Nothing is more practical than finding your bliss and living a life that is healthy, happy, and inspiring. Many people find happiness in life-giving activities like academics, sports, and dance. At the same time, these opportunities come with their own sets of pressures and competition. Learning music and, if desired, connecting it to your faith is so much more than that. Lessons, when offered in a nurturing and caring environment like Adscensio Music, help you grow in self-confidence and resilience. Even more, you get the chance to experience fun and holistic achievement outside of a competitive environment, with the freedom to express your truest self to the fullest and hone transferable music skills essential to any musician. 

 

We offer the following lessons: 

*All lessons are taught virtually through live conferencing software

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• Family Lessons

  • This is an ensemble lesson - the whole family plays a common song together on different instruments. For example, parents might sing, their son might play violin, and their daughter might play piano or drums. Skill goals include: working together as a music unit, learning how to self-identify places in the song to improve, and developing personal playing skills. These lessons focus less on technical aspects of playing the instrument (that's mainly for private/single instrument group instruction), but rather on how all the parts fit together to make an awesome sound as a family.

• Piano

  • Skill goals include: leading and playing with other people at the keyboard, including how to play off of lead sheets and make musical adjustments on the fly (younger students and those brand new to instrument would start with piano basics first).

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• Voice

  • Skill goals include: technique for being an outstanding cantor in a sacred environment; cultivating your healthy and beautiful singing voice.

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• Cajón (beginning level)​

  • Skill goals include: playing with rhythmic excellence, achieving fluency with basic hand patterns, improvising beats, and using all parts of the cajón effectively​.

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• Improvisation – any instrument (Cello? Flute? Oboe? Violin? Trumpet? Something else? Great!) 

  • Skill goals include: how to create new musical ideas and solos on the spot when playing your favorite songs with other musicians or by yourself.

  • These lessons do not focus on technical aspects of playing the instrument, but rather how to make your instrumental lines shine with the rest of the song. 

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• Liturgical composition

  • Focus on skills for writing songs that can be used in a sacred setting, which includes music theory topics such as harmony, arrangement, chord progressions, and more.

  • Create actual pieces of music that can be used in a sacred environment, starting from shorter samples to full songs to build up your portfolio.

  • Make pieces publisher ready, with possibility of publishing them through Adscensio Music’s sacred music publishing house. 

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• Conducting Leadership 

  • Focus on skills for bringing the whole ensemble together and directing them in rehearsal and sacred services, which includes directing ensembles, musicianship training, sight singing to help choirs learn their voice parts, and analyzing/preparing music for rehearsal.

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Tuition, Rates, and Practice Philosophy

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Rates – Please contact Chris at christopher@adscensio.org or (408) 475-5593‬ (call or text) for current tuition rates. Payments for lessons are made monthly, by the 10th of every month.  After the 10th there is a $20.00 late fee applied to all payments (one late fee per payment cycle). Electronic payment is accepted. 

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Withdrawal Policy: Lessons are continuous, including in summers, except for scheduled breaks as indicated in the Lesson Agreement Form. If you wish to discontinue music lessons, 30 days notice is always required. 

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You can choose between 30 minute, 45 minute, and 60 minute lessons in a private or group (2-4 people) format. 

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Though there isn’t an exact formula for deciding lesson times, consider the following general guidelines: 

If you are a younger learner, (5 years old through 8th grade) consider starting with a 30 minute lesson to maximize focus time. If you still feel energized, focused, and ready for more instruction after 30 minutes, we can extend your lesson time. 

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If you are an older learner (high school through adult) who likes learning in larger time portions, or consider yourself an advanced musician, consider starting with 45 – 60 minute lessons. If it turns out these lessons are too long, we can shorten your lesson time. 

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*If you are interested in composing, we strongly recommend starting with 45 minute lessons, as the interactive and iterative nature of composition usually benefits from more time. 

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Private Lessons are great for: 

• Learning how to play an instrument for the first time. You get more personalized attention in private lessons, which can help you move faster 

• Developing your musicianship and technique. You get dedicated attention in making sure your posture and approach are the best they can be. 

• Grow in your independence for interpreting songs. You get more chances to be in charge of making decisions for how to approach a song from an emotional standpoint. 

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Group Lessons are great for: 

• Practice playing music in a social environment, which is important for playing in real world ensembles in churches, community choirs, and bands 

• Hold yourself accountable to your friends, which can inspire you to practice during the week 

• More ebb and flow between direct attention and general group instruction – if you’re nervous about being a private lesson format, this could feel like a lower pressure environment 

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Lesson and Practice Philosophy

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• Be on time for your lesson. Due to scheduling realities, we can't go over your time slot if you are late. 

• Make music practice a daily way of life. Your instructor will work out a practice plan with you. The more you stick to your practice plan, the faster you will reach your goals! 

• You must have an instrument available for practice. If you need to purchase an instrument, we are happy to help you with that process and make recommendations based on your budget. 

• Remember to bring your sheet music/other materials with you to your lesson. Instructors will help you with where to find repertoire for you to purchase. 

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