A decade later, Great Expectations Ministries continues to teach music to students

AMHERST — A local church has great expectations for the young people it serves, and they have been hitting all of the right notes. The community will get a chance to hear what they can do on Sunday at the fifth annual "A Total Praise Gala and Dinner," presented by Great Expectations Ministries. "When it comes to youth activities, so much emphasis is placed on sports activities — football leagues, basketball tournaments in the park," said Marilyn Parker-Jeffries, retired pastor at New Creation Baptist Church in Lorain. "There's not a lot offered for kids not inclined for sports and more inclined for the arts." Great Expectations started for just that reason. "When I was pastor at New Creation, some children came up to me and wanted to learn to play the piano," Parker-Jeffries said. "The keyboardist at the time began teaching them." When the keyboardist left for another job, the children wanted to continue learning and the church contacted the Oberlin Center for Service and Learning. An Oberlin College Conservatory student took over the lessons and the church reached out to the Lorain County Prosecutor's office for funding. That was 10 years ago, and the program, which teaches children from ages 6 to 18 from all over Lorain County, has been running ever since. "We have one student who was accepted in the performing arts high school in Cincinnati," Parker-Jeffries said. "His junior year, he relocated for high school and then graduated from the University of Cincinnati with a degree in performing arts. He plays drums, saxophone, piano. He really is wonderful and it's such a blessing we were able to help on that journey." Fifteen children will show off their talents at the gala, performing vocals, drums and drumline. The program is looking for a piano teacher for the upcoming 2026-2027 year. "It's a proven program," Parker-Jeffries said of Great Expectations Ministries. "One of the foundational pieces is that music education is proven to assist in academic performance. We work with the kids throughout the year and check their grades to see how they are improving. We emphasize the correlation between math and music. The program really seems to help both academically and with self-esteem. And we need more positive influences on kids to get them off of social media and off of their phones." Anyone interested in registering for the 2026-27 school year with Great Expectations Ministries may call (440) 989-4100. Classes begin in September and take place once a week on Sunday afternoons. Contact Christina Jolliffe at ctnews@chroniclet.com.