Where is the Studio?

 

The studio is near Harmon Middle School. Please contact Lauren for the address.

​

What can I expect from lessons?

 

Lessons are tailored to individual goals, needs, and interests. Students develop musical knowledge and skills while experiencing a wide range of musical styles, including Classical, Contemporary, Broadway, Folk, and more.

 

Students begin an instrument because they are excited by its sound and the music they can make. I want them to be singing or playing on the instrument from the very first lesson. We engage with the instrument and explore its sound potential right away and develop music theory, literacy, technique, and artistry in subsequent lessons.

 

Students will learn healthy playing and singing technique, music literacy skills, and improvisation and composition.

​

In addition to practice, students may be assigned theory games, focused listening, and reflection assignments appropriate to their age and level.

​

What is different about lessons with lauren?

 

We develop real artistry and the whole musician.

 

From the first lesson, we experiment with various "ingredients" to create and change music—elements such as dynamic (loud and soft), register (high and low), tempo (fast and slow), duration (long and short), and articulation (sharp or smooth). We revisit these tools often and later introduce others as we move through a lesson series or selected repertoire. The key difference is that students get to make choices with these elements, rather than simply imitating.

​

Music learning and playing requires the development of MANY different skills. A balance of these means that a musician can be prepared to play many styles of music and in many different settings (family events, school ensembles, solo recitals, rock or folk bands, church groups, musical theater, and more).

​

Rhythm & Pulse

​

Students need to know when to play! We practice keeping a steady beat by dancing, clapping, counting, and playing or singing with tracks. Students also learn a method for breaking down the long and short sounds they hear in relation to the beat.

​

Ear Training

​

We teach students how to listen to the elements of music (pitch, rhythm, dynamic, articulation, etc.) so that they can refine the music they play and write down music they hear. Singing is an important part of ear training—even for instrumentalists!

​

Music Literacy & Theory

 

Music literacy is a crucial cornerstone of a student's education. Literacy helps students learn and understand increasingly complex musical ideas and notate their ideas to share with others. We teach with the Sound Before Symbol approach. This is the same way we learn language—first we learn the sounds, then the symbols which represent those sounds. 

​

Music theory allows us to understand how music works. Knowing the structure and elements of a piece will change the way you 

​

Composition & Improvisation

 

Composition and improvisation may be underdeveloped in some traditional programs. These musicians can be well-trained, highly-skilled classical performers, yet feel intimidated when asked to improvise a solo, write an arrangement, or compose a piece. But when these experiences are an integral part of their study, they are prepared and excited to play!

​

Students are encouraged to compose or arrange their own music. We learn how to understand music we love and how it works. This way, students learn how to create their own musical ideas or how to reinvent a favorite tune!

​

Similarly, improvisation requires mastery of basic musical skills, which we build upon step by step. Students start by making limited choices within a framework (for instance, choosing when to play one of three notes) and using their ear to tell them what sounds good. Then we learn why those choices fit. Over time, we give them more choices! Through this, students learn about keys, chords, progressions, scales, and more, and are able to improvise easily.

​

Students also learn how to write down their ideas and share them with others. This reinforces their music literacy skills. Writing music helps students be more attentive to reading and noticing every mark on the page.

​

Technique & Health

​

We want you to enjoy music for a lifetime. Athletes learn to warm-up and move with good form. Poor form can result in injury over time, or at the very least bad habits which must be unlearned and retrained. Similarly, musicians must learn how to use their bodies in a healthful way from the beginning.

 

Studio Goals

• Develop healthy playing or singing technique

• Develop strong aural and music literacy skills

• Explore a variety of styles, eras, and composers

• Foster creativity and curiosity

• Provide resources and structure to help you or your child attain your desired level of musicianship, whether for personal or professional reasons

• Encourage various venues for performance, including recitals, competitions, theater, church, and community and school music programs