The Community Music School offers instruction to all interested individuals of all ages and levels. Private lessons are offered on a weekly basis during the 17-week fall semester, 17-week spring semester, and ten-week summer semester. Lesson durations are 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Private lesson tuition includes weekly lessons, occasional group lessons, school-wide recitals, occasional guest master classes, and a discount on many CMS programs and classes.

If you wish to request information on private lessons please inquire HERE.

Buddy Lessons
Buddy Lessons are ideal for busy students who struggle to fit a lesson into their schedule each week, and are a great way to make music lessons more affordable for families. Buddy Lessons are also a wonderful for new students to explore an instrument. The two options for buddy lessons are listed below. If you have any questions, please stop by the office and ask Katie!

Buddy Lesson Options:

2 students same teacher, same time ($440 total, $220 per student)

2 students signed up for eight individual lessons each ($220 per student, each student will have 8 lessons - lessons will alternate bi-weekly between students)

Piano
Piano instruction at the Community Music School encompasses a variety of approaches and activities. The program accepts beginners through advanced students. Beginning students under the age of 6 are required to be enrolled for one semester in the Early Childhood Music Program or receive an instrumental readiness assessment before beginning piano lessons.

In addition to private lessons, piano students are eligible to participate in piano area and school-wide play-ins, master classes, and student recitals.

Strings
The Community Music School offers string instruction featuring both the "traditional" method of instruction and the Suzuki method.

In addition to private lessons, string students are eligible to participate in string area and school-wide play-ins, master classes, and student recitals.

Woodwinds and Brass
Private instruction on wind and brass instruments generally begins when a student's physical development enables the student to play the instrument. In addition to private lessons, wind and brass students are eligible to participate in wind and brass area and school-wide play-ins, master classes, and student recitals.

Percussion
Instruction includes training in all areas of percussion:

• snare drum
• keyboard percussion
• timpani
• drum set

Lessons are available for beginning through advanced students. Emphasis is placed on development of strong musical skills, including reading and mastery of various instruments' technical requirements. The repertory studied may vary depending on students' goals. In addition to private lessons, percussion students are eligible to participate in school-wide play-ins, master classes, and student recitals.

Jazz
Intended for students of any age, jazz instruction is available in brass, woodwinds, strings, percussion, piano, voice, Latin percussion, composition, and arranging. Jazz instruction includes: styles and interpretation, transcription, and repertoire. Previous music theory instruction is helpful but not required. Students' activities are designed for, and progress is based on, individual level and need.

Guitar
The development of strong musical skills is the basis for guitar instruction at the Community Music School. Emphasis is placed on the technical requirements of the instrument and the development of the student's personal strengths. Though students may study any works from classical, to jazz, to rock, the main focus is to develop strong musical skills. In addition to private lessons, guitar students are eligible to participate in school-wide play-ins, master classes, and student recitals.

Voice
Private instruction begins when the student's voice is mature enough to benefit from instruction outside of group singing, generally around the Freshman year of high school. Younger students should request a special consultation with a voice faculty member before enrolling for voice lessons. In addition to private lessons, voice students are eligible to participate in voice area workshops, master classes, and student recitals.

Carillon
Instruction on carillon is available on a limited basis by audition only.

Composition and Theory
Occasionally, some students may desire to study music theory, composition, or other aspects of music with a private teacher. Arrangements can be made for private or group theory/composition lessons based on the private lesson tuition schedule.

Suzuki Program

The Suzuki Program, or "mother tongue" method of instruction, is now a well-established pedagogical method. The method was developed in postwar Japan by Shinichi Suzuki, a Western-trained professional violinist, who wished to give musical instruction to the children of his war-torn country. The premise of the Suzuki method is that learning is the product of environment, and that any skill can be learned when broken into small, manageable steps. Suzuki's approach was to teach music in the same way children learn to speak their mother language.

Children study and perform common repertoire comprising folk songs, baroque dances, and standard works. Students listen daily to recordings of these works while learning the skills necessary to perform on their instruments.

Because children begin Suzuki instruction at a relatively young age (4-6 years of age) a parent must actively participate in the instructional process. In addition to weekly private lessons, students attend a weekly group class, as well as "play-ins," solo recitals, and workshops. Parents attend each activity, take detailed notes, and are responsible for supervising at-home preparation and practice. Students in the Suzuki String Program are also encouraged to enroll in Early Childhood Music or Young Musicians classes for reduced tuition of $10.

Suzuki groups often have opportunities to perform together; over the years they have performed for numerous occasions, including the East Lansing Arts Festival and at University functions. They have also appeared with the Greater Lansing Symphony Orchestra.
The Suzuki Program offers instruction in:

• violin
• viola
• cello
• piano

Lessons are offered on a weekly basis during the fall and spring semesters and 6-week summer semester. Lesson durations are 30, 45, and 60 minutes.

Group lessons occur on a weekly basis every Thursday afternoon between 5:00 and 7:00 p.m. All groups, including Spartan Strings (a group of advanced Suzuki students), meet during this designated group time.

New Suzuki students are accepted only at the beginning of fall and spring semesters. All new students age four and younger must complete one semester in the Early Childhood Music Program before enrolling for Suzuki instrumental instruction.