. As Payton grew, it becameharder for him to crawl up and down the stairsof his 4-story townhome. Unable to navigatethe stairs himself, his parents would have tocarry him, but as the 11-year-old boy continuedto grow, it became difficult.

He was getting bigger and Im getting older,Mr. White joked. It wasnt working out.

The Whites were pleasantly pleased to findClaremont as the land of ranch-style homes,sprawling one-story homes perfect for Payton.However, settling into their dream homeproved to be a tedious, and occasionally frus-trating, process.

Life in Claremont key to development of Danbury student

Teacher Alicia Chatham helps Payton White straighten his feet during a Conductive Education class last Wednesday at Danbury Elementary School. Peytonsparents moved to Claremont from Chicago in June of 2011 solely for the Conductive Education program at Danbury.

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffPayton White looks up at his father Charles asthe pair walk around the backyard of theirClaremont home. Wednesday is Peytons shortday at Danbury, so the family makes time forafternoon recreation.

LEFT: Payton White ascends the climbingwall with the assistance of No Limits WesFerson at Danbury Elementary School lastMay. No Limits was started by paraplegicrock climber Mark Wellman so that specialneeds children could experience climbing.

BELOW: Debra and Charles White photo-graph their son Payton as he ascends theclimbing wall. No Limits provides theclimbing wall and all of the adaptive tech-nology so that any student, regardless ofphysical limitations, can try climbing.

ABOVE: Payton White helps his caregiverEmilah Wang pick out a blanket whileshopping at Target in La Verne rece ntly.Through the Conductive Education class-es, Payton has learned to communicatewith hand gestures.

LEFT: Debra and Charles White play withtheir son Payton at their north Claremonthome. The couple bought the homebecause it is a single-story with a pool,which suits the needs of their son.

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATIONcontinues on page 12


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With the Claremont housing market at a lull, ittook a few months for them to find a reasonablehome, and when they did locate one, they were toldit would not be immediately available for move-in.Because Chicagos real estate market was equallystagnant, Ms. White was forced to stay behind withthe house and the belongings in hopes of finding abuyer.

With a couple of blow-up mattresses, a recliner,stereo and TV set, Mr. White and his son set uphome in a Claremont rental in time for Payton to

start at Danbury in the fall of 2011. The situationwasnt ideal and at first Paytons progress took a fewsteps back as he adjusted to the changes.

He was clearly unhappy and ready to go back to

Chicago, Ms. White said. He had a hard timeadjusting to the change in his routine, getting used tothe new house, new friends, new caregiver. He wasbonding with his old caregivers.

Ms. White joined her family in Claremont thatDecember and while the family had to weather somemore changesmoving back and forth betweenhotels and rentals during home renovationstheWhites have finally settled comfortably into theirMiramar Avenue home. Payton is able to navigate

the home with ease and loves swimming in the back-yard pool.

Since establishing their new home base, the mile-stones have continued to mount for Payton. When

asked about the biggest improvement, both parentsanswer is instantaneous: his decision-making.

Before it was always a guessing game, and hewould become frustrated, and rightly so, Ms. Whitesaid. Can you imagine all day long just being dic-tated on what to do? These sorts of things help himout a lot.

He is able to have more control of his life, Mr.White added.

His teachers have also noted the improvements.While Payton used to take more of an observersrole in class, his teachers remarked that he is nowan active participant, initiating movement ratherthan waiting for tasks to be assigned.

He is focused and more aware of his surround-ings, Ms. Catham said, adding that he is much morecalm and collected in pointing out what it is he wants.

The Whites say the new strides are allowing Paytonthe chance to express the typical pre-teen that he is,eager to get out and exercise, with the help of a spe-cially-made bike, and he is a natural social butterfly,going out to lunch, the mall and the movies with hisnew Danbury friends.

He doesnt even want anything to do with us, hisparents joked.

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATIONcontinued from page 11

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION

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As Payton continues to make strideswith the help of ConductAbilityhehas already taken steps with the assis-tance of teachers and a conductive edu-cation ladderhis parents appreciateDanburys hands-on approach, similarto their mentality all along.

[At Danbury] they challenge him.Its not like he just sits there coloring ordoing arts and crafts, which is finewithin reason, but they give him thatextra necessary push, Mr. White said.

The Whites look forward to continu-ing to play an active role in their sonscontinued development with the help ofthe Danbury team. They stay as activewith their son as possible and are cur-rently preparing to install railing along

the hallways at home to aid him withhis walking.

His teachers, the aids, they haveall been fantastic, Ms. White said.

Everyone works together as a teamwith us so we can give him his bestchance in life.

To the Whites, the gifts Conduct-Ability gives their son are immeasurable.

He is just a lot more at peace, she said.

Beth Hartnett

[email protected]

COURIER photo/Steven FelschundneffProgram Director Borbala Goda helpsPayton with his sweater at the conclusion ofthe Conductive Education class at DanburyElementary School last week. Danbury isthe only public school in the United Statesthat offers Conductive Education.

CONDUCTIVE EDUCATION

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Frank Gower and his 3 sonsFrankie, Jake, and Tommymake up over half of the start-

ing line-up and coaching staff of theundefeated Thunder team inClaremont Youth Basketball. Somemay ask how it is possible to keep 3brothers on one team without chal-lenges of sibling rivalries, all coached

by dad at the same time.Nevertheless, this only seems to motivate the

Thunder, who have not lost this season and arepreparing a playoff march for the boys fifth andsixth grade division.

The core of the team started playing together 3years ago. This has been a great experience. Inever wanted to coach them before, and I dontcoach them in baseball or football. We are moreof a basketball family. I got volunteered into it,and wanted my guys on the team with me. The

first year I coached I loved it so much that I want-ed to continue, said the boys father, CoachGower.

The brothers all agree that playing for their dadis a good thing.

At least we get to play! In addition, theyagree they are probably not the coachs favoriteplayers .

We dont know about that, he treats us likeeveryone else. Plus, we argue a lot with eachother, Frankie said.

One thing that the 2 older Gower brothers donot agree on is a favorite professional sportsteam. Frankie and Jake are fans of the Lakers andHeat in the National Basketball Association,respectively.

Conventional wisdom would say that brothers onthe same team would have a special kind of chem-istry on the court, but Jake sees it differently.

FRANK GOWER & SONScontinues on the next page

COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffFrank Gower has a private moment with 2 of his 3 sons, Jake, left, and Frankie on Sunday during the Thunders playoff game against the Ligers at CHS. Though it would seemhard to coach 3 sons on one team, the result has been remarkable with the Thunder recording a perfect record this season.

Claremont Youth Basketball team Thunder, backrow: from left Coach Ryan Slater, Ryan Slater,Siddarth Gummadi, Jacob Lopez, Frankie Gower andCoach Frank Gower. Front row: Xulian Garcia-Ramos, Yoon Cho, Jacob Aldridge, Jake Gower andTommy Gower.

The Gower bunch takes team play to a new level


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We play better with the other guys. My broth-

ers both hog the ball. If I want to be passed to bythem, I have to be wide open, or I have to get theball myself, Jake said.

I made sure to get players in the CYB draft thatwould pass the ball a lot, because I knew that wasthe only way this team would work with theseguys on it, Coach Gower teased. I am partly

joking. My sons have all gotten better this season,and they have worked as hard as the others inlearning to play as one team.

The teams lone fourth grader is Tommy Gower,

who made more adjustments to play in the olderdivision with his brothers.Its hard, but getting easier. I am used to being

the smallest guy on the court. My dad says I will getbetter more quickly, because playing with the big-ger, faster guys forces me to make changes to mygame. I have to play up to the opposition, he said.

Parents should deliver encouragement and con-structive criticism to their young athletes, theGower brothers said.

Dad is a good coach even though he has not

done it before coaching us. Mom is always at thegames to keep our spirits up, and she always tellsus to give her a smile while were on the court.Its easy to get too serious sometimes, Jake said.

FRANK GOWER & SONS

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FRANK GOWER & SONScontinues on page 16

The Claremont Youth Basketball Thunder, in grey, take on the Ligers in a playoff game on Sunday in Claremont. The

Thunder roster includes 3 boys from the same family.


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The competition within the family extends awayfrom the basketball court. The brothers agree theyhave a normal family, with sibling rivalries.

Dad makes sure we get our homework done,but he takes basketball way more seriously. Heknows we will take care of everything we need todo. Sometimes we have races to see who can fin-

ish their homework first after school. We alwayshave arm wrestling battles as well, Tommy said.

Coach Gower always makes sure to keep theThunder focused on the task at hand, and to keepstrategy in mind when they play.

My sons, as well the rest of my team, haveplayed aggressive defense all year. This makesmy job easier. They are motivated and listen tome. They are disciplined. They pass the ball to theopen man. They run without the ball and work to

get open. I dont have to repeat myself when giv-ing instructions to anyone on the team, he said.

What is certain is that the team, especially theGowers, will have to celebrate if they win thechampionship this Sunday.

Maybe Disneyland, maybe a party. We willsee, Coach Gower said. We have got to winfirst!

Chris [email protected]

FRANK GOWER & SONScontinued from page 15


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COURIER photos/Steven FelschundneffFrank Gower gives some pre-game instructions to his Claremont Youth Basketball team before the start of their playoff game on Sunday at Claremont High School. The team,Claremont Thunder, is undefeated this season and includes 3 of his sons as players.

Tommy Gower looks for an open teammate on Sunday dur-ing the Thunders game against the Ligers at the CHS Gym.Tommy is the youngest of 3 brothers on the team coachedby their father Frank Gower.

The Thunder watch another Claremont Youth Basketball game while waiting for theirplayoff matchup on Sunday in Claremont.


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Eighth-grade students atEl Roble IntermediateSchool in Claremont

learned that calling 911 is oneof the first things to do whenthey encounter an unconsciousor injured person. This wascovered in a program conduct-ed over 3 days last week by theRotary Club of Claremont.

During the first day students devel-oped an emergency action plan fortheir home. They were encouraged toshare their plan with others in theirfamily.

On the second day they were pre-sented with scenarios for which theyneeded to develop plans on how tohandle the situation.

On the third day students learnedwhat to do if they observed a personthat was unconscious or injured. Afterchecking the persons vital signs theywere instructed to call 911 or instructsomeone to do so while they adminis-ter chest compressions. The real testcame when students were given anopportunity to practice the techniqueon mannequins provided by theRotary Club under the monitoring oftrained instructors.

The exercise was done utilizing themost up-to-date techniques supportedby the American Red Cross. This wasthe 35th year the Rotary Club ofClaremont has conducted theTogether We Prepare program inClaremont. It is estimated that over10,000 students have benefited fromthis program.

Call 911Do it now!


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Today's Parent 2013

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