Lott Music Studio

We know that one-on-one lessons are our bread and butter here at Lott Music Studio, but we're excited to announce that we're offering Group Lessons!

Whether you're a part of a duet, trio, quartet, or some other grouping of musicians, we would love to help you refine your performance and improve as an ensemble! We have teachers who cover a wide range of instruments who are well equipped to help you as an individual and the rest of the group. Together, we can focus on musicality, performance skills, and so much more.

Or maybe you're a musician hoping to join an ensemble? If that's the case, we can help with that, too! Let us know what your musical goals are and what type of group you're looking to join, and we'll see if we can pull together the musicians to help make your dreams a reality.

We do have some limitations to what kinds of groups we can accommodate when we can get you on the schedule, but reach out and see what we can make happen!

Caleb is one of our violin teachers, and he also teaches beginner viola! Caleb teaches students of all ages and skill levels, and he's familiar with a WIDE variety of genres and styles thanks to all of his incredible performance experience!

As a part of multiple bands, Caleb never stops growing and exploring as a musician and as a performer. If he's not in the studio on a Friday night, you can bet it's because he's off knocking people's socks off with his remarkable skills at some venue with his bandmates. Keep an eye out for the next time he's performing! You won't want to miss it!

Now, when he's not in the studio or rocking out in front of a crowd, Caleb loves his time with friends. Playing games, eating good food, and having a good time is his idea of a good time. He loves to try new foods, whether he's going out to eat or making the food at home.

Mark your calendars! On April 26th, here at Lott Music Studio, our very own Scott Gunderson will be giving a performance of a set of his original compositions!

While you might know Scott as one of our dedicated piano teachers, this is will be the perfect chance for you to experience another side of his skills as a musician. His music is a transformative and unique combination of classical/electronic/progressive rock/jazz funk fusion. This chance to enjoy a live performance of his work is something that you don't want to miss!

Brooke is one of our Student Teachers! She's a soprano who is passionate about all aspects of performance. In fact, right now she is the music director for a local theater's production of Annie! She's been in many operatic productions at ISU and other musical theatre productions throughout the area. Her first love was musical theatre, and she's thrilled to be so enamored with the world of opera.

Did you know that she even played the character of Adele in ISU's production of Die Fledermaus? Getting to see her shine on stage alongside some of our other student teachers (who also gave stunning performances) was an absolute treat. She has also had the opportunity to perform new works at opera conferences across the country!

Outside of the studio and when she's not busy practicing or working on school work, Brooke loves to relax with her cat and spend time with her family and friends.

Looks like our website missed the memo that spring break was last week! While everything else seems to be working just fine, it's been brought to our attention that there's an issue with our Summer Program interest forms.

If you've filled out the interest form online and we haven't gotten back to you yet, we promise we aren't ghosting you on purpose! Send us a good, old-fashioned email letting us know that your student is interested in joining us for some music making, and we'll get back to you with confirmation and any details you might need.

Hopefully, it's a simple fix, and we're able to get everything back to normal very soon! In the meantime, we appreciate you taking the extra step to send us an email to make sure your kiddos are eager to make music with us!

Looking to start a band with your friends? Or maybe you're eager to be a part of a group, but you don't know where to start? Our Summer Jam Program is just what you're looking for!

It doesn't matter if you play guitar, piano, percussion, violin, or if you're a vocalist - there's a spot for everyone in the band. If you're a musician in middle or high school, consider auditioning to join one of the many groups that will be formed at Lott Music Studio this summer! We'll tackle all sorts of music, learn all the fundamental skills, and get the full band experience.

With a program like this, students will have to audition to demonstrate a certain level or proficiency on their instrument. This way, we know how to best group students together to create band groupings that support students' learning and provides them with the most compatible performance experience!

Interested in auditioning or curious about the program? Fill out the form on our website or send us an email! We can't wait to start making music with you!

We all want to be in The Room Where It Happens-- and we want to make sure that our young musicians feel ready to step into the spotlight!

In this weeklong program, high school musicians will get to work with Lott Music Studio teachers in small workshops and in one-on-one coaching sessions. We'll make sure that students are equipped with all the skills, knowledge, techniques, and experience to absolutely nail their next audition. Whether you're auditioning for a community theatre production or for the music program at the college of your dreams, we want to make sure you're confident and prepared!

This program is open to musicians of all types: vocalists, pianists, violinists, trombonists, guitarists-- you name it! We know that everyone experiences audition anxiety, so we want to make sure all of the young musicians get to learn and grow.

If you're interested in registering for this camp, check out our website or send us an email!

Spring break starts tomorrow, and this is just your reminder that we'll be closed! We hope all of our students and teachers take advantage of this time off to rest, do a little spring cleaning, and do something fun. We'll see you all for lessons as normal next week!

Step behind the curtain and get your marionettes, sock puppets, and shadow puppets ready-- our All Strings Attached program is going to be a masterful performance of musicality and creativity!

Our middle school students will spend a week in the studio learning the music and lines from iconic scenes from different musicals. Not only that, but they'll have the chance to create their character from scratch. Our medium of choice: Puppets! We'll push our creativity to the limit and create all sorts of puppets from craft materials and everyday items. There's a lot more that you can do with bottle caps and paper towel rolls than you think!

Interested in registering for the program? Fill out the form on our website or send us an email! We'll make sure you get all in right information and that we reserve a spot under your student's name.

You're invited to our Monstrous Music Masquerade, our summer program for musicians in Kindergarten through 5th grade!

This program will largely focus on providing your little monsters with an introduction to the fundamentals of music, all with a theatrical twist. Students will learn to build instruments out of unexpected materials. They'll learn how their instruments work, and how to make music with them! Additionally, we'll take some classical tunes from eras long gone, and transform them with new lyrics. In learning these reimagined songs, students will learn important musical skills in learning music, tonal memory, and basic singing skills.

We know that our older students might be looking for more of a challenge, so don't worry! We have some neat instruments up our sleeves that will definitely push our students to think outside of the box.

If you have a student who is interested in joining our Monstrous Music Masquerade, we can't wait to meet them! Fill out the registration form on our website, and we'll be in touch with more details about this magnificent program!

Aaron is not only one of the many talented teachers in the studio, but he's also the owner and founder of Lott Music Studio! It's all thanks to his wonderful skill and hard work that Lott Music Studio is the vibrant and diverse music school that you see today.

While Aaron was born and raised right here in Ames, Iowa, that didn't stop him from following his love and passion for music all the way to Europe! For several years, he lived in London, Germany, and Spain (which is where he met his husband!) while studying and teaching music. After some time abroad, he found his way back to Ames to continue doing what he loves-- making music and helping grow into stronger, more confident musicians. He teaches piano and voice lessons to students of all ages and experience levels!

Here are some things you might not know about Aaron:
He played the trombone for several years when he was younger.
He has two cats and two dogs.
He has glasses (but you typically see him wearing contacts).

We'll be officially unveiling our 4 different summer program options at the Summer Camp Fair tomorrow morning!! If you want to give your kiddos the chance to explore music and grow as performers, our programs are a great fit for you. See you at the Community Center Gym from 9 to 11 am tomorrow!

Next week, we'll share more information about all 4 of our programs here on social media and in the studio. Keep an eye out and get ready to register! Here's a little sneak peak!