Music Lessons & Classes
Private Music Lessons & Classes
01.
Piano
02.
Voice
Beginner through advanced.
Ages 10 and up*
Private lessons and group classes
03.
More instruments
Beginner through advanced.
Ages 9 and up*
Private lessons and group classes
Comprehensive Learning Approach (C.L.A ™)
We created the CML approach 25 years ago when Paula Penna, our director and founder, met with faculty to construct the BEST way to learn music. Most music teachers teach just songs, or just technique, leaving the student dependent on that teacher for learning new material.
We want to empower every student to be independent learners, and the only way to achieve musical independence is to learn it comprehensively.
CML approach provides every student with all of the following, plus whatever the teacher feels is appropriate for the individual student:
- Technique
- Theory
- History
- Composition
- Repertoire of varying styles and genre
- Identifying musical patterns
- Master Classes
- Parent Workshops
- Recitals – plenty of them!
We provide every student with the “MusicMakers Book of Music Making” lesson organizer and communication device. In this lesson assignment book, there is a page for every lesson in the semester. Each page is filled out in each lesson, with all of the assignments, practice notes, and a daily practice record. This also includes a calendar, goal sheets, and blank music paper. And, parents love this because it keeps them in the loop, which keeps them STRESS FREE!
We also have an online portal for schedules, billing, reports, courses, and lesson assignments!
Put all of this together, and it is a recipe to make beautiful music together !
Friendly, Experienced & Professional
Information About Our Lessons and Classes
PIANO
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Piano is the best starter instrument for any age. Once you learn piano, you can easily pick up any other instrument. When you learn piano, you can easily learn music theory and how to read music because the piano keys mimic the musical staff.
We offer lessons starting at age 4 with Music for Little Mozarts. Traditional methods start at 5 or 6. Adult beginners use methods made specifically for adults.
Professionals come to us all the time to hone their skills, get a second set of ears, prepare for a college (or any) audition, or to learn a new style.
- Lessons in person
- Lessons online
- Flexible schedules
- 30, 45, or 60 minute lessons
- Master Classes Included in tuition
- Recitals included in tuition.
Voice
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
Our voice program is very comprehensive. Typically students start about a year after the onset of puberty; however, we do accept younger students (consult recommended first). Our voice lessons consist of learning diaphragmatic breathing, warmups, repertoire, stage presence, etc.
We are attached to Massiphonic Studios, a state of the art recording studio equipped with a producer, and the ability to record music videos, which are very useful for college auditions.
We offer coaching lessons for adult professional singers, usually classical soloists, background singers, or lead singers in regional bands.
- Lessons in person
- Lessons online
- Flexible schedules
- 30, 45, 60, and 120 minute lessons
- Master classes and recitals included
- College and other voice audition prep
Piano & Voice Combined
Beginners ages 5-11 only
If your younger child wants to learn both voice and piano, but you want to save a bit of money, this is the program for you. It is not just a tuition saver, but this combination lesson is pedagogically sound, too, because all younger singers should be learning piano. It is very hard to learn to read music by voice alone; this requires hands on an instrument.
This is a 45 minute lesson where 30 minutes is piano and 15 minutes of voice. However, it is so flexible, that some weeks your child might need more voice, and less piano – and that is ok! We go where the child needs us to go.
Students in this program can still take place in all of the piano goodies such as master classes and virtual ensembles, as well as all of the voice goodies that the “big kids” get like the special voice master classes, and they can also sing in the recitals and virtual ensembles!
- 45 minute lessons
- Weekly lessons required for progress
- Lessons in person
- Lessons online
- Master classes included
- Recitals included
More Instruments
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
During the pandemic we have not been offering lessons on other instruments, but we will return to this as soon as possible. We traditionally offer lessons in guitar, violin, viola, cello, harp, flute, clarinet, ukulele, and drums.
Here are pointers on appropriate ages for instruments: piano, guitar, ukulele and violin can be started as young as 4 or 5. Woodwinds (saxophone, clarinet, flute) are better started after age 9. Drums are best started after age 6. Harp is similar to piano, in that it can start around age 5 with a lever harp. Keep in mind that string instruments (guitar, violin, viola, cello, etc) must be sized to the child, which is best done at a reputable shop.
If you need a referral to a really good teacher of one of the instruments we are not currently offered, just give us a call – see the bottom of the page for contact info.
- Lessons in person
- Lessons online
- 30, 45, 60 minute lessons
- Flexible schedules
- Students must have their own instrument
- Master classes and recitals included
Online Lessons
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
We have been teaching online since 2011! When the pandemic hit, we knew exactly what to do, and we have perfected the art of teaching online since then. No worries – we have you covered. With our online lessons, we are using multiple cameras on our end, and we have the best and latest computer and music equipment so that our teachers can see and hear you best.
We also have put together guides for our students so that you know exactly how to set up your online experience for the best possible lesson experience.
We have started many young students as young as 5 years old with online lessons, and our students come from all over the USA in all four time zones! Our recitals see students and families from all over the world on Zoom which is super fun, and a beautiful benefit for online lessons.
We recommend a computer or iPad, but a phone can work, too!
We have put on some excellent recitals on Zoom. Master Classes, Parent Workshops have also adapted quite nicely to online!
And we have perfected the art of the Virtual Ensemble – our students video record their parts, and send them back to us where we outsource the sound to Massiphonic studios (who shares our building!), and eSemble Editors who take care of the video production. If you didn’t catch our virtual ensemble video on our homepage for MusicMakers, go back and watch it! Click Here!
Classes
Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced
During the pandemic we have not been offering in person classes. However, we are offering many online classes, and they have been going great! Since we have become EXPERTS at teaching online since 2011, this is not a new concept for us at all!
Our youngest students enjoy our Mini-MusicMakers At Home program. This is a birth-5 family style music and movement class. We offer this to groups of parents, as well as to organizations such as daycares, nursery schools, preschools, and kindergarten classes around the country.
Elementary Music Adventures is a fantastic program where students from all over the country meet on zoom with our instructor, and we literally explore music, musicians, composers, instruments, the science of sound, music history, songwriting, and so much more!
Adult piano is a newer program with a ton of interest! Even online, this group piano class is so much fun, and adults tell us it is less intimidating than being in person!
Please see our PROGRAMS page for even more classes, and more information on the above.
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- paulaJpenna@gmail.com
- 860-707-0107
- 143 Adams Street Manchester, CT 06042
