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For their latest end-of-semester concert on Jan. 25, Lakehouse Music Academy pulled out all the stops and rolled out the red carpet at Asbury Lanes to give their student performers a feel for what start treatment is like.

The performances, known as “the big gig,” let students showcase their skills and play the songs they’ve learned in front of a supportive crowd of family and friends.

For this sixth ‘big gig’, students stepped off the stage after their performance to walk down a red carpet and have their photos taken in front of a step and repeat.

It’s all a part of the mission to give kids a relevant, real-life music education, according to Lakehouse owner and music producer Jon Leidersdorff.

Talent progresses as the sets go on. Younger students enrolled in the school’s “get started” program stand on stage with their teachers, who play instruments and help keep the beat. Parents and relatives crowd the stage and their cameras flash like the paparazzi just walked in.

Click here to see additional photos of the event.

Among them was Kathy Gallo, owner of Pure Juice Beach on Cookman Avenue and on the boardwalk. She – along with her six brothers and sisters and 22 nieces and nephews – watched her granddaughter Julia Gallo-Pahos, 6, sing Cindy Lauper’s hit “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and Taylor Swift’s pop hit “Shake it off.” The six-year-old just completed her first semester studying music performance at Lakehouse.

“Five generations of brothers and sisters all came to see her perform,” Gallo said, “and she is loving it. [The teachers] are so good there.”

James Avery, executive chef at the Asbury Festhalle & Biergarten, also recently enrolled one of his daughters, 9-year-old Kaylin, in the program. He heard about the program through word of mouth and them discovered one of his daughter’s friends is also enrolled there.

It suits Kaylin’s career goals fittingly.

“I want to be a rock star,” she said. “It’s awesome and it feels cool playing music.”

Being able to play with a group is another highlight for students.

“I get to share my love for music with people who like to play instruments,” said Hilary Garrett, 9.

Since Euline Moise’s son Mikari, 7, started taking lessons at Lakehouse, she found he is more outgoing and open.

“It helps him come out of his shell and lets his personality shine through,” she said.

As the older groups take the stage teachers wait in the wings while keeping their eyes on students. Students play all of the instruments and higher-pitched younger voices are replaced with more practiced, developed vocal takes.

On-stage performances give Leidersdorff a chance to see how much students have progressed from one ‘big-gig’ to the next, and changing the venue from semester to semester gets parents and out-of-towners who might not have otherwise ventured into places like The Lanes, a converted bowling alley-turned-punk rock performance haven.

“Ninety percent of these people have never been to The Lanes, and they live in Monmouth County,” Jenn Hampton said while taking in the crowd that Sunday from a space near the merchandise area. “It lets them step outside of their comfort zone and see a part of Asbury Park they might not have.” Hampton played an integral part in bringing the venue to life, and is also a co-owner and co-curator of Parlor Gallery on Cookman Avenue.

Leidersdorff promotes a culture of community at the school, and has branched out to join with other area businesses and schools to bring a music curriculum to Hope Academy Charter School. He is also in talks with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monmouth County to bring a hip-hop music program to their Asbury Park unit, and extends a warm welcome to any resident artists and musicians who want to get involved.

“It’s one of those things where Jon is so passionate about music and getting people involved, to teach classes of help with a show, he facilitates the circle and gets them to come together and be a part of the Lakehouse,” Hampton said.

It’s Leidersdorff’s chance to pay it forward.

A self-proclaimed “outsider” who wasn’t the best in his class in an academic sense, which led to disparaging remarks from teachers, music gave him the ability to create, to see his own potential, and booted his self-esteem.

“Music saved my life,” he said.

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