5:30 pm – 9 pm
Piano and reading music
Jerald Sheridan · Room 1
OpenRegister
Adult music lessons in Jenks
Lessons for adults who think it is too late
Downbeat is a small music studio with four teachers. Lessons run on weekday evenings and on weekends, and every first lesson starts wherever you are.
- Evenings and weekends
- Lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes
- Every level
The first lesson
What an adult's first lesson is like
A first lesson is a conversation and a first sound. Nothing is graded, and nobody is listening from the hall.
- 01
Step 1: You talk first
Your teacher asks what you have tried before, what you would like to play and how much time a week you have. Say so if you are nervous. Most adults are.
- 02
Step 2: You hold the instrument
The instrument is ready in the room, so you need not own one yet. Your teacher shows you how to sit, how to hold it and how to breathe.
- 03
Step 3: You play something small
A few notes, a chord or one line of a tune you know. Your teacher plays it, then you do, and you repeat it until it feels like yours.
- 04
Step 4: You leave with a plan
A short practice for the week, written down, and a regular lesson time chosen with you. Five or ten minutes a day is a fine start.
The week
Evenings and weekends, teacher by teacher
Each block is when a teacher is in the studio. Your lesson is a weekly time inside it, for 30, 45 or 60 minutes.
Fall term
Showing 14 of 14
MondayMon
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Voice lessons
Isidora Casares · Room 2
OpenRegister
ThursdayThu
5:30 pm – 9 pm
Guitar, bass and ukulele lessons
Guitar and bass · Paulette Stegall · Room 3
OpenRegister5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
Violin and cello lessons
Mukul Chatterjee · Room 4
Full
SundaySun
1 pm – 2:30 pm
Ukulele circle, up to 8 students
Paulette Stegall · Front room
2:30 pm – 5 pm
Open practice rooms for students
Rooms 1 to 4
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
Times change a little each term. Ask at your placement visit about the hours that suit you.
By instrument
Lessons by instrument
Every lesson is 30, 45 or 60 minutes. Your teacher helps you choose the length, and every student moves at their own pace.
Piano and keyboard
Read music from the first lesson or play by ear, whichever you like. A piano or a weighted keyboard at home helps; ask your teacher before you buy.
Lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Jerald Sheridan and Isidora Casares
Guitar, bass and ukulele
Chords come first, with a teacher who keeps the first weeks gentle on your fingers. We have instruments in the room, so you need not own one yet.
Lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Paulette Stegall
Violin and cello
The bow takes patience, and your teacher will say so. Ask before you rent or buy; renting is an extra.
Lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Mukul Chatterjee
Voice
Breath, posture and a comfortable range, with a piano beside you. Drink water, rest your voice, and sing only in front of others when you decide to.
Lessons of 30, 45 or 60 minutes
Isidora Casares
Our teachers
Four teachers, and the evenings each one teaches
Each teacher's instruments and days are beside their name.
Jerald Sheridan
Owner · Piano, music reading · Mon, Wed, Sat
Paulette Stegall
Guitar, bass, ukulele · Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun
Mukul Chatterjee
Violin, cello · Tue, Thu, Sat
Isidora Casares
Voice, piano · Mon, Wed, Sat
The year
Informal evenings and term starts
Playing for others is always a choice. Come to listen first if you like.
This school year
Early September
First dayFall term begins
Weekly lessons begin for returning and new students.
October
EventInformal evening
Play what you are working on, or only listen. Everyone here started late, and nobody is graded.
Late November
ClosedClosed for Thanksgiving week
No lessons and the practice rooms are shut.
December
EventWinter evening
Students and teachers play for each other in the front room, with tea and a quiet crowd.
Early January
First daySpring term begins
A new term and a good month to begin lessons.
March
EventInformal evening
Another open evening for anyone who wants to try playing for a room.
May
RecitalSpring showcase
An optional evening for students who want to play a piece. Guests are welcome to listen.
June
First daySummer term
Lessons continue through the summer at the same evening and weekend times.
Sample dates.
In their words
Adults who started late
“I told my daughter I was too old for lessons. My teacher asked what I liked to listen to, and we began there. Nobody hurried me.”
Velma T.Adult student, piano
“The first lesson was a conversation and one chord. I left with a short practice written on a card and no sense that I was behind.”
Wayland D.Adult student, guitar
“I wanted something that was mine, in the evening, with grown-ups. The teachers treat questions as normal, and so do the other students.”
Chip M.Adult student, ukulele
Sample reviews.
Come in and meet a teacher
A placement visit is a short talk and a first sound with a teacher. Bring nothing. Choose a time below, or call and we will find one.