That question is often asked by prospective students. Our teachers make it a priority to get to know you on a personal level and to become familiar with your personal musical needs and goals.

We do not treat every student the same in terms of what and how we teach.

A seven year old having their first piano lesson will have very different needs than a fifty seven year old taking up the guitar for the 2nd time after having had lessons as a child.

The main reason to choose the Academy as your music lesson provider is that we are sensitive to the fact that every student is an individual.

We teach all styles from classical to rock, pop, jazz, country, and blues.

Our teachers have received their education from prestigious institutions such as York University, Western University, Humber College, Mohawk College, and the University of Toronto. Many of our instructors have gone on performance tours of Canada and the US, and have over 25 years of professional performance and teaching experience. In addition to their teaching credentials, our teachers have warm personalities, are extremely friendly and strive to get to know each student and their parent on a personal level.

Private Piano Lessons:  Private Piano lessons for Children can start as early as age 6.  Piano is the basic foundation of music and it’s the best instrument to start on.  We have students who are learning for fun and students who participate in Royal Conservatory exams.  We start private piano lessons at any age from age 5 onward and our.  Our one-on-one private piano lessons mean that the teacher can focus all of their attention on the individual learning style of each student.  Adults can start piano lessons at any age.  Adult programs are tailored to each student.  Many adults prefer to learn pop, jazz, or gospel music in their lessons. Learn more about our piano lessons.

Piano classes for Young Beginners: Our fun and engaging piano lessons for young children are perfect for your 4 and 5 year old!  Your children will learn the fundamentals of music while at the same time learning how to play the piano. This is done with the use of games, fun songs, and music related activities. Learn more about our piano classes for young beginners.

Guitar Lessons: Our guitar methods combine the stability of traditional guitar lessons with the fun of playing  music you love.  While our programs are designed to teach you how to read music, play chords, and understand music theory we also incorporate fun songs that you really want to learn. This combined approach helps keep you motivated from your very first guitar lesson. Learn more about our guitar lessons.

Voice Lessons:  Our voice teachers primarily focus on popular music. If you have always wanted to be a better rock, pop, country, jazz, gospel or R&B singer, then we have the right voice teachers for you. Voice students spend time each week doing physical exercises to improve their vocal range, ear training, breath control, vibrato, tone production, enunciation and more. All voice students set goals with their teacher to work on sounding like their favourite recording artists, or if they prefer, to develop their own unique voice.  Learn more about our voice lessons.

Violin Lessons:  Violin students can start as young as age 5.  We offer the Royal Conservatory and Suzuki violin repertoire. We also offer Celtic fiddle lessons for age 8 through to adults.  For younger children we highly encourage a parent to sit in for the last few minutes of the lesson to help their children at home with techniques like posture and hand positioning. We supplement our private violin lessons with fun ensembles or fiddling groups that play in our recitals. Our violin teachers are university, RCM, or Suzuki trained on their instrument and many perform regularly with local orchestras or bands.  Learn more about our violin lessons.

Ukulele Lessons:  Our ukulele lessons are great for all ages.  Whether you want to play folk music, Beatles, or Jason Mraz, our professional teachers will guide you through the skills of reading music, improvisation, playing by ear, music theory, and performing.   Beginner ukulele students can expect to work on strumming chords, single note melodies, simple songs, and music theory.  All ukulele students are encouraged to bring CD’s or their iPod to the lessons to learn their favourite tunes.  Learn more about our ukulele lessons.

Drum Lessons:  Our drum instructors teach rock, metal, jazz, funk, blues and many other styles. Drum language can be complex and our instructors will challenge each drum student with technical exercises designed to improve your speed and comfort.   All drum students are encouraged to bring in their favourite drum parts to learn in the lessons.  It’s important to learn what you want to learn.   You do not have to purchase a drum kit to take drum lessons.  Beginner drum students can learn with a drum pad and sticks for only $25.00.  Students use our drum set at their lessons and do not have to bring anything except their drum sticks and a notebook.  Learn more about our drum lessons.

Adults can start any instrument at any time. Their success is based on how willing they are to commit to practicing However, starting a child at the right age is a key element to the success of their lessons. Some people will tell you “the sooner the better” but this attitude can actually be a negative. If a child is put into lessons too soon they may feel overwhelmed and frustrated. The last thing you want to do is turn a child off of music just because they had one unpleasant experience which could easily have been prevented. Sometimes if the child waits a year to start lessons their progress can be much faster. Here are our age recommendations for each instrument.  These are general age suggestions.  Every child is different and some may be ready to start a bit earlier.

• Piano Lessons: 5+
• Guitar Lessons: 7+
• Voice/Singing Lessons: 7+
• Violin Lessons: 5+
• Ukulele Lessons: 5+
• Drum Lessons: 8+
• Saxophone/Clarinet/Flute: 7+
• Preschool Music Classes: 2 – 5

Learning music is not just a matter of having a qualified teacher but also having an environment that is focused on music education. In a professional music school environment, a student cannot be distracted by TV, pets, ringing phones, siblings, or anything else. In a music school the lessons are not just a hobby for the teacher but a responsibility which is taken very seriously.

Improving in music takes practice. One of the main problems with music lessons is the drudgery of practicing and the fight for parents to have their students practice every day. Here are some ways to make practicing easier:

Schedule

Set the same time every day to practice so it becomes part of the routine. Generally, the earlier in the day the practicing can occur the less reminding is required by parents to get the child to practice.

Repetition

For a young child 20 or 30 minutes can seem like an eternity. Instead of setting an amount of time to practice use repetition instead. For example, practice this piece four times every day and this scale five times a day. Then the child does not pay as much attention to the amount of time they are practicing but to the amount of repetitions they have completed.

Rewards

Parents can encourage children to practice by granting them occasional rewards for successful practicing. Praise tends to be the best reward. At the Academy we use a unique Musical Ladder System so that students are rewarded for their progress consistently. Of course there is no substitute for a pat on the back from a parent or teacher for a job well done.

There are some excellent materials developed by professional music educators that are made for students of all ages. There are many books that can start a student at any level they are comfortable. These materials have been researched and are continually improved to make learning easier. The workbooks ensure that no important part of learning the instrument will accidentally be left out. If you ever have to move to a different part of the country then qualified instructors will recognize the materials and be able to continue from where the previous instructor left off.

Music should be something that you enjoy for a lifetime. Don’t put unrealistic expectations on yourself or your children to learn too quickly. Everyone learns at a different pace and the key is to enjoy the journey.