Couple opens music studio in Cathlamet

 

November 27, 2014

Diana Zimmerman

Donna Lewis and her husband, Jade, not pictured, have opened a music studio in Cathlamet.

The new On the Rock Music Studio occupies an inviting room facing Una Street in Cathlamet. The piano and a large drum set dwarf a few guitars hanging from the walls, including an electric one for smaller hands.

The owners, Donna and Jade Lewis were lured to the area when they made a quick stop at Vista Park in Skamokawa to let their dogs run several years ago on their way to the coast.

"It was so beautiful," Donna said, "we wanted to know more."

They explored. Somewhere along the way, the two knew they'd found a place where they would eventually like to live when Jade retired from Boeing.

Jade still works for Boeing, but they decided to make the move early anyway. He makes the trek into Portland each day knowing retirement isn't too far away and feeling it was the right choice.

"It's just so much more peaceful here," Donna said. "We were ready to downsize and get ready for retirement."

Donna, who has played the piano since she was eight, has been classically trained, even studying piano a little in college. She sang in the choir, taking voice lessons in high school, and performed in the theatre, but it wasn't till later that people began to encourage her to sing.

She taught piano in Vancouver for years and wondered if there might be interest in Cathlamet. She contacted the Chamber of Commerce, who agreed that her business might be a good fit.

"The music studio has really empowered me to meet people," Donna said. "I joined the chamber. I'm making friends and getting to know people."

In 2004, her church asked her to do a solo, and she asked her husband to back her up with the drums. He agreed to do so, even though he hadn't picked up a pair of sticks since he was 14. They've been performing together in their Christian classic rock band ever since, playing shows at prisons, outreach centers and some churches. They've even cut a couple CDs.

"There is no better experience than just jumping out there and doing," Donna said. "I'm a very organic person. My students' curiosity led me to cultivate my own.

"Learning to play music is so good for you. According to a video I watched, scientists are learning that when you play music your right and left brain are working simultaneously. It becomes a fireworks display inside your brain. That's why it feels so good."

The guitars on the wall are her own, and she's been learning to play. She started using them in lessons when she discovered that they were another way for her students to learn. The drum set belongs to her husband, who hopes to give lessons when he retires, though she jokes that someone may be able to convince him otherwise long before that.

For now, she offers piano and voice lessons. There will be recitals eventually and when she has enough students signed up, she will begin having a free monthly performance clinic to give people a safe environment to perform when they are just getting started.

A lot of people have been asking if they will have a recording studio, but for now, the answer is a solid maybe. They haven't decided on a complete vision for their business just yet.

Donna has two students so far and four more signed up for December. The amount of adult interest has surprised her, but she's all for it.

"It's been an encouraging and overwhelming experience," Donna said. "I thought, I'll just hang up a shingle. The response and reception and excitement was something I never anticipated.

To meet Donna Lewis, call or stop by the studio, located at 145 Una Street. The number is 503-317-3883. Their website is http://www.ontherockmusicstudio.com and can be found on Facebook as well.

Or if you would like to listen, she and some of her former students will be performing at the Festival of Lights.

 

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