By Pete Kennedy, Managing Editor, The Trend (short excerpt follows, with minor additions for readability -- please contact us if you'd like to view the entire article):

...EMTAH, a non-profit educational arts program, will soon be opening in West Chester and disseminating nationally through Splice Consulting & Publishing.

The teaching approach is based on the premise that all people are self-learners. Teachers (the kind they are in the process of hiring in West Chester) don't deliver education, but rather facilitate self-learning by removing obstacles and providing educational tools as needed.

"We teach jazz, blues, rhythm & blues, rock and roll, some classical -- I like to think of it as a conservatory for the rest of us," Rossi said.

She likens the "paradigm shift" of EMTAH to that of proliferation of the adaptive Montessori style of teaching betinning at the end of the 19th century.

Rossi and her husband came to West Chester upon the invitation of a former schoolmate, who had learned about their work and lined up local financing. With the financial help of grant money from Chester County Human Services, they hope to begin accepting students soon.

Through their arts programs -- which will have enrollment fees for most students -- they hope to make connections ... specifically, they hope children meet children from other neighborhoods, and parents do the same. 

Such a process, lacking traditional forms of structure, might seem like it would take a long time to produce results in a child. At St. Anne Institute in Albany though, where the EMTAH program is currently running, time is a limited commodity.

Many of the girls there ... stay for less than a year. According to St. Anne's executive director Rick Riccio, though, it's long enough for them to excel in their art.

"They have put on some performances that have been outstanding," Riccio said.

For more information on EMTAH, visit www.emtah.org