Private Music Lessons

At Woodlawn Arts Academy, we strive to offer quality music education and to build self-confidence, and a lifelong respect and appreciation of music. Our vision is to provide the foundation to make it possible for all students to attain their personal goals.

The Academy has four music studios, a piano lab and a rock band studio. We offer lessons for a variety of instruments for age 4 to adult. The instructor is the best judge of a student’s ability. Our highly qualified staff strives to make sure that all of our lessons are educational, professional and, most of all, fun!

How to Register

Registration is held in late July or early August for returning students, and in early August for students new to Woodlawn Arts Academy private music lessons. Second-, third-, fourth- and summer-session registration information will be available early to those students registered in the previous session. Registration notices will be sent via email. Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date so you receive the notices in a timely manner. These registrations can be done at the Woodlawn Arts Academy main office or by calling (815) 626-4278. See the Calendar for due dates. Students who have not completed registrations by these dates could lose their time slot. New students may register for lessons in open time slots after the published dates. No participants may change time slots until after the registration due date.

We are given exact days and times of availability from instructors. If the instructor’s schedule changes, we will do our best to accommodate you so that you can select the best time slot for you and your family. If there is not a time slot that works, a pro-rated refund or credit will be issued at the discretion of the administrative staff. If the student’s schedule changes and you are unable to continue any lessons at any time, please notify the office immediately. We will do our best to find you an appropriate time slot; if none is available, a pro-rated refund or credit will be issued at the discretion of the administrative staff.

Placement

Each student is placed with an instructor that suits his or her instrument of choice, level of expertise, and schedule. As students progress, the instructor will communicate with the student and/or parents regarding any adjustments that should be made to the student’s music education.

Summer Lessons

Summer music lessons are offered as an introduction to or as a continuation of our regular music program. During the summer session, the focus is to continue development of technique or try new instruments. Students who take summer music lessons may progress faster than students who take the summer off.

Instructors & Instruments

Our instructors teach students of various levels & ages. We classify those levels as Beginner (1), Intermediate (2), Advanced (3) & Collegiate (4).

Nadine Appel (P)

Piano (1,2,3,4)
Minimum age=6

Erin Hartman (A)

Piano (1,2)
Minimum age=6

Mardi Huffstutler (S)

Voice (1,2,3,4)
Flute (1,2)
Minimum age=11

Maddie Jacobs (A)

Guitar (1,2,3)
Minimum age=6

Ramiro Martinez (S)

Percussion (1,2,3,4)
Minimum age=9
No virtual lessons

Nicole Oberg (S)

Baritone, Clarinet, Flute, French Horn, Saxophone, Trombone, Trumpet, Tuba (1,2,3,4)
Minimum age=9

Sr. Philomene Reiland (S)

Organ, Piano (1,2,3,4)
Minimum age=6
No virtual lessons

If an instrument for which you would like lessons is not listed, please inquire with the office. For instructor biographies, please visit our Contact page.

Tuition

Fees vary according to instructor education & experience. Those instructors at the APPRENTICE (A) level are those with an associate’s degree or a few years of teaching experience; lessons with an apprentice instructor are $104 per 8-week session. Those instructors at the PROFESSIONAL (P) level have a bachelor’s degree or five-plus years of teaching experience; lessons with a professional instructor are $124 per 8-week session. Those instructors at the SPECIALIST (S) level have a master’s degree or 10-plus years of teaching experience. Lessons with a specialist instructor are $144-$148 per 8-week session. Students must pay for the entire session in advance, & time slots are not held without full payment.

There is a $10 per student one-time-per-school-year, non-refundable registration fee (no more than $30 or 3 fees per family). This fee will help Woodlawn Arts Academy cover the cost of rehearsals, recitals, accompaniment and incidental expenses as needed.

Payment Plan Options

Woodlawn Arts Academy offers three payment options for school-year programs.

Monthly option:* Register for all private lessons for the full school year and have your payment automatically withdrawn from your account monthly on the date of your choice. A checking or savings account, or debit or credit card, may be used for this option. When using a checking or savings account, please be prepared to provide your bank’s routing number as well as your account number.
School-year option:* Register for all private lessons for the full school year and make full payment at the start of the school year. When using this option, a 5% discount on your total bill will be given. Check, cash or debit/credit cards are accepted.
Per-session option: Students may also register prior to each 8-week session. Full payment for each session is due the Friday prior to the date registration opens to new students. See the Calendar for due dates.

*Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19, we are not accepting monthly payment plans or full-year registration at this time. Registration will be by session only, and registration is not complete until full payment is made or financial assistance funding is in place.

Times & Sessions

All private instruction is done in half-hour lessons, once per week, in eight-week sessions, with five sessions per calendar year. See our Calendar for registration dates and the Session Schedule. Instructors will not make up lessons that students have missed, & will only offer make-up lessons in the event the instructor misses a lesson or the Academy was closed on the normal lesson day.

Supplies

Students are required to supply their own instrument, and will be asked to purchase lesson books, sheet music and/or other materials, which vary by instructor, in addition to the private lesson tuition. Books generally may be purchased at Woodlawn Arts Academy. Students are expected to bring their music and instrument (in most cases) to the lesson with them. While each instrument is different, all require at-home practice between lessons. Please check with your instructor for practice recommendations specific to your instrument and student. If you have questions regarding purchasing or renting an instrument, or having an instrument repaired, call the Academy office at (815) 626-4278 to contact your instructor for recommendations.

Performances

At Woodlawn Arts Academy, we feel that performance is a key part of the learning process. All students are expected (though not required) to perform in the winter and spring music recitals. The winter music recitals are held in January at the end of the second session and in May near the end of the fourth session. Both are typically performed off-site due to the large number of participants. Spring recital dates and locations may vary by instructor. See the Calendar for exact dates. If the student will not be in the recital, inform the instructor so that the programs can be planned accordingly.

If a student has participated in lessons at Woodlawn Arts Academy for at least two consecutive years leading into his/her senior year in high school, he/she may be invited to perform a senior recital. All senior recital content must be approved by the instructor.

Besides the winter and spring recitals, other performance opportunities will be announced throughout the year. Students are encouraged to perform often.

Recital Attire

Appropriate recital attire is required for all performances. Girls/women should wear a dress or a skirt/dress pants, dress shirt and dress shoes. Boys/men should wear a dress shirt, dress pants, dark socks and dress shoes. Jeans, cargo pants, T-shirts, tennis shoes, etc. are not appropriate performance attire.

Recital Rehearsals

Mandatory rehearsals are typically scheduled the evening before the recital. During rehearsals, students practice where to sit, how to go on and off stage, and review manners and behavior for the recital. This is NOT an opportunity to practice their songs; that should be done at home! Parents and family members are asked to wait in the lounge or outside the performance area during the rehearsal.

Audience Etiquette

Family and friends are encouraged to attend! Admission to musical recitals is minimal. During the recital, we ask all audience members to follow appropriate etiquette. Cell phones should be turned off. Audience members should remain seated during performances and only move between performances. Applause at the appropriate time is encouraged, but we discourage talking during a performance. It is expected that audience members and students stay for the duration of the recital. Photography and videotaping are allowed during the recitals, but please refrain from using flash photography as it distracts the students.

Recital Planning

Please turn in any conflicts you have as soon as possible. Rehearsal dates and times can be accommodated for you if you let us know your conflicts in advance. If you know ahead of time that you cannot make a performance, let your instructor know well in advance, as music is chosen as early as three months before the recital. In case of emergency absence for a weekday rehearsal or performance, call the office at (815) 626-4278 as soon as possible. In an emergency for Saturday rehearsals or performances, please contact your instructor directly if possible. Photography and videotaping are allowed during the recitals, but please refrain from using flash photography as it distracts the students.