Education

School of Rock to open on Jackson Rd.

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December 18, 2013

Ann Arbor has no lack of interest in the arts and creative expression. That's exactly why entrepreneur Dianna Wilson decided opening her own School of Rock business was a great fit for the area. "[I] went to a couple operating School of Rock locations and was hooked," Wilson says. "I enjoy kids and music. To be able to watch kids develop and be proud of themselves is awesome." The new business is set to open in January in a 2,400 square foot location at 6101 Jackson Rd. Originally developed as an office building, Wilson says the segmented layout made it perfect for music lessons. The location is also ideal, she adds, for parents who may need to run errands during their kids' lessons at the many nearby retail stores. "School of Rock is a performance-based program," Wilson says. "It's not just taking lessons; they are learning to perform. The national exposure of the company offers some awesome and unique opportunities for students." As the business gets established locally, those opportunities will include recording their work. A planned recording studio in the space will give kids the chance to learn the technical side of recording as well. School of Rock will open with a staff of seven. Wilson hopes to increase her number of employees as enrollment numbers grow. The exact dates for opening, enrollment and an open house will soon be available on the business' Facebook page. Source: Dianna Wilson, School of Rock Writer: Natalie Burg

Latest in Education

FamilyMint grows reach of financial literacy workbook

By Newsroom

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Economic Development

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December 18, 2013

FamilyMint, a financial literacy startup, is gearing up to take its workbook for middle school kids national next year. The 4-year-old company launched in Ann Arbor with a web tool that helps parents teach their children about the values of saving and financial planning. The company, which is a client of Ann Arbor SPARK, has evolved overtime, taking on clients in the credit union space. Those clients encouraged FamilyMint to make a workbook for its curriculum, which has taken off over the last year. "That went over well," says Bob Masterson, president of FamilyMint. "It has been very well received in schools." Bank of Ann Arbor and Ann Arbor State Bank sponsored the rollout of the workbook in Ann Arbor Public Schools last summer. The Youth Financial Literacy Foundation also came on as a client and are looking at sponsoring a much bigger roll out in 2014. "They are introducing it to schools across the country," Masterson says. "They're testing it right now and plan to do a national rollout next year." Oddly, the workbook is proving to be a more effective tool in reaching kids. It is easy to used and there is a low barrier of entry because it can be held. Compare that to families that might have limited access to the Internet or don’t excel at keeping up with technology trends. "It's more in-line with what the kids are doing and how they are learning," Masterson says. He adds that FamilyMint is looking at creating similar workbooks for elementary and high school students next year. Source: Bob Masterson, president of FamilyMint Writer: Jon Zemke Read more about Metro Detroit's growing entrepreneurial ecosystem at SEMichiganStartup.com.

A new way to teach music to Ann Arbor students?

By Newsroom

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Arts & Culture

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December 4, 2013

Studies indicating positive outcomes be damned, there is a constant drive to eliminate art, music and other 'non-essentials' from public education. This has forced some cash-strapped schools to look poorer nations for low-cost ideas about how to include them in their curriculum. Mitchell Elementary in Ann Arbor has looked to Venezuela. Excerpt: "One Ann Arbor Elementary School is teaming up with the University of Michigan School of Music for a unique approach to teaching music...and they are turning to Venezuela for inspiration. It's called El Sistema." Read and listen to the rest here.

826michigan drop-in tutoring at Beezy's Cafe

Coffeeshop Workshop: 826 Comes to Beezy’s

By Patrick Dunn

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General

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November 20, 2013

Necessity is the mother of invention... and innovation. What else would turn a breakfast and lunch cafe into a tutoring space? Well, the generosity of Beezy's Bee Roll, who offered 826Michigan her space for their evening tutoring workshops when Ypsilanti Middle School closed its doors.

Book enthusiasts open Black Stone Bookstore as literary hub for Ypsilanti

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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November 20, 2013

Carlos Franklin and Kip Johnson love books. Both men were finding ways to sell books independently before coming together to open Black Stone Bookstore & Cultural Center in Ypsilanti. "I like to read and I always feel like when you read something really good, you always want to share it with your friends," says Franklin. More than giving the Ypsilanti community a place to buy books, Franklin says the aim of Black Stone Bookstore is to give locals a place to celebrate reading, learning and sharing. The 800 square foot location includes an area to study and for events such as poetry readings and book clubs. "This is about creating something and being a motivation for others," Franklin says. "We have a bunch of barbershops and car washes here, but I wanted to do something different to build the community up." Franklin says he'd like Black Stone to help Ypsilanti feel more like the college town it is. Though the shop is distinguishing itself as a destination for African American literature, the shop carries books representing all cultures, and Franklin says their intention is to reach out to everyone in the community. Black Stone Bookstore & Cultural Center opened at the beginning of Nov. with Johnson and Franklin on staff. They hope to grow the store to eventually include a full-service cafe and larger events space. Source: Carlos Franklin, Black Stone Bookstore and Cultural Center Writer: Natalie Burg

Ophir Crafts brings the art of crafting to Westgate with kits and classes

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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November 13, 2013

Hosting international students and residents is often a learning experience, but something a Korean undergraduate student mentioned to Kate Ernsting was particularly enlightening. With all the time students spend in front of screens, they were getting together to do crafts on evenings and weeks. It was something they had experienced with their own daughter. Light bulb moment! Ernsting and her husband Gary saw a business opportunity they'd never considered before: crafting. Ophir Crafts opened in Westgate Shopping Center in early Sept., offering fair trade crafts for sale, but focusing primarily on inspiring and teaching others to craft. "We want to have people interact with culture and with other people through their craft creations," Ernsting says. "We sell products that are gifts, but we also sponsor local artists to come in and do trunk shows." Ophir Crafts also sells crafting kits and offers classes on everything from knitting to greeting cards to candy making. The 1,350 square foot store is located between Nicola's Books and the Ann Arbor District Library in Westgate. The family business employs Ernsting and her husband, as well as their daughter and three other part-time workers. Ernsting plans to expand Ophir Crafts' offerings to include more crafting demonstrations in the future. Source: Kate Ernsting, Ophir Crafts Writer: Natalie Burg

Local Roboroach kit earns big Kickstarter support, PETA’s wrath

By Newsroom

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Education

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November 6, 2013

The good folks at Backyard Brains think that every child should find a cockroach in their Christmas stocking (or under the menorah). That's why they launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund RoboRoach, a kit that allows you to cut open live cockroaches and implant electrodes to control their movements. Sounds like something Jack skelington would approve of. Excerpt: "Backyard Brains has developed a Kickstarter project, the RoboRoach, that allows one to cut live cockroaches and implant electrodes to control the insects’ movements. One hundred and eighty three people have pledged $12,339 — exceeding the $10,000 goal to fund the project. It’s like a remote-controlled car in the body of a live bug, the game “Operation” writ large. But the creators want it to be taken seriously, with Greg Gage saying his product advances the study of neural circuits, allowing students to make scientific discoveries." Read the rest here.

U-M to offer entrepreneurship education to all undergrads

By Newsroom

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Education

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November 6, 2013

The University of Michigan thinks that entrepreneurship should be a part of every student's educational repertoir. Within two years they intend to make classes in entrepreneurship education available to every undergrad, no matter what their academic focus. Excerpt: "Zurbuchen will lead the design of a program in entrepreneurship that will be open to all majors and that could be in place by the fall 2014 semester. He'll also coordinate and grow the school's entrepreneurial co-curricular activities, including the TechArb student business incubator and innovation-related student clubs." Read more here.

Gina Brandolino ain't afraid of no ghosts at Brandywine Cemetery

Guest Blogger: Gina Brandolino

By Gina Brandolino

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Arts & Culture

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October 30, 2013

Face it: We are bewitched by horror stories, especially around Halloween. U-M Lecturer Gina Brandolino, who teaches a course on horror and has encouraged her students to contribute to a horror-themed blog, delves into stories as a medium for looking fear in the eye, and what bees can teach us.

Merit brings fashion with a higher purpose to S. University

By Natalie Burg

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Arts & Culture

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October 23, 2013

There's no shame in looking good. Since former University of Michigan basketball player David Merritt launched his Merit clothing line, that sentiment has never been truer. After all, the stylish clothes and accessories he sells help high school students stay in school and reach for their collegiate dreams. Now, the caused-based retailer is brining its goods and goodness to a physical location on S. University. "I've been so blessed," says Merritt. "Now, it's important to me to create positive ways for young people to promote themselves. Knowing how many kids aren't given the same opportunities, we're trying to expose these kids to the resources that are out there." Merit opened on Oct. 10 and Merritt and his partner Kuhu Saha are looking forward to a grand opening Nov. 13. The 400 square foot storefront underwent four to five weeks of renovations, including considerable work on the walls and flooring. Now, Merit is looking as good as the clothes and accessories they sell. Merritt hopes the clothes will be a good fit for the university market, as well as their personable service. "With our cause, and who we are as people, our goal is to be a personal brand," Merritt says. "We want to be able to get out in front of people. We think the campus community is going to be able to help us build a strong presence." A percentage of everything sold at Merit will fund scholarships for high school students who participate in Merritt's four mentorship and training program, FATE, at Detroit's Jalen Rose Leadership Academy. Merit carries customized shirts, hats and accessories, and will soon being to introduce their cut-and-sew styles of their own design, such as pants, hoodies, shirts and more. The store currently employs a staff of two. Merritt plans to open a second location in Detroit in the next 16 to 18 months. Source: David Merritt, Merit Writer: Natalie Burg