Mentorship for your music journey.
PEDAGOGY
We combine a hybrid teaching approach, drawing on the Suzuki method, Moeller technique, Zen Guitar, The Story Workshop method, and our extensive backgrounds in improvisation and music theory to create a unique pathway for each student. We teach in-person and remote lessons out of our studio in East Nashville.
PHILOSOPHY
Anyone can make art. We all have the gift of creativity, and the more we learn to access and use that gift, the stronger it grows.
Cultivating a love of music is the best way to ensure faster growth and long-term success. A student who is in love with listening to, making, and learning music will be self-motivated. Overly formalized and rigid systems, such as a workbook curriculum, may impede the development of creativity and taste. We aim instead to give musicians clear and actionable practice strategies as they expand their musical diet, cultivate their taste, and become lifelong music-lovers.
We take artmaking and creativity very seriously, and that includes a joyful sense of play and exploration. Joyful, explorative play is in many ways countercultural, and often needs to be rediscovered and fostered.
Good technique is an essential foundation for healthy and sustainable musicianship. We know firsthand how much physical damage can be done to delicate muscles and tendons without a proper foundation. A good teacher can save years of untraining bad habits or even injuries.
Artists need each other. As artists who have benefited greatly from mentors and teachers, we know how important it is to learn from more experienced musicians.
LEARN WITH US
As teaching artists, we help students of all ages connect with the life-long joy of music-making. Our studio is for you if you have never touched a musical instrument and are wondering if it's too late; if you had negative experiences with music lessons as a child and are seeking a fresh paradigm for music-making; if you once sang or played and now regret quitting; or if you are plateauing in your current relationship with music and are ready for a fresh approach.
Our Instructors
Berit Goetz
Berit Goetz is a classically trained, Nashville-based musician and songwriter passionate about developing emerging artists. She holds degrees from Brown University (B.A. Music, honors) and Yale University (M.A.R. Music and Religion) and has performed and toured with a variety of choral ensembles as well as her artist project, Little Systems. Berit’s unique approach emphasizes musicianship over rote music learning. Musicians in Berit's piano and vocal studios can expect to gain a strong technical foundation that will support exploration and creativity, as well as the literacy and tools to interpret diverse repertoire. She also offers coaching in songwriting and composition. Berit is a warm, vibrant mentor sensitive to the needs and goals of each student, and looks forward to empowering students at every stage of their development.
Jamie Dougherty
Jamie Dougherty’s career as a musician and as a mentoring educator has spanned many genres, contexts, and demographics. He’s taught woodworking to brain injury survivors, led music therapy sessions for disabled folks, taught creative writing to inner city teens in Chicago, performed, recorded, and/or toured in an exhaustive list of genres and styles: rock, indie, folk, jazz, pop, Americana, sacred music, funk, ambient, Christian worship, experimental, electronic, classical, hip-hop, and many things in between. Jamie holds a degree from Columbia College in Creative Writing, where he trained in contemplative artmaking and storytelling practices. Teaching private music lessons has allowed him to combine his skills and passions in a new and synergistic way. He is a patient, passionate teacher eager to help new and experienced students find their way.
Ready to begin your music journey?
In today’s world it's a huge challenge to carve out time for yourself and your musical growth. It's so hard to take our own joy and creative development seriously! But we only have one life on this planet; it's too short to not do things that matter. Art, creativity, exploration, curiosity: these are the things that feed our inner lives. It's usually in the busiest seasons of our lives that we need these things most. We understand the challenge, because this our lives too! A big focus of our studio is giving you a weekly practice strategy that is compelling and realistic with your other commitments.
Book a free first lesson to see if we're a fit.
