How We Work

When you contact us to set up your first lesson for $1.00, you’ll be able to have a first-hand experience the benefits of working with a member of our team of excellent music teachers. We offer several packages for you to consider, as you start your journey of becoming a star student in our Music School Odessa Texas.

30 minute weekly lesson

45 minute weekly lesson

60 minute weekly lesson

(If a student would like more than one lesson per week, we can accommodate that by adding another lesson slot for them.)

We give students the opportunity to participate in small ensembles, in which they learn to make music with others in groups of 2 to 4 individuals.We also offer students the opportunity to participate in larger ensembles of 5 or more, in a weekly rehearsal, building towards performance.Fees will be set up to be auto-paid the first of each month.There will be a yearly $100 registration fee to cover administrative and recital costs.

Policies

Lessons

  • Students will receive 32 lessons for the academic year.
  • If a student misses a lesson, the lesson will not be refunded or rescheduled, however
    • If you know your child cannot attend a lesson, you can gift your lesson to a friend to try out our studio.
    • You can also trade with another student in the studio.
  • We ask that you notify the teacher as soon as possible about any absence.
  • If a teacher misses a lesson, the teacher will notify you and schedule a makeup lesson as soon as possible or at the end of the year.
  • Please, no food or drink at lessons.
  • We encourage parents’ involvement in the student’s progress and are welcome to observe lessons.
  • Please be 3-5 minutes early for your lesson.

Preparation

  • As with all things in life, what you put into something determines what you get out of it. With this thought in mind, we encourage a daily practice routine. Regular and consistent work will produce the greatest results for the student. Parental encouragement is also vital in the student’s commitment to grow.
  • Young children will benefit from several short periods a day of practice, while older students can be expected to practice 30 – 60 minutes a day. Professional level goals will only be achieved by investing several hours per day. We do encourage a day of rest each week.

Refund

  • Payments made to the school are not refundable.
  • In the case of early withdrawal, automated payments will stop the following month.
    We ask that the parents notify the teacher of the student’s withdrawal via email.

Our Method

“The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made both of them.” (Prov. 20:12)

Most people who pursue music, in one way or another, have had a conversation about the advantages or disadvantages of ‘playing by ear’ or reading sheet-music. Whatever one’s background, the two ideas are usually debated as to which one has the greater merit. I have found, however, that the best approach to learning music is similar to learning one’s native language. You hear, imitate, then begin to read, notate, and finally create.
A similar approach to studying music is highly effective, and that is what our school offers.

There are many benefits to the successful study of music. The ancient Greeks believed that studying music developed the mind. This idea is highlighted by the etymology of the word music. It comes from the ancient Latin and Greek, muse, which means to think.

Modern science supports this idea, showing a strong link between music-making and brain health. Far-reaching science in our world today can best summarize the material universe as vibrating frequencies. By extension, one could suggest that the study of music taps into the very foundations of universal structure.

Following is a short-list of the many benefits to studying music.

  • Confidence-building
  • Stage-presence
  • Communication skills
  • Develops focus
  • Eye/Hand coordination
  • Two-handed coordination
  • Brain-plasticity
  • Interpersonal cooperation (ensemble playing)
  • Pattern awareness
  • Learning personal discipline
  • Understanding long-range goals/preparation
  • Listening with attentiveness
  • Appreciation/awareness of beauty
  • Conflict resolution (dissonance, homophony)
  • The “Mozart effect,” brain stimulus
  • Historical awareness (art influences and is influenced by culture)
  • Humanities and Culture study preparation
  • Preparation for art history
  • Perception of inter-artistic disciplines
  • Perception of worship dynamics
  • Creative, independent thinking
  • Foundations for understanding the universal study of frequency
  • Mathematics
  • Left-brain, Right-brain symbiosis [i.e. linear analytic thinking and pattern mosaic thinking]
  • The list goes on…

Our school encourages all the benefits of the above by helping the student gain mastery of their instrument, voice, or creative endeavor by teaching them the foundational techniques, training them in both listening skills as well as reading skills. The combination of these disciplines creates the most well-rounded education and provides the widest possible range to participate in any musical experience.
We also believe that music is not sound. Music is relationships. Music emanates from relationships, both within the frequency spectrum of sound and, more importantly, through the dynamics of interpersonal relationships. To facilitate this aspect of the student’s development, we encourage students to participate in ensemble playing in various ways. Students learn to listen, not only to their own contribution, but also to their colleagues. This aspect of music-making has life-long implications in how to successfully inter-relate to others.
We believe in a comprehensive approach to the study of music, helping the student understand the value of the history of music, as well as finding their own autonomy, in which the student becomes self-sufficient in their ability to learn and study music without the aid of an instructor.
We also believe that each student, at their highest level, will experience their own creative journey, through their own unique ability to synthesize musical expression and creativity.

Technique

Whether starting out as a grade-schooler or a grandparent, the development of tactile skills causes brain wellness. Also, the study of aural disciplines, through learning a new language or studying music is known to have similar mental health benefits.
The combination of reading music (visual), listening skills (aural), and physical involvement (kinesthetic), merges the three main disciplines of the learning process. The synthesis of these three disciplines creates a symbiosis of brain activity, which heightens the awareness of the student. When this is made routine, through practice, the student is trained to continue this ability in other aspects of their lives. This is what produces what some call the Mozart Effect, in which heightened awareness creates greater effectiveness and intelligence in other disciplines.
Our students will learn to read music proficiently, combining pitch recognition in various clefs, as well as rhythmic values, learning to understand the notation and perform it fluidly. This can be transferred later into their ability to compose and arrange their own works, creating scores for any genre.
In addition to learning to read musical notation, they will hone their skills at critical listening, becoming aware of accurate pitch-matching, quality of tonal production, and the coordination of these elements when making music in ensembles together. Learning to listen effectively and with purpose is one of the most important, if not the most important skill the student can acquire.
The technical disciplines of learning an instrument or singing are built incrementally, through knowledge of scales, rudiments, and technical repertoire. Systematically building the student’s ability to understand their own bodies in ways that minimize tension and gain mastery of their chosen musical path can be transferred to other areas of their lives, as well. Leading your body, through mental discipline is the first step towards understanding how to successfully lead people in an organization. Similar practices of planning, communication, and evaluation are all involved in musical production.

Ensemble

Once the student becomes competent in their personal musical skill, they can take the next step to be able to join others in the art of making music. Music, in our view, is not just sound. In fact, we believe it is not primarily sound. The very nature and essence of music is relationships.
Relationship with one’s self is the beginning of this process, learning to lead one’s own attitude, awareness and skillfulness. Next, relationship with one’s section comes into focus. This happens when the student is playing, for example, in the viola section of a string ensemble, or a vocalist is singing with others in the soprano section of a choir. Once awareness of one’s section is obtained, an awareness of the entire ensemble and conductor becomes layered in the student’s awareness of what is being performed. The last circle of awareness is the audience itself, sensing the general energy of the room.

Creativity

Once the student becomes competent in their personal musical skill, they can take the next step to be able to join others in the art of making music. Music, in our view, is not just sound. In fact, we believe it is not primarily sound. The very nature and essence of music is relationships.
Relationship with one’s self is the beginning of this process, learning to lead one’s own attitude, awareness and skillfulness. Next, relationship with one’s section comes into focus. This happens when the student is playing, for example, in the viola section of a string ensemble, or a vocalist is singing with others in the soprano section of a choir. Once awareness of one’s section is obtained, an awareness of the entire ensemble and conductor becomes layered in the student’s awareness of what is being performed. The last circle of awareness is the audience itself, sensing the general energy of the room.