Frequently Asked Questions

 Absolutely! Here, I will tackle the most common scenarios parents have with younger children. If you have more questions, please schedule a call so we can learn more about the specific student to offer a recommendation!

30 minutes per instrument is standard for making sure students get all the information they need to progress forward, as well as give. them clear and helpful homework for the week in each instrument.  

30 minutes per instrument or more:

We do expect children will extend this lesson as they age, as 30 minutes is the bare minimum time to get all the material into a lesson and feels like a marathon with older students. Ages 4-6 is usually 30 minutes per instrument, ages 7-11 is 45 minutes, and ages 12 and up 60 minutes. We always defer to the parent’s preference on time lengths, as we know there are monetary and time budgets to consider for the child. 

That said, students can learn multiple instruments with us. We even have very talented teachers who can teach more than one instrument, and can often pair a student with one teacher who can teach both instruments they want to student in one day, back-to-back. 

Incorporating a second instrument into a shorter lesson:

Please read on to also see how you can incorporate a second instrument into a lesson if you aren’t sure you can commit to two full lessons for each instrument. We do believe we should look at the whole child when teaching, so incorporating the use of a second instrument in some of our lessons is usually a huge blessing for teacher and student at times. We are flexible to take any of these approaches, and defer to the parent if they have a preference for the goals and lesson material for a student. We believe parent know their child best and that their goals for their children should be honored. 

Piano: 

If you aren't sure which instrument to choose, for younger ages, piano is generally most well received due to the ease of making sound on the piano (as opposed to the guitar, for example, which can hurt their fingers at first and takes more dexterity to get good sound out of it). Our piano curriculum is amazing for ages 4 and up, and very engaging. 

The piano is a great first instrument, as it moves in a linear fashion and according to the directions we naturally perceive pitch. It also moves in a way that clearly matches the directions of notes on the page (guitar requires changing of strings at times, and has many repeated notes for example). Because there is no pain or difficulty making good sound immediately on piano, it is well received. Our students often stay in piano lessons for 5-8 years or more!

A good piano lesson includes scales or consecutive movement on the keys, building up hand dexterity, as well as improvisation or something engaging with the teacher. We love playing duets with our students! We use Piano Adventures for our lesson curriculum, which does a great job incorporating workbooks, songs, and learning concepts to teach the primary part of the lesson. Students also get to choose at least one song per semester that they want to play - we have 100’s of songs in every level students can choose from (Disney songs, Christmas songs, Jazz, Movie Themes and more!). 

Piano and voice (30, 45 minutes)

This is a shorter, mixed instrument lesson, so we cannot fully teach two instruments. We need at least 30 minutes for each instrument to fully explore an instrument in a lesson and assign homework that will help them progress at the ideal rate. However, we love to have young aspiring singers (ages 4-6 or so) try piano lessons first while having the teacher focus on incorporating singing in the lessons as well. This is a great way to encourage a young singer. In this type of a lesson, we would focus on the type of lesson the instrument the student is most interested in, or the parent wishes us to focus on. We would also incorporate the second instrument. For a 30 minute lesson, that could look like: focusing on piano by having a regular piano lesson, but encouraging the student to sing along to the song they are playing (all the songs have lyrics and a singable melody). We would choose a recital piece over time that excited them, and they can sing and play for the recital. 

Again, 30 minutes per instrument is ideal for student to truly progress in each instrument, but this type of a mixed lesson is a great way to encourage the student to express themselves and explore other instruments. 

Guitar or ukulele (30, 45, 60 minutes)

Students who are interested in guitar will need the right size guitar, especially if they are younger than age 9 or so. We recommend going to a local music store to try a guitar that can be the right fit. Students who start at an early age (5-8) may want to choose ukulele because it is a less expensive investment, easier to hold and easier to play (it won't hurt their fingers as much and makes sounds with less pressure). The lessons learned on ukulele can easily translate to guitar when the student is ready to make the switch. 

In each lesson, we spend time learning to read notation (melody), as well as strumming or fingerpicking chords (harmony). We focus on the style that the student enjoys most, or the goal of the parent. We want our students playing along to their favorite songs or duets with their teachers as they progress. 

Guitar and voice (30 or 45 minutes):

In this shorter lesson length, we would focus on one instrument over the other. The student will usually guide the decision on which, unless the parent or teacher has a preference. The primary focus and homework will be in the main instrument, while the teacher will encourage incorporating the other during lessons. That could look like this for a 45 minute mixed lesson: 30 minutes of learning guitar melody and harmony playing, then some vocal warm ups and practicing singing while strumming the guitar to a song the student enjoys. 

Voice:

We know that young aspiring singers are obvious from an early age - are you hearing them singing ALL THE TIME? Whether or not they sound good to you, this is a huge sign that the voice is their primary expressive instrument and you should lean into that! 

Ages 5-8 (30 or 45 minute lessons):

I highly recommend starting with piano lessons with a teacher who can incorporate singing into the lesson for ages under 8 years old. This sets a great foundation for the student to understand how notes move, practice matching pitch, and learn to conceptualize notes from an early age. Singers don't have "buttons", so we need to visualize or conceptualize what is happening to affect our voice in the way we wish. Training our ears is a huge part of the journey as well, and incorporating a musical instrument that also requires reading notation is a wonderful way to lay a good foundation for a young vocalist. This type of a mixed lesson can be 30, 45 or 60 minutes as well. 

Ages 8 and older (30, 45 or 60 minute lessons)

We do offer voice lessons (without incorporating piano learning) to all ages 5 and up as well, if you prefer not to incorporate the piano. In these lessons, we like to encourage the student by singing songs they like, as well as learning vocal concepts and techniques, singing songs that help students apply these techniques, and exploring our sounds and vocal range. 

We do require a piano or keyboard of any kind at the home for voice lessons in order to assist the teacher in teaching, as well as the student in learning throughout the week. 

Prep for Auditions and Music Theatre Students:

We have many students who audition or perform onstage, and we often are assisting them with repertoire for auditions or in preparation for a performance or judged event. We are always glad to encourage students who are already performing. In this case, our lessons are more focused on preparation to help the student meet the goal they have, while filling in anything we see the student needs to learn along the way (i.e. how to warm up the voice appropriately, reading notation, etc.). 

Violin:

The violin is an amazing instrument, and can be taught at almost any age. We prefer to start at age 5 and up, and you will need to go to a local music store to rent or buy a violin and get sized for it first. We have appropriate materials for every age, and incorporate technical warm ups, learning songs, and songs the student wants to learn as well. We love to play duets with our students at recitals as well!

Drums:

We can teach drums to any age, and can use buckets/books/tables until you have purchased a drum set or hand drums! In drum lessons, we learn how to hold the sticks properly and do technical warm ups first, then we learn how to read rhythmic notation and learn a “groove” or “beat”. Once the student can play that well for a short period, we can add in fills to ornament the groove, and even play along to a song they love. The noisier the better for drummers, so we recommend ear protection for the child and anyone nearby during practicing or lessons! You will know you have a drummer within two weeks of starting lessons, for sure. They enjoy the noise and can zone out and play the groove for long periods of time, exploring the synchrony of movements among their limbs as they build coordination. 

Bass Guitar:

Students can easily learn bass guitar at any age, but we often recommend age 7 or older. Starting with ukulele may be a better option for a younger child. For bass lessons, we teach melody and reading notation, but we also enjoy teaching popular baselines and grooving with tracks/songs to build up fine-motor skills and to enjoy the feeling of playing with a band. Bassists often perform duets or with tracks of their favorite songs at recitals. 

Other Instruments:

We do teach other instruments, and will be glad to speak with you on the phone to assist you with choosing any instrument!

 Invoices go out on the final day of the month before the billed month. For example, September’s invoice will go out on August 31st, and auto-pay will draft on that day. 

No, we accept rolling admissions. Because the logistics of driving schedules are so precise, we may be more limited in our schedule offerings during a semester. However, we usually do not have issues fitting new clients into the schedule within a weeks.

You are welcome to wait until after your first lesson to pay the remainder of the first month. We asked that you pay the first invoice within 10 days of the first lesson, but we are flexible as we know parents are so busy. Regular billing begins on the second month of lessons, with the invoice being sent out on the last day of the month before the month being billed (Jan 31 we send out February invoices). Clients on autopay have their account drafted on the day of invoicing (Jan 31 for Feb invoice, for example). Invoices are due by the seventh of the month for those who are not on autopay.