Brand New to Music Lessons?

Our teachers welcome first-time music students. Here is some information you might find helpful if you are thinking about getting started.

Basic Requirements

You will need an instrument and you'll need to set aside time for practicing.

How Much Will I Need to Practice?

Regular daily practice is most effective. If you can average 30 minutes a day, you'll make good progress. For younger students, 20 minutes a day is often sufficient. Of course there will be days when your busy schedule may not permit playing for 30 minutes. However, you will be well served if you can at least pick up the instrument for 5 minutes. Don't let a day go by without getting some playing in, and try to average 20-30 minutes per day over the course of a week. For singers, if you already sing during the course of the day, you may not need to add a lot of additional practice time. It is often effective simply to bring your attention and new understanding to the singing that you already do. But vocal exercises your teacher will give you can also be a great help.

How Quickly Will I Learn?

Learning music is not something that promises immediate success. The physical skills involved can take quite a while to develop to a high level. The mental understanding of music theory and the language of music is likewise a long-term undertaking. However, if you enjoy the process of hanging out with an instrument (voice included) and learning how to make it sing, you'll be well rewarded at every stage of your progress. There's no better way of finding out if you're well-suited to playing an instrument than beginning instruction now!

What's the Best Age to Start?

Are you older than 10? Then it's time to begin. (And it's never too late.) Here are some specific guidelines to help parents know when their young children might begin:

Guitar - Our youngest students are around 6. It's best at the younger ages to be using a small-sized guitar. While it is possible to begin lessons as early as 4 years of age with a trained Suzuki instructor, our current instructors prefer to work with slightly older students, at least 5 years old.

Voice - Our instructors don't usually begin to work on technical vocal development with a student younger than 12-14 years of age. However, singing lessons can still be worthwhile for students as young as 6. For the younger students the lessons focus on singing enjoyment, working on the basics of breathing and pronunciation, and developing a stronger sense of musicality.

Piano - It is very common for piano lessons to begin at 5 years of age. We have instructors who are experienced working with these younger students.

Bass - Our bass instructors are happy to work with students 6 years old and up. For smaller hands, a smaller bass is definitely required.

Drums - Our drum instructor can work with any student 6 years old and up.

Saxophone - Due to the requirements of breathing and holding a somewhat heavy instrument, it is best to start the saxophone not much before age 10.

Should I Start With Piano?

It is common knowledge that piano is a foundational instrument. For most musicians, having some piano skills is very helpful. Also, music theory is most easily visualized on a piano. But we believe there is no reason to begin your music lessons on the piano if that is not the instrument you are most attracted to. What makes for successful music study is long-term practice. What makes for successful long-term practice is an abiding interest in and attraction to the instrument. On this issue, we are on the side of immediate gratification: start with the instrument you most want to play!