Upbeats & Accents

02/04/2026

Summer Camps! Jump into an instrument, level up on an instrument or create copious amounts of art projects this summer!
There’s no reason to be a “bored” kid!

02/04/2026

01/29/2026

Where’s that pinky going?!

Technique is a constant work in progress.
This is an example of how lacking hand muscles makes the player counter balance by lifting their pinkie finger.

Being aware of it and then slowing down is the answer. This student was mortified (unnecessarily) after watching this video
and is now aware of the next hurdle they’ll be working on.

12/07/2025

That’s a wrap! 60 students performed in the Winter Concert today!

Performing is a challenge on so many levels and everyone that participated was amazing.

For some, they were at their highest level of performance & they felt the reward of practicing and presenting something perfect & polished.
For some it was a first time performing. For some they didn’t feel totally prepared. For some, they hit a couple wrong notes, but they kept going and finished like champions. Whatever boat they were in, they accomplished something, learned something about themselves and leveled up in confidence. Every little step adds up to something bigger.

I love my job. I love the kids and families I get to work with. I love my teachers, I couldn’t have done it without them.

Now to go practice my own music…Ladyfest is next weekend & I’m going to get my battle on 🔥

Thank you, Jennifer and Grace for the beautiful holiday flowers. I love them too. ✨

11/24/2025

dissonance vs consonance

10/24/2025

A cool interview I did recently :)

We were lucky to catch up with Che Chiavaroli recently and have shared our conversation below. Che, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confid

09/25/2025

iso:
drum kit
for a student

09/10/2025

I’ve assembled the dream team. Max Pippin is currently taking drum students and kids are having a blast. He’s one of the best drummers in town and his students are having a blast.
He’s got room for a couple more but not for
long. 🔥✨

Piano, Guitar, Bass, Ukulele, Voice and Drum Lessons. Individual and group lessons. Summer Camps.

08/15/2025

We take adult students too!
It’s never too late and the benefits are numerous…take it from an adult that still plays 😉

Few adults play musical instruments, and even fewer do so in a group, Caroline Mimbs Nyce wrote in 2024. What health benefits might they be giving up? https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

“Kids receive plenty of music education, but as people get older, they fall out of practice. Many stop picking up their instrument,” Nyce wrote. “This is unfortunate, in part because plenty of research shows that adults could benefit from playing music.”

Playing music helps build larger brain networks and new pathways. “Musicians tend to have better attention than nonmusicians,” Nyce continued. “Banging on a drum or tooting a horn can also relieve stress, reduce burnout, and help with anxiety and depression. For older people specifically, research has shown potential cognitive benefits along with a possible decrease in dementia risk.”

Adults may be skipping out in part because music education is associated with childhood and coursework. And after people grow out of music education in their childhood, they tend to think that music is a special talent, Nyce wrote, not something that just anybody can learn.

“Of course, people are busy; they simply may not have the luxury of sitting down to study Bach once a week, much less the money to pay for an instrument or private lessons,” Nyce wrote.

Playing music in groups has additional benefits, such as allowing adults to feel more trusting of and connected to one another, and to the world in general. But while it’s easy to go to a park or gym and pull together a game of pickup basketball, “piecing together people at the same skill level to play a concerto or even just jam in a garage is another matter.”

Nyce herself recently began to play the recorder. “I plan to keep learning,” she writes, “not because it strengthens my neuropathways per se (though I certainly don’t mind that), but because making music, even when it’s silly—perhaps especially when it’s silly—is just a whole lot of fun.” https://theatln.tc/oglkQfzJ

📸: Photo Media / ClassicStock / Getty

08/13/2025

Technique is why working with an experienced teacher is so important. Good technique means playing instruments for many years. Poor technique means getting carpel tunnel or other hand/wrist joint/tendon injuries.

We’re practicing octaves. The first video is after improving technique. Wrist is higher, fingers aren’t strained. The technique still needs instruction, practice and repetition to become second nature but we’re on the right track.

The video in the comments is before working on the technique. The wrist is below the keys and the fingers/tendons are strained.

I see this often with kids that are learning difficult pieces off of piano learning apps. They’re amazing & deserve kudos for being self driven to learn pieces that are beyond their hand strength and technical abilities but they’re going to cause severe injuries if those technical issues aren’t identified and fixed.

08/07/2025

This big kid recently started playing guitar and has been asking about pedals — a true future rocker.

Good thing I had a donated pedal board to get him started.

Apologies to his future wife: the guitar gear collection phase has officially begun.

We take donations to pass on. Always looking for 88 key electric keyboards, pedals, guitars, basses, etc. Reach out if you’ve got too much stuff & want to get rid of it.

Thanks Che & Colleen💗🤘🏼✨

07/31/2025

The studio’s ready for tomorrow’s choir concert!

Don’t worry if you missed it this year…we’ll be doing it again Summer ‘26 🤩