In a wide blue building near Charlestown High School, special things are happening.
The outside looks like a house, and it’s painted blue to match the high school across the street. Inside it’s bright and airy, with a pitched ceiling for acoustics.
This is Ensembles, Inc. — a space for people of all ages to learn and make art and music together. It’s the decades-long dream of Rebecca Putman, a longtime music teacher who wants to help break down the barriers to arts.
“You get strengthened when you surround yourself with others,” she said. “You get better. You grow as a musician when you're playing with others.”
At a late morning class for elementary aged home-schoolers, the kids are gathered on a rug around Putman, as they practice the recorder. They also go through an exercise where the students choose a picture of an instrument they’re interested in playing. The class practices singing, with Putman on piano.
The kids are eager to learn and participate. Putman said this foundation is so important at this age, especially as funding for school arts programs has taken hits in the U.S. in recent years. It’s not just about reading music, or deciding what they want to play later in school.
“It's about feeding their soul, and it's about letting them express themselves artistically,” Putman said. “That's very, very important in the kindergarten through fifth grade — elementary age.”
Ensembles provides multiple art and music classes for different ages, and Putman has been creative and persistent in adding to their offerings, with the help of others.
When a woman expressed an interest in learning to play saxophone, Putman found someone from Versailles, Ky., who donated the instrument. She got a second through a family member of one of the teachers at the center.
“And so we got to open the class,” Putman said. Others wanted to join, and “it was a whole circle of people at first, just because one mom said ‘Hey, I’d like to learn.’”
There was also interest in starting a bell choir. That came to fruition by way of a monetary donation by a local woman, and leaders at a church in St. Louis who sold them the bells at a discount.
“So then we had three active bells,” Putman said. “We had enough money to buy music, to pay a teacher and we now have a wonderful bell choir. It goes all the way from ages eight to ages 70.”
Putman’s musical background spans back to elementary school. It was her favorite subject, and she recalled the impression it left on her when her music teacher sang and played autoharp.
Her piano teacher also made a strong impression — Putman started lessons with her in third grade and continued studying piano through high school. Putman was also a drum major in high school.
Despite her love of music, she almost pursued law. Instead, she studied music in college and earned a master's degree in music education.
She taught music in school, and when she and her husband had kids, moved to home lessons only.
At one point she had close to 60 students, and started to think of creative ways they could play together. It was the spark that eventually led to Ensembles.
“Kids like playing together, and they do better when they're playing with others,” she said. “There's a motivation to polish. There's a motivation to practice. There's a joy of making music together.”
Putman grew up in Charlestown, and she and her family moved back a few years ago when her mother was ill. She died in 2019. It’s on land inherited from Putman’s parents that Ensembles is built. The Deanne Moore Art Gallery within, named after Putman’s mother, helps to showcase local artists.
The center is a joint effort with Putman’s husband, who she said helps with operations and is on the board of directors.
Ensembles’ mission is to help make art and music accessible. Classes are $75 for six weeks, and scholarships are available.
“Music and art are expensive,” Putman said. Everything is expensive, but music and art are integral to our soul …. I believe that firmly, that music and art are for everybody.”
Putman’s daughter Sarah, a seventh-grader, is part of multiple homeschool classes at the center.
One of the younger kids in Putman’s Tuesday morning music class, 5-year-old Titus Speth, said he mostly likes the singing, though he also got excited about other instruments.
Ten-year-old Judah Ramsey also likes singing and playing recorder, and takes art there, too. His siblings have also been part of Ensembles.
“We spend quite a bit of time here,” their mother and board member, Alyssa Ramsey, said after class. “They're trying to reach so many people of different interests and …I love that they’re trying to build community within the community.”
Putman said she’s seen the transformation in students at the center. She also understands that making music and art can feel vulnerable, but said the teachers are kind, patient and encouraging.
“This is a place where your confidence can grow,” she said. “...This is a safe space to learn and to try.”
Putman’s personal mantra is “may God be glorified in all of it,” which she said they have kept in mind throughout the inception of Ensembles. Before opening, Putman invited community members to write their favorite scripture on the wooden studs before drywall went up.
Putman is humbled and honored at the opportunity to do this, and grateful for the people who have helped make it happen — support from her parents and the community, the partnership of her husband, the teachers and the foundation that started her on this path so long ago.
“We've all been given something, all of us,” she said. “No matter who you are, no matter what you have, you've been given something. What you do with that will make a difference, whether it's big or if it's small.”
Correction: This story has been updated to correctly spell Rebecca Putman's last name.
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