Requirements: Ages 7+ and have completed Kindergarten. Have access to a touch sensitive keyboard with at least one pedal at home. Kids must have basic reading skills.

Guitar & Ukulele.

Requirements: Ages 9+ and have completed third grade. Must have a properly fitted guitar or ukulele for home practice. Acoustic or classical guitars are preferred for building technical skills.

Guitar is the most popular instrument at the studio. Who doesn’t want to play along with their favorite style of music? I teach a variety of musical styles, genres and focus on helping students learn skills little by little to become well-rounded musicians. 

Adults who are interested in learning guitar have their own curriculum that has been developed so they can gain the skills they need to be playing their favorite songs on their own within 1-2 years of lessons. 

Ukulele is one of the easiest string instruments to learn! It’s perfect for beginners who want to eventually move to guitar or those who want a small portable instrument.

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Percussion.

Requirements: Ages 10+ and in fourth grade. Kids who have completed the equivalent of Level 1 Faber in piano may start percussion before age 10. Drumset students must have home access to a drumset or practice kit.

Drumset and percussion lessons are tailored to whatever the student is looking to study. While many students choose to learn drumset, lessons are also available in concert percussion, marching percussion, marimba and vibraphone. Four-mallet percussion is a specialty of the studio. 

Students who register for drumset lessons must have an instrument to practice on at home, no exceptions. Electronic kits and specialty “ultra-quiet” drum heads are great options for families looking to make drumset practice more practical. Students in drumset need sticks in size 5-7. Students will learn a variety of Drumset styles and genres, and techniques to gain independence and coordination of their hands and feet. 

Because access to a marimba and vibraphone are uniquely more difficult and expensive than other instruments, mallet percussion students can “check-out” the studio room for practice sessions during the week while the studio is open. 

Percussion can be one of the most complicated instrument families to study, but we make it fun and accessible here at the studio-as I am a primary percussionist!

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Piano or Guitar Labs and Duet Lessons.

Requirements: All age requirements are the same as the instruments listed above. Students put together their own group or lab with friends, family, neighbors and select a timeframe that works for their schedule.

Labs are one of the best ways to help kids develop their musical skills. At the Spirt Lake studio, I offer piano or guitar labs. A lab is where kids work individually for part of the lesson and then together for part of the lesson. This allows for kids to develop independent practice skills under the eye of the teacher where they can work at their individual level and allows for social learning through music theory, history and ear training in the form of music games.

A Duet lesson is where two students, learning different instruments, come to the studio at the same time. They have small, incremental skills they learn on their given instrument, and then, once ready, they work with their lesson partner on duets (a duet is a song with two instruments)! Duets involve less practice time outside of lessons, because we move at a slower pace. But they are also inherently more social, as you have a built in partner to meet up with every week to work on your music. Duet lessons are great for siblings, best friends, grandparents and their grandchildren and parents and their kids.