The Tudor Rose School Of Music.
An Historical Account of The Tudor Rose School of Music.
Kerry R. Scott (1949 - )
The Tudor Rose of Music was founded jointly by Kerry R. Scott and Jane Adams Schoener in 1975. The School was incorporated as a nonprofit organization and was also tax exempt as a 501c3 organization. It opened for instruction in September 1975 in a small house on the Danbury Road, Ridgefield CT. The Philosophy of the school can best be summarized with the introduction of the school from its prospectus.
"The Tudor Rose School of Music was formed to fill a community need for an institution where amateur musicians young and old can obtain professional instruction in all the fields of music. A musician, amateur or professional, needs not only the technical skills associated with his or her instrument but also the aesthetic, theoretical and historical background of both the instrument and the music he or she plays. The Tudor Rose School of Music is acutely aware that there is a vast difference between a piano player and a pianist. Further, the musician's growth,(especially the young musician) is always somewhat dependent on the attitude of his or her peers. Therefore, the facilities of the Tudor Rose School of Music are designed so that students will be exposed to new forms and ideas in music and will be able to interact with other students. These ideals will be accomplished through workshops, the concert series, internal recitals, individual lessons and formal classes."
"The philosophy of the Tudor Rose School of Music, therefore, has the following three components: fistly, to present to students the academic aspects of music; secondly, for students to acquire the technical skills associated with music; and thirdly, for students to develop the ability to appreciate music and to present music imaginatively. In following thses ideals, the Tudor Roese School of Music will make an ever increasing contribution to the cultural life of this community and to the musicans in it."
The Tudor Rose School of Music moved from the Danbury Road location during the summer of 1976 and opened the new school year at what had been the Manressa Retreat House at 29 Takora Trail, Ridgefield Ct. The scope of this new location was indeed great. The facility boasted of a chapel, offices, a number of large reception rooms, a dining hall, a catering kitchen, a number of self contained apartments and approximately 72 bedrooms. The grounds bordered a lake and boasted of some incredible mature trees and shrubs. As can be seen from the photographs above this was an idyllic place to study and learn about music and as indicated in the enrollment numbers (that doubled and tripled while we were at that location) the musical community of Ridgefield thought so too.
In 1976 The Retreat House was for sale for $150,000.00, now less than the cost of a medium sized one family house. Back in 1976, however, this was a considerable amount of money and out of the league of the fledgling Board of Directors or my ability to raise those kinds of funds. In addition the running costs of the facility were astronomical. 
For example during the winter months, the facility consumed 500 gallons of fuel oil every 2 weeks, there were over 500 light fixtures throughout the building and none of them were of the florescent (and somewhat more economical to run) variety. It was with great regret, but neccessary, therefore, that a year and half later we moved back to Danbury Road; this time acquiring two neighboring houses -- one of which was over a hundred years old.
We remained in those two houses for two further years. My part time position as Coordinator of the Milford Fine Arts Council then became a full time position and I and my family then moved to Milford Ct. Many of the Staff continued to teach the students of the Tudor Rose School of Music under the school's name but gradually the school slowly and gracefully went into a quiet and sedate sunset.
The Tudor Rose School of Music signature was that it did not simply give individual instrumental and voice lessons. Performances and ensembles were also a significant part of the curriculum. To that end the school boasted of a number of choirs, ensembles and also held regular student, faculty and ensemble concerts as well as hosting a year long concert series. In addition it premiered a number of original works and introduced a number of performers to the Ridgefield public.
