Maurice Stovall, the owner of Ann Arbor's new Stovall School of Music, knows a little about the benefits that music education can play in a child’s schooling.

He began playing the trumpet when he was in fourth grade, attending Ann Arbor’s Northside Elementary School, “practicing daily, and driving my mother crazy,” he says.

From there he learned to play the drums, the bass guitar and the guitar. As he grew, he continued to develop his appreciation for education.

“I have a strong education background,” Stovall says.

He attended Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University, where he obtained his bachelor’s and master's degrees in the areas of communication, marketing and human resource management. Stovall is contemplating going back to school to complete a Ph.D. in education.

“But all of that is on hold, right now,” he says.

On Saturday, Stovall will celebrate the grand opening of the Stovall School of Music at 2898 Packard Road west of Platt Road.

This is an opportunity to re-establish the art of music in Washtenaw County, he says. Stovall is concerned that public schools “are forgetting what learning a musical instrument can do for a child; the discipline to practice, the thought processes involved, and self-fulfillment.”

He believes that cutting music education is “easy for the budget, but takes away creativity from children.”

“What drew me to open a music school was seeing how schools drop music or arts from their curriculum. I grew up enjoying the arts and now seeing them being dropped, I wanted to give back to our community,” he says.

After teaching business and performing arts courses at WCC for the last 15 years, he explained what motivated him to switch careers: “So many performers today now use digitally downloaded and sampled music. ... The use of real instruments is diminishing. I want to bring back the live bands. People still enjoy live music.”

Stovall is hoping that his music school will “pick up where schools are dropping off.”

He is offering individual and small group lessons at the facility he leases from New Grace Apostolic Church, a space that once housed the Ann Arbor Learning Community charter school. The music school is no small undertaking. It encompasses 5 classrooms and a 2200 sq ft community room where he plans to hold performances, and concerts both by his students and by others in the music community

Stovall wants to attract students of all ages, and the school’s website lists a monthly tuition rate of $100 per student. He is partnering with Marshall Music for instument rentals, and hopes to form relationships with area school music programs and local retail instrument stores.

Stovall says he is looking to hire music teachers, and hopes that the school will have at least 3 locations by next year, one each in Ann Arbor, Saline and the Chelsea/Dexter area.

The music school will hold a grand opening from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday. According to a press release, the grand opening will provide an opportunity to meet teachers, see the facility, sign up for lessons, rent an instrument, and have some refreshments.

Angela Smith is a freelance contributor for AnnArbor.com. If you have a tip about business openings or closings, or would like to contact her, email angieannarbor@gmail.com.