Percussion in the Valley expands studio space

PALMER — Percussion in the Valley recently moved into its new and expanded studios. To mark the occasion, owner Megge Aube is inviting the public to a Jan. 28 open house.

Aube said the lease on her former studio expired last November and she had to make a decision on a course of action last summer.

“I had been renting before and before that, I was giving lessons out of my house,” Aube said. “So we had to come up with another building. We were looking for one and then we decided to build in July (of 2016). We broke ground and got it done in a three-month time period. We made very quick work of it.”

Aube said operations in the building began in mid-November for current students. The new facility is more than 1,400 square feet. Aube said not only is there more room but also a larger space for larger classes.

“I was able to do private classes okay but now we can now have a lot more group classes,” Aube said. “And we can have a lot more variety of classes.”

Aube said her former location limited both variety and class enrollment. Now, she said, Percussion in the Valley can offer classes that were unavailable due to needed additional space while offering those classes to a much greater number of students. She already has scheduled instructors to come from Anchorage for some of those offerings. She said community drum workshops have become quite popular and she’s pleased the expansion will allow for more community involvement.

“We’ll be offering a new series every month during the winter to get people excited about the new building,” Aube said.

Teachers will be on hand at the open house to answer questions, Aube said. She said the new facility also has available space to rent for teaching lessons, group classes, events, meetings, concerts and rehearsals.

February’s community workshop will focus on Taiko, a Japanese-style drumming.

“It’s really cool. There is a lot of movement involved. And it’s really popular,” Aube said. “In March, we’ll be doing a drum-making class. It’s a new thing that we’ve never done before. At the end of the class, students get to take their drums home with them.”

The open house runs from 4-6 p.m. The new location is 13372 Crowther Rd. in Palmer. Regular business hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Aube can be contacted at 907-631-8079. For more information on Percussion in the Valley, visit www.percussioninthevalley.com or check it out on Facebook.