By: Kate Zaffarese, Follow South Jersey Community Journalist
PITMAN, NJ — After 25 years in business, music school AfterSchool Music in Pitman has found a permanent home in an historic Victorian building just down the road from the town’s main strip.
AfterSchool Music was founded in 2001 by Lauren Canna, a former teacher and lifelong Pitman resident with a passion for all things musical. The school is run by 12 world-class instructors who teach more than 150 students, with lessons including guitar, piano, vocals, and more.
Canna first discovered her love of teaching through her high school choir director who encouraged her to assist other students who were struggling.
“That became, for me, more important than my own accolades…anything that I achieved was great, but I kept sort of framing my happiness through how well my kids did,” said Canna.
Watching her students succeed made her realize what made her happiest: teaching. She continued to give lessons throughout college and graduate school, and was inspired to start her own music school due to the long waiting list that built up as she continued to teach.
“I worked a lot in local regional children’s theater for 20 years or so, and that led to so many students that I couldn’t take them all,” she said. “So I hired one teacher, and then that teacher’s schedule got filled up, and then I hired two teachers, then three teachers…the next thing you know, I had a music school.”
While she first started teaching lessons in her mom’s living room, she quickly expanded, bouncing around different locations in Pitman until 2025 when she found a permanent home in an old Victorian style building. It was used as Pitman’s first hospital, a residence, and now, more than a century after construction, a bustling music school.
The group offers lessons for K-12 students as well as adults, and invites students to come and learn, no matter their experience level. Canna’s goal is to provide a low-pressure environment where students are excited to learn and improve their skills.
The instructing style focuses on patience and fun, giving newer students the chance to learn without fear of failure. It also creates a safe space for more experienced students to push their musical abilities even further. However, the instructors still have a high standard when it comes to getting their students to perform to the best of their ability.
“Nobody is phoning it in here and because of that, they make sure that the bar is pretty high for their students,” Canna said. “Not so high that you want the students anxious about it, but not so low that we’re just here to take somebody’s money and pass their kid through. We want to make sure that the kids are enjoying themselves and that they’re learning.”
Many of the students are Pitman residents themselves, creating a tight-knit community between the instructors, parents, and students. For Canna, a quality learning experience is essential for the success of the business.
“When you come from a town like Pitman, we are teaching the kids of people I went to school with. We are teaching the grandkids of people that I know,” Canna said. “There are a lot of families here where the family ties go really, really far back. It’s a very small town, so you want to do right by people.”
The new location has allowed the school to expand their horizons by offering lessons for additional instruments as well as tutoring, which began in September 2025. Canna had always wanted to include tutoring in the business but never had the means until the move.
Finally having enough space, Canna opened Aspiration Tutoring, an independent tutoring center on the first floor of AfterSchool Music’s location. Aspiration Tutoring offers help for K-12 students in all subjects and even includes more specialized tutoring such as SAT prep and college essay writing. Some tutors are also experienced in teaching students with learning disabilities, ensuring all students receive the same level of care and support.
With decades of experience under her belt, Canna has seen her students continue to develop their musical abilities and achieve their goals.
“I have more than a dozen students who have been on the Broadway [Theater] stage who are working professionals and singers. I have ten local music teachers who took lessons with me, and now they’re an elementary school teacher here or a high school teacher there…it is really, really lovely to feel like you’re contributing in such a big way,”
No matter what their success level, Canna’s goal is to help students make music a bigger part of their life.
“The living room is just as important as Carnegie Hall,” she said. “The work you did helped to make that happen. It’s just so gratifying.”
For more information, go to AfterSchool Music’s website by clicking here.
- AfterSchool Music In Pitman Expands Its Horizons With New Location
- Ragamala Dance Co. Brings Heritage In Motion To Rowan With ‘Sacred Earth’
- While Gov. Sherrill’s Exec. Orders Aim To Lower Utility Costs, Severe Weather Still Plays A Part
Follow South Jersey provides local journalism which highlights our diverse communities; fosters transparency through robust, localized, and vital reporting that holds leaders and institutions accountable; addresses critical information needs; supports people in navigating civic life; and equips people with the information necessary to partake in effective community engagement. If there is a story or event you think we should cover, please send your tips to news@followsouthjersey.com with “NEWS” in the subject line.
