REBECCA M. STUMPF/Gazette Staff

Dozens of kids line up behind a grand piano in a recital hall at Montana State University-Billings. Wearing matching T-shirts, they earnestly belt out the lyrics to a hit song from the musical "Newsies."

"Neighbor to neighbor, father to son," they sing. "One for all and all for one!"

As they finish the song and break for lunch, a few girls stay behind to ask about switching parts during one section of music.

"Is it all right if she takes the higher part instead of me?" asks a girl with long dark hair.

"I don't think that would be a problem," the director replies.

The girls are two of 53 students participating in the second annual Rimrock Opera Kids' Camp, an outgrowth of the Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids. Sponsored by the local opera, both programs are designed to provide quality music education and performance opportunities for area kids.

Opera camp is just one way that students in the Heights -- and all over Billings -- are participating in musical activities. And, according to those in charge, the number of kids involved in music seems to be growing.

"It seems like every time we sing somewhere, more people hear about us," said Amy Logan, director of the weeklong opera camp and Rimrock Opera Chorus for Kids. "Then parents call and ask us how their kids can get involved."

For example, one mother called Logan after seeing ROCK perform selections from the "Lion King" with the Billings Symphony Orchestra in January.

"The mom said she had heard of us before, but, after seeing us, she felt that her kid needed to be part of it," Logan explained. "That kid will join us next year."

Others teaching music in the Heights are experiencing a similar influx, including many teachers who offer private lessons.

"More people are taking lessons," said Sally Frank Lynam, who teaches lessons for string instruments and beginning piano from her home studio in the Heights.

And it's regardless of age. Lynam has had students who range from 5 to 80 years old.

While it's hard to say exactly how many more students are taking lessons now, the rules of supply and demand indicate how popular music lessons have become. Many instructors in the area say their studios are full -- and some even have waiting lists.

Charlene Waddingham, who operates a piano studio out of her home, has 12 to 15 students waiting to begin taking lessons at any given time.

Teachers often try to find ways to accommodate a student even if their schedules are full, though.

"There is a wait, but we'll try to work something out," said Elinore Quander, who offers private piano and guitar lessons out of her home in the Heights.

Quander, who has about 45 students, charges $15 for a half-hour lesson.

She's had to get creative to find ways to make lessons available to beginners even when she can't teach them. She's arranged for some of her advanced students to teach new students. That way, they can start taking lessons without waiting for a spot in Quander's studio to open.

It gives student teachers good experience and some income. And, when a spot does become available, the new student already has some experience at a keyboard.

It's not the only way teachers in the Heights are getting creative. In the summer, Waddingham and Quander both offer piano camp, which Waddingham calls a new and fun way for students to learn.

"Piano isn't taught the way it was years ago," she said.

Waddingham's camps usually run two hours a day for four days. Her students play theory games and learn to play music together, which enhances their rhythm and counting skills.

"They have to listen to each other," she said. "It really helps them."

Performances also help students a great deal, the teachers said.

Quander said there is a secret to playing music in public: Students perform best when they aren't nervous, and the best way to alleviate nerves is simply to perform more.

"My students who do well love to perform," she said. "They've played for years, and they jump at the chance to perform now."

Quander tries to provide many opportunities for her students to play. The Music Teachers Association, of which Quander is state president and one of about 35 local members, provides many outlets for performance, whether in recitals or at competitions where judges critique students' performances.

The MTA sponsors two festivals each year, Quander said. In the spring festival, students perform in front of an audience and a judge. In the fall festival, a judge from outside Montana critiques the performances.

Some other opportunities to perform are less intense for students, Quander said, including a recital that runs all day at St. Vincent Healthcare, a Christmas recital at West Park Plaza and a recital on Mother's Day at Atonement Lutheran Church.

Besides providing performance forums, the MTA is an organization that has helped Quander and Waddingham, who is past president of the Billings chapter, in other ways. Networking with other teachers in the nationwide organization helps them learn about new pedagogies.

When students move to other cities, teachers in Billings can link them to teachers in the area to which they move. And, when a person in Billings wants to start taking lessons, the MTA referral list helps them find one immediately.

It's a great organization, and the annual dues -- about $100 -- are a small price to pay for the benefits she gets from membership, Quander said.

Ultimately, all of the work they do is for the kids, she added.

"I'm in it for the kids, and I'm in it because I love to do it," she said.

Quander and the other teachers agreed that they love teaching, enjoy their students and are constantly looking for ways to make the lessons more engaging and more fun.

"I want my kids to love playing the piano and do it all their lives," Quander said.

"You can play soccer until you're 30, but you can play piano until you're 90," she added.

Contact Anne Pettinger at apettiinger@billingsgazette.com or 657-1241.

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