Lake Norman Performing Arts offers a wide variety of music lessons by professional, college educated instructors in Piano, Guitar, Voice, Brass, String, Percussion and Woodwind instruments. Private lessons are offered for all instruments, and Small Group classes are offered for piano and guitar students.
In addition, we offer classes in songwriting, recording technique, rock band, and live performance. Our Music Technology Lab and state of the art Commercial Recording Studio are unique features to our school, and an exciting, interactive way for students to learn music theory and develop skills in songwriting and recording.
Private Music Lessons
Private lessons provide each student with a wonderful opportunity to receive individualized, custom instruction from the teacher. Students receive a well-balanced program and, most importantly, enjoy the journey! Our faculty is comprised of professional, experienced, motivating teachers who have a love for teaching music.
Our trademark is our unique lesson structure, which combines the traditional lesson with the latest technology available in music education. Each lesson includes one-on-one lesson time with the instructor, plus additional time in the Music Technology Lab where students work in their own computer station on music theory, sight reading, ear training,composition and music history.
A well-rounded lesson program, one with consistent inclusion of the music fundamentals such as those studied in the Music Technology Lab, provides students with a more thorough understanding of the music they are playing, and therefore a more rewarding experience. Our program provides this insight into the building blocks of music and encourages practical skills that create successful sight readers, practicers and performers.
Group Music Lessons
We realize our adult students lead busy lives and therefore offer several music lesson length options. Our experienced instructors enjoy working with adults and customize a program that meets the goals of each student.
The interaction between students is motivating and promotes better understanding. In addition, group students have the opportunity to play in both solo and ensemble every week! The Music Technology Lab is part of each weekly class.
Adult Music Lessons
We realize our adult students lead busy lives and therefore offer several music lesson length options. Our experienced instructors enjoy working with adults and customize a program that meets the goals of each student.
Music Technology Lab
In our state-of-the-art Music Technology Lab, students use the latest computer software to learn and reinforce important music skills such as Note-Reading, Ear-Training, Rhythmic understanding, and more. Private and group lesson school-age students all use the lab. Read below to learn about the various software students will be using at the Academy, and see how this proven method of education truly compliments the way students learn today!
Alfred’s Essentials of Music
Alfred's Essentials of Music Theory CD-ROM is based on the best-selling book of the same name. This exciting new course is critically acclaimed throughout the world for its concise lesson sequence, exercises, ear training and unit reviews for complete learning comprehension. From beginning note reading to advanced theory such as figured bass, this software assists students of all ages and instruments.
Music Ace 2
Created by music educators, this software has won numerous awards from Parent’s Magazine, Children’s Software Revue, and many other leading publications. These engaging lessons emphasize music fundamentals in a self-paced interactive program. This title introduces concepts such as standard notation, rhythm, melody, time signatures, harmony, intervals and more.
Midisaurus
MiDisaurus is the award winning multimedia music learning system designed for music beginners by music educators. With over 500 entertaining activities in Volumes 1-8, MiDisaurus provides a complete basic music curriculum for children ages 4-11. An edutainment approach holds the child's interest with colorful animation, fun-filled games, songs and activities.
MiDisaurus develops real musical skills in music fundamentals, music theory, ear training and an understanding of musical form and history. Students begin with simple concepts (Loud/Soft, Same/Different); continue to basic concepts (Note & Rest Values, Notes on The Grand Staff); and then to more advanced concepts (Scales, Chords, Progressions). Creative and entertaining games make drills fun and easy.
Finale 2009
“We use Finale because it’s the best. Enough said.” – Wynton Marsalis, musician, composer, band leader, Pulitzer Prize and Grammy Award winner. Finale 2009 unleashes the composer in every student! Compose, arrange, notate, and print engraver-quality sheet music….they can do it all with Finale! Our teachers will also enjoy creating student worksheets and musical exercises through this award-winning program.
Ear Training Coach
Volumes 1-4
In a typical music lesson it is difficult if not impossible to adequately cover all of the fundamentals of music that a student needs to learn. One important skill that often gets over-looked is ear-training. This skill is crucial to the development of any musician, no matter the instrument.
Ear Training Coach Series offers our music teachers a solution for implementing a robust ear training program. Students play back musical passages by ear, read music at sight, and learn to discern pitches, intervals, scales, chords and rhythms.
Guitropolis
USA Today gave this game 4 out of 4 stars writing, "Guitropolis is the most fun, mixing lessons from the company's Alfred Basic Guitar Method instruction book with an adventure game ... a thorough beginner's education. The lessons are clear and substantive, and the game's characters keep the tone light."
Here’s a fun and educational game for our guitar students! Brought to us by leading music publisher, Alfred, this game teaches important guitar skills in a fun and interactive way! Students will learn about different types of guitars, how to hold ad tune their guitar, and the fundamentals of reading music.
Groovy Music by Sibelius
Groovy Music is a series of three exciting software programs for elementary and middle school students.
Fun to use, Groovy Music teaches the basics of sound, rhythm, pitch and composition using pictures and animation - progressing to the study of simple notation as well as major and minor scales.
Students love Groovy Music. It guides them with a simple voiceover and lets them create their own music as well as carry out directed activities, so there's plenty of room for creativity. In fact, Groovy Music is so compelling that once students start making music, they just won't want to stop!
Alfred Theory Games Levels 1-5
Alfred's Theory Games software offers exciting, full-color games that make learning music theory fun. Each game quizzes students on a different aspect of music theory, such as note names, intervals, musical, terms and rhythms. For each lesson in Alfred's Lesson Books, there is a new game to play that reinforces material learned in that lesson.
There are five games included. Carnival Fun has you knock down targets while choosing the correct interval. The Chord Name Race requires that you correctly identify the chords to cross the finish line first. Scale Drills ask you to name the notes in the select5ed scales to beat the high score.
Cross The Road lets you help a frog cross the road safely by identifying musical symbols. In the Counting Game, you complete the rhythmic examples by adding the missing values.
Songwriting
It happens in the dark shadows of a club. Or on a spotlit stage. Or behind the soundproof walls of a studio. A song unleashes its power and who knows where it’ll go? Songs fuel desire, inspire hope, break hearts, rock worlds, unite people, shake booties, turn blahs into blues, and sometimes make us feel as goood as James Brown. All in a mere few minutes.
If you dream of taking your music beyond the shower, you’ll want to do it right. In our courses, you will learn how to structure songs, create “hooks,” craft lyrics, manipulate melody, rhythm and harmony, merge words with music, and write toward genre. You will also learn how and where to market your work.
Whether you favor pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, country, music, lyrics, or both, we’ll show you how to write songs that soar.
Recording Techniques
Classes will cover such topics as:
· Sound & Acoustics
· Mixing Consoles / Signal Flow
· Microphones & Miking Techniques
· Equalization
· Digital Theory & Technology
· Compressors & Noise Gates
· Delays, Reverbs, Flanges & Chorus Effects
· Mixing / Mastering Techniques
Rock Band Classes
The rock band classes are for the intermediate-advanced students that have a general playing ability and wish to develop their band skills. In these classes, students of electric guitar, electric bass, drums, keyboards and voice are grouped together to play in a rock band. The instructors coach the students on what their parts are and what role they play in each song. The rock bands regularly perform at venues in the Lake Norman area.