Adults
Lessons for grown-upsAll five instruments open
You are not too old, and you have not missed it. Adults are a large part of this studio, and most of them started from nothing.
We are not going to tell you it will be quick. Learning an instrument as an adult is a slow, specific pleasure — some of it harder than it would have been at nine, some of it a great deal easier. What we will do is teach you one-on-one, at the pace your actual week allows, with nobody else in the room.
The three things we hear most
“I’ll be embarrassed”
Nobody is in the room. It is one teacher, on a screen, who has watched hundreds of people be bad at this and finds it completely unremarkable. There is no recital you have to play, no group class, and nobody else hears you.
“I don’t have time”
Most adult students practise fifteen or twenty minutes a day, and some weeks not at all. We plan around that honestly rather than setting you up to feel guilty. A week you did not practise is information, not a failure.
“I had a terrible teacher as a kid”
This is more common than almost anything else people tell us, and it is usually why they waited thirty years. Tell us about it in the first lesson — it genuinely changes how we teach you.
Pick your instrument
Each instrument has its own teacher, and each of them takes adult beginners. If you are torn between two, say so — the free first lesson is a perfectly good way to find out.
Violin
The most written-for instrument there is, and the one with the steepest first month. Worth knowing that before you start, not after.
Read more →Bryan BrashViola
Darker and lower than the violin, and violists are perpetually in demand — if you ever want to play with other people, this is the shortest route.
Read more →Ahren HaedrichGuitar
The fastest instrument to a song you recognise, which for an adult with limited patience for exercises matters more than it sounds.
Read more →Melanie ScholtzVoice
You already own it, and nothing needs renting or shipping. Adults who think they cannot sing are usually adults who were told so once.
Read more →Joe FalconerCello
Physically the kindest of the strings to an adult body — you sit down, and the instrument holds itself.
Read more →What lessons are actually like
Every lesson is live, private and one-on-one over Google Meet — thirty, forty-five or sixty minutes, whichever suits what you are working on. You get written practice notes afterwards, and you can reach your teacher between lessons by phone, text or email.
There is no group class you have to join, no recital you have to play, and no term you have to commit to. Lessons are $45 for 30 minutes, $65 for 45 minutes, and $85 for 60 minutes, and the first 30-minute lesson is free with no obligation on either side.
The studio does run optional Practice Labs for adults who want company while they work. They are entirely optional and nothing about your lessons depends on them.
Tell us where you are starting from
There is no wrong answer here, including “I have no idea”. We read every note ourselves and reply within 24 hours.
Questions adults ask
Am I too old to learn an instrument?
No. Adults learn differently from children rather than worse — you understand structure faster, you can tell when something sounds wrong, and you chose to be here, which a seven-year-old usually did not. What adults lose is unhurried time, not capacity.
I have no musical talent. Can I still learn?
Yes. Almost everything people call talent is accumulated practice that happened somewhere you could not see it. Playing an instrument is a physical skill built by repetition, and repetition is available to anyone who turns up.
How much practice do I actually need?
Fifteen to twenty minutes on most days does more than two hours once a week. Lessons are built around the practice time you really have, not the practice time you wish you had.
Do online lessons work for adults?
Yes, and often better than in person — there is no commute to resent, which is the reason most adult students quit. Lessons are live and one-on-one over Google Meet, so your teacher watches and responds in real time.
What if I played as a child and stopped?
Returning players are a large part of the studio. Old muscle memory helps more than it hurts, and the technical habits you picked up at nine can be unpicked — we start by finding out what is actually still there.
How much do adult music lessons cost?
Lessons are $45 for 30 minutes, $65 for 45 minutes, and $85 for 60 minutes. Your first 30-minute trial lesson is free, with no obligation to continue.