Music for Aardvarks will foster your child’s musical curiosity by introducing the basics of rhythm and melody with fresh, original songs, stories, and instrument play in a structured yet spirited and highly-experiential class that’s as fun for adults as it is for little ones! Siblings can join the class for half price! Discounts will be automatically applied when you register online.

Build a solid foundation for creative expression on the cello. This fun and beautiful  instrument has been lauded for its deep, sonorous voice across genres and time, making it perfect young musicians to learn on and grow with. Together, we’ll focus on grip, posture, intonation, sound, and tone.

Learn the basics of guitar playing: proper technique, simple melodic lines, basic chords, and strumming. Play along with familiar songs in a variety of styles. No previous music background required. Introduction to guitar tablature and basic note-reading included.

Students must supply their own acoustic or electric guitar for this class. For young players, our teachers recommend nylon strings as they are softer and easier on the fingers.

Beginners with no previous experience learn the basics of playing piano and music reading skills, plus engaging group activities using supplemental rhythm instruments and movement. A piano or 61-note touch sensitive keyboard is required for at-home practice.

Ukulele is the perfect precursor to guitar study for young children but also a fun and versatile instrument in its own right. Students will learn instrument basics and simple songs to play with their classmates, culminating in a sharing of their new skills for their families.

Learn basic techniques for playing the violin, including how to hold the violin, proper position for the left hand, mastering the bow hold, simple bowing strokes, and note reading. Learn the different parts of the instrument, and how to care for your violin. Students will also learn to play some simple and fun songs right from the start. No previous music background required. Students must supply their own violin.

Let us help you make a decision about which instrument might be best for your child! Our 5-week series features the instruments that are appropriate for young children. They will have hands-on time with each instrument, which often leads to the discovery of their innate talent or preference for a musical instrument. Instruments presented include violin, cello, flute, piano, ukulele, guitar, and drums.

Have you admired your friends who could play piano? Have you “played around” on your own? Do you want to build a good foundation of technique and note reading so you can move on your own path? Then join our NEW class for teens! Unlock your potential to make music in a friendly, fun, and low-stress setting.

Use loops, drum machines, sequencers, and effects to build your groove. This class is designed to help young musicians discover the possibilities in the technology they already have at home and in their pockets, no expensive add-ons needed. By understanding essential production concepts and basic musical forms, students can immediately start making beats for themselves, their friends, and supportive communities of creators online.

This course is taught using Soundtrap, but the skills we learn are applicable in hundreds of other free and paid software systems.

Ages 16+. Bluegrass is a wide ranging genre with an open, inviting community of musicians. This monthly class focuses on the core elements of bluegrass music, common progressions, licks, and etiquette to help you get started quickly. Open to all guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and double bass players. No bluegrass experience necessary, but basic technical proficiency on your instrument is a plus.  Join our open jam after each class!

Ages 16+. Jazz improvisation is about stretching your imagination, with the confidence and chops to back it up. This class explores the fundamentals of jazz improvisation, focusing on a new song each week. We’ll break it down and build it back up, playing and improvising together at the end of each session. Open to all instrumentalists ages 16+. Join our open jam after each class!

Learn to create original music from scratch using sequencers and effects. Together, we’ll learn more about the fundamentals of music production, software, mixing, and crafting original sounds in our digital audio workstation (DAW).

Some background in music theory or songwriting is ideal. 

This course is taught using Reaper, but the skills we learn are applicable in hundreds of other free and paid software systems.

Beginners and experienced songwriters alike are welcome to join in this exploration of the essential elements of song creation. We will listen to and analyze a variety of songs, with a particular focus on current Pop, Rock and R&B songwriters, and explore the topics of musicality of language, lyric-writing, song form, building chords and chord progressions, rhythm and groove, making melodies, and writing effectively for the voice.

Students will learn piano and chords specifically for songwriting, no prior piano or musical experience required. Students are welcome to use other instruments, such as guitar, for their songwriting during the class and at home.

Ages 13+. Learn the skills you will need to have fun playing in a traditional Irish session! Teacher Laurel Martin will provide step by step instruction on how to learn tunes in the traditional way—by ear—and to give the music its Irish flavor using ornaments and bowing patterns. You’ll build a repertoire of some of the most commonly played session tunes, and Laurel will share stories that illustrate the richness of the Irish musical tradition. Come share this unique musical journey with your fellow fiddlers!

For intermediate/advanced violin students

This seminar is a series of masterclass-style sessions designed to help students refine their playing skills and musical interpretation. Students perform prepared pieces and receive feedback on performance practice and musicianship from the instructor (a rotating list of teachers from our piano faculty) and the group. The seminar will also feature discussions on improving performance skills such as memorization, preparing for recitals and competitions, and piano repertoire. Students will be encouraged to perform their seminar pieces in recital.  For students ages 10-17.

This class is open to all piano students who study piano either at Groton Hill or with other teachers outside of the school.

Whether you are just learning an instrument or you’ve been playing for years, an understanding of the basics of music theory – notes, intervals, chords, scales, rhythm, melody, and harmony – will make the process faster and easier. Strengthening your note-reading skill allows you to concentrate more on instrument technique and expressiveness. Being able to identify scales, chords, phrases, and forms help in sightreading and memorizing music. Enjoy your music more and become a better musician as you build on your musical foundation.

Have you always wanted to play the piano? Join a like-minded group of adults in this casual weekly class. You’ll learn the basics of keyboard technique and music reading, and learn to play easy songs in a fun, relaxed atmosphere.

The score, with its explicit notation, is the source for everything we need to realize our musical expression. The class will explore notation, harmony, melody, tempo, bar structure, meter and rhythm to establish how composers and performers intersect to arrive at phrasing and expression in making music. This class is geared toward the student who wants a deeper dive into the decision making process when working through a score.

Spread out over 7 sessions, this lecture series takes students on a historical journey through the inception and evolution of jazz music. Emerson College professor Dylan Jack will help students discover who was shaping the sounds of jazz in their favorite decades, how place factors into sound, and more!

Classes are held Wednesdays from 2:30 – 3:30.
Each session is four weeks long. 
Sign up for one, sign up for all! Every session is designed to be a freestanding class you can learn from and enjoy.

Ages 16+. Bluegrass is a wide ranging genre with an open, inviting community of musicians. This monthly class focuses on the core elements of bluegrass music, common progressions, licks, and etiquette to help you get started quickly. Open to all guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, and double bass players. No bluegrass experience necessary, but basic technical proficiency on your instrument is a plus.  Join our open jam after each class!

Jazz improvisation is about stretching your imagination, with the confidence and chops to back it up. This class explores the fundamentals of jazz improvisation, focusing on a new song each week. We’ll break it down and build it back up, playing and improvising together at the end of each session. Open to all instrumentalists ages 16+. Join our open jam after each class!

Learning jazz style can seem an intimidating thing, but once you understand the basics you’ll open up a whole new world of expression and enjoyment! Building on the basics of music theory we’ll explore jazz chord structure, voicing, and progressions, plus jazz scales, and scale-chord relationships. Using actual jazz charts you’ll see typical harmonizations with chords, and can begin to apply them to your own instrument, and explore the fascinating practice of improvisation.

Beginners and experienced songwriters alike are welcome to join in this exploration of the essential elements of song creation. Our goal is to lay a solid foundation of storytelling craft and musical skill. We will analyze song structure across various styles and decades, and explore the topics of musicality of language, lyric-writing, song form, building chords and chord progressions, rhythm and groove, making melodies, and writing effectively for the voice. Each class will culminate in an assignment that will vary (in terms of difficulty) based on your level of experience. There will be multiple opportunities to share work with the group for evaluation and to collaborate with others.

Students will learn piano and chords specifically for songwriting, no prior piano or musical experience required.  Students are welcome to use other instruments, such as guitar, for their songwriting during the class and at home.

Ages 13+. Learn the skills you will need to have fun playing in a traditional Irish session! Teacher Laurel Martin will provide step by step instruction on how to learn tunes in the traditional way—by ear—and to give the music its Irish flavor using ornaments and bowing patterns. You’ll build a repertoire of some of the most commonly played session tunes, and Laurel will share stories that illustrate the richness of the Irish musical tradition. Come share this unique musical journey with your fellow fiddlers!

For intermediate/advanced violin students

Join our Jazz and Percussion Department Chair and professional drummer Dave Fox for relaxed discussion and analysis of some of the most consequential and enjoyable recordings in the history of jazz. Open to music lovers of all experience levels!

This monthly workshop is open to any intermediate to advanced adult pianists who would like to play something they’ve been practicing for a group of enthusiastic, supportive adults, and receive feedback if they choose.

Have you always wanted to learn to read music? Do you wish you understood the basic building blocks of music? Do you want to increase your playing ability and the ease in which you learn and perform music? Our introductory Music Theory course will guide you through all the basic elements – notes, pitches, intervals, scales, rhythm, melody, harmony, chords, and more. In-class exercises and at-home assignments will reinforce the lessons learned each week.

Have you always sung around the house, but never found the time or courage to do more? Are you an experienced singer who wants to tune-up your vocal technique? Experience the fun of singing together as we learn how the voice works, how to keep it strong and beautiful, and how to build skills for choral or solo singing.