What you can learn

Eight instruments, four teachers

Each is taught by one person who plays it. The age beside each is where most students begin; your teacher decides at the placement visit.

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
Ages 12 and up
Upright bass
The low end of a string band. Dewey teaches it to students who already play something, and to first-time players who are tall enough to reach.
- Taught by Dewey Lovell
- A bass is in the room to borrow
Ages 8 and up
Harp
A lever harp, plucked and slow. Glenna teaches it to the few who ask, and it suits a student who likes to listen.
- Taught by Glenna Blevins
- Ask before you rent

Lesson lengths

How long a lesson lasts

The length and whether a lesson is private or shared set tuition. How tuition works explains the rest.

How tuition works

30 minutes
The usual start for younger students and for anyone new to an instrument.
45 minutes
A little more room for a tune, a new idea and time to ask questions.
60 minutes
For students who practice and for adults who want to go deeper.

At home

Before you buy or rent an instrument

Size and quality matter more than most people expect, on a fiddle or a cello most of all. Ask your teacher first: they will tell you what to look for and what to wait on, and we never ask you to buy from us.