SHELTON — Mike Donnarummo has liked music for nearly his entire lifetime, ever because his initially piano lesson at age 6.
His musical journey took the Shelton-born Donnarummo from Shelton High, in which he executed in the school band, to Manhattanville College, and at last to New York Town, where by he commenced featuring a single-on-a single piano lessons out of his dwelling to pupils from through the Tri-State space.
Now his trek has introduced him again to Connecticut, relocating to Trumbull 3 many years back, where his client checklist, most of them Shelton citizens, exploded.
That together with a new toddler manufactured training on his grand piano at his property considerably less handy, so Donnarummo took the plunge and opened Fairfield County Audio Studio in Huntington Plaza.
“There is absolutely nothing like accomplishing audio for other folks,” explained Donnarummo, who grew up only five minutes away from his new storefront, which formally opened on Sept. 1.
“It is sharing your reward,” he mentioned. “I inform my pupils that when they take part in recitals it is like they are providing a reward back to their parents. They are thanking them for all the time and income they are shelling out on lessons for them.”
Fairfield County Audio Studio provides lessons in traditional, classical and jazz piano, new music technological know-how, vocal and synth recording, composition, and rock principle programs. Donnarummo mentioned he retains a few recitals a calendar year — a Halloween live performance costume social gathering, a winter season live performance and a spring formal recital — at Faust Harrison Pianos in Fairfield.
“I’m thrilled to open up the doorways of Fairfield County Songs Studio and share our passion for new music with the Shelton local community,” Donnarummo stated. “My intention is to offer a nurturing room where by pupils can acquire their musical techniques, convey by themselves, and come across joy in the earth of music.”
Donnarummo began taking part in piano at age 6. He ongoing his musical education and learning through high college, all through which he was in the faculty band, expending a person 12 months as drum big. He focused on piano and brass instruments.
He was also enjoying gigs in the city. He recollects his evenings actively playing piano at Lauretti’s Restaurant during his freshmen yr in university.
It was throughout his substantial university decades he received a style of educating new music, and developed a passion for it. He started off by teaching the little ones of his parents’ good friends.
“It all began below for me,” Donnarummo said. “I generally believed I was heading to be a band director … getting a substantial school band director was my dream occupation. But I then I uncovered I liked educating just one-on-one.”
He graduated from Shelton Significant in 2002 and then went to Manhattanville University in Acquire, N.Y., to analyze audio instruction.
Donnarummo claimed that following college, he lived in New York Metropolis, expending additional than a 10 years offering personal lessons although dwelling in Manhattan, then Brooklyn. He mentioned he would occur back again to Shelton a single or two times a 7 days to instruct.
At the height of the pandemic, he and his spouse — a community college music trainer in the Bronx — moved to Trumbull. The pair had a child about a yr in the past, which prompted the transfer to the vacant house in Huntington Plaza.
At this place, Donnarummo teaches 50 to 70 learners a week. He operates 6 times a 7 days, so he suggests he can accommodate even additional learners.
And he has taught some students for more than a ten years. His opening day was unique simply because he taught a single student, now a junior in significant faculty, that he begun doing work with when he was 5 many years aged.
“I appreciate what I do,” he mentioned. “I can not imagine doing nearly anything else with my life. This is an awesome occupation. I do recitals, ensembles, jazz, classical, and every little thing is recorded so I can textual content mother and father the mp3s. No child is the same, so my working day hardly ever receives boring.
“Music is the universal language,” he extra, “It provides joy to anyone. This is why tunes is so essential to me personally.”