Glenna Blevins
Director · Piano, voice, harp · Mon, Tue, Sat
Small-town music school
Fiddle and banjo, right beside the piano
Legato is a music school with four teachers in Richmond, Kentucky. Learn the piano or the cello, or the fiddle, banjo and guitar the way they are played around here. Children, teens, grown-ups and retirees all begin with a placement visit.
- Ages 6 and up
- Four teachers
- 30 to 60 minutes
What you can learn
Six instruments, and the fiddle and banjo come first
Every teacher at Legato plays what they teach, and every instrument gets the same room, the same time and the same welcome.
- Ages 6 and up
Fiddle and violin
Tunes by ear first, and notes whenever you want them. Laurel teaches the fiddle and the violin side by side, and shows you where they part ways.
Taught by Laurel Rayburn
Ask before you buy or rent
- Ages 8 and up
Banjo
Clawhammer and three-finger picking, by ear and by tablature. Dewey starts with a tune you already know the sound of.
Taught by Dewey Lovell
Ask before you buy or rent
- Ages 6 and up
Piano
Reading music from the first lesson, with hymns, folk tunes and pieces you choose. A keyboard at home is enough to begin.
Taught by Glenna Blevins
A keyboard is enough to begin
- Ages 7 and up
Cello
A low, warm voice for children and grown-ups. Marlena fits the size of the instrument to the player before anything else.
Taught by Marlena Stovall
Size matters: ask before you rent
- Ages 8 and up
Guitar
Chords, flatpicking and fingerstyle on an acoustic guitar, so you can play along with the people around you.
Taught by Dewey Lovell
A tuned guitar at home
- Teens and adults
Voice
Singing alone or in harmony, in a key that fits you. Glenna teaches voice to teens and adults, and to the whole family on a Saturday.
Taught by Glenna Blevins
Nothing to buy
Your first lesson
A first lesson has three parts
It is the same for a seven-year-old and a seventy-year-old.
- 01
Step 1: A warm-up
You and your teacher play or sing something easy together, so nobody starts cold.
- 02
Step 2: Something new
One new idea, small enough to take home: a tune, a chord, a handful of notes.
- 03
Step 3: A plan for the week
Your teacher writes down what to practice, in plain words, and when to come back.
Our teachers
Four teachers, and the days each one teaches
Days are beside each name. Summer is slower.
Dewey Lovell
Banjo, guitar, upright bass · Tue, Wed, Thu
Laurel Rayburn
Fiddle, violin, mountain dulcimer · Mon, Wed, Thu
Marlena Stovall
Cello, beginning strings · Tue, Thu, Sat
The year
Jam evenings, recitals and harvest weeks
We close when the farms are busiest, and we play together once a month.
This school year
Open house
Late August · Meet the four teachers, hold a fiddle or a banjo and see the rooms.
Harvest week
Late September · No lessons while families bring the crop in.
Monthly jam evening
First Thursday of each month · Pull up a chair with whatever you play. Listeners are as welcome as players.
Winter recital
December · Students who want to play do so for families and friends.
Spring recital
May · The year's second recital, with the doors open to the street.
Slower summer
June to early August · Lessons run Tuesday to Thursday afternoons only.
Sample dates.
From families and grown-up students
“We farm, so our evenings are never regular. They found us a Saturday time and told us up front when the school closes for harvest. Nobody made it a big deal.”
Rhonda T.Parent of an eight-year-old
“I retired and a banjo sat in my closet for a year. Dewey started with a tune I knew the sound of, and I sat in on a jam evening before I thought I should.”
Walt H.Adult student
“Our daughter wanted the cello and we had never held one. Marlena told us what size to ask about and what to wait on before renting.”
Imani P.Parent of a ten-year-old
Sample reviews.
Slow summers
When the school is open
- MondayMonToday2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- TuesdayTueToday2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- WednesdayWedToday2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- ThursdayThuToday2:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- FridayFriTodayClosed
- SaturdaySatToday9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- SundaySunTodayClosed
In summer, from June to early August, lessons run Tuesday to Thursday afternoons only, and the school slows down on purpose.
Questions families and grown-ups ask
How old does a child need to be?
Most children start between six and eight. Piano and fiddle suit the youngest hands. Banjo, guitar and cello usually wait until about seven or eight, and your teacher will tell you at the placement visit.
Do I need my own instrument?
Not for the first visit. Ask your teacher before you buy or rent anything: the right size matters on a cello and a fiddle. How renting works is on the tuition page.
Can I sit in on a lesson?
Yes. Parents and grandparents are welcome in the room, and there is a bench in the hall for waiting.
What is a placement visit?
A short visit where a teacher listens to what you want to play, you try an instrument, and we find you a teacher and a weekly time.
Can a grown-up start from nothing?
Yes. Many of our students are adults, and some are retired.
Do students have to play in a recital?
No. Recitals and jam evenings are for anyone who wants to play. Listening is welcome too.
Come and hear the rooms
Book a placement visit, or call during lesson hours and we will find a time that suits your week.
