Bonnie Jantina teVelde, Founder/Instructor

Learn Something New About Music Every Day...

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Specializing in the Instruction of:

PIANO * VOICE * GUITAR * DRUMS * BAND/ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENTS & More

(805) 474-1224

Email Us! 

Or Visit Our New Classrooms at:

624 East Grand Avenue, Suite A, Arroyo Grande

Which is Next Door to Grand Performance Music!

Our School Has:

3 INCREDIBLE PIANO TEACHING ROOMS

The Most Highly Recognized Piano Teachers & Students on the Central Coast

"Bonnie is the most awesome teacher I have ever had. She makes learning piano & voice easy and fun!" - Katie V., A.G.

The reason we are able to keep our average instrumental student between 5-10 years, is because we utilize the teVelde System of Learning. Each new student is given a learning style assessment similar to those given at prominant learning centers. With this information, we can design a customized music learning program for each student that will make learning enjoyable, and stress free!

A DRUM STUDIO with 2 COMPLETE KITS for Easier Learning

The BEST Drum Teacher on the Central Coast

"Dean is an awesome drummer and a great teacher"

- Zach Z.

2 Custom Designed Vocal Teaching & Recording Rooms

"Studying Voice with Bonnie is Incredible... she has changed everything about how my voice sounds... for the better!" - Joan C.

VOCAL Instruction:

Effective Techniques for Reducing Stage Fright

A Teacher Who Understands How To Bring Out the Best in You

A Full Recording Studio for Digital Analysis and Demos

Piano Lessons:

We have earned 11 honor roll awards for teaching excellence since 1997! This is the highest number of awards for any school on the Central Coast!

Why Do Our Students Win Year After Year? Because:

Our Students Learn to Play Advanced Music Faster

Our Students Sight Read Music Better

Our Students Understand Music Theory Completely

& Most of All: Our Students LOVE TO PLAY EVERY DAY!

Violin Lessons:

The Most Highly Experienced Violin Teacher in This Area

Teaching the Best of Suzuki and Traditional Methods

"Harry is the kindest, most gentle instructor I have ever seen. He is a true gem!" - Annie A.

Personal Note from Bonnie: OUR NEW SCHOOL!

I am so excited!!! We have created 3 incredible teaching rooms, designed to give each student the opportunity to study the instrument of their choice, or multiple instruments in a single lesson! Each student can record their favorite songs & take them home on CD!!! From the professional singer who wants to gauge their progress, to the 5 year old piano or voice student who wants to have a CD of them playing their favorite song... we can do it all in our new customized teaching rooms!!! There has never been a music school like ours anywhere between San Francisco and Los Angeles!

And, as it has been one of the most loved feature of lessons at teVelde, each instrumental and vocal student still has the option of spending the first 10 min. of each lesson learning drums, as part of their regular weekly music lesson.

The best part about our music school for parents and kids is:

1. All young instrumental students have the option of having a parent take lessons with them, for no additional charge!!! So... if any of you parents wish that you had taken or stayed with lessons as a young person, here is your chance to have a bonding experience with your child & realize a childhood dream! We have many parent/child teams that have been making lasting memories and studying together for years! Each vocal/piano teaching room has a piano, a keyboard, a microphone for singing while playing (& access through to the recording studio), an amp for guitar students, and drums.
2. Current students of TSM have the opportunity of taking a second instrument for a 10% discount! This gives talented students, who are interested in studying a second or third instrument, or voice, the opportunity to study it while maintaining the study of their primary instrument (s).

So... How do you know if you, or your child, have musical talent? Click here to jump to the list of 8 Signs of Musical Talent below.

Special for Adult Students: 8 Things We Utilize to Help Adult Students Learn

PIANO LESSONS: The first 6 months of lessons for any student are the most critical. It is during that time that they either decide that they love it and it is worth the effort, or they don't care that much and it is just not worth the work. It is incredibly hard work, but with a diligent effort by the teacher, it is possible for every student to love lessons, and decide they are worth the effort. We carefully take each student through a curriculum custom-tailored to their individual needs, while walking a fine line between making sure they learn enough music theory that they will always be able to read music at the level they are playing. We have taught hundreds of students, successfully getting them through those difficult first 6 months, and when they are through, they can never go back to before they were musicians. We have refined this teaching procedure for years, and we have a elite system that does it right, the first time! If you are going to take piano, take it with us!

VOICE LESSONS: When voice students first come to us, most of them are scared and shy. Whether they have performed a lot already, or not, most of them lack the confidence they will need to really express themselves and sing from their soul. There is a method of learning called "The New Voice", in which the entire muscular structure of the throat is rebuilt and strengthened, so that even if a singer is scared, they can still sing with resonance, well. This method also aides the teacher in helping students learn how to breathe correctly. There is also software, that, utilized in conjuction with a recording studio, visually shows the vocal student how to change the way they sing to optimize their sound, and correct any pitch problems. This technology and teaching method is utilized by our voice teachers to work with our voice students. We do not require that the student sing opera or foreign languages. Our technology enables us to go straight to either music theater, or popular styles of music effectively. If you are going to take voice lessons, take them with us!

GUITAR LESSONS: There are generally 2 types of guitar students. 1) The beginner - usually someone who just bought a guitar and is starting from square one, or 2) the older beginner who has been either learning from a friend, on the internet, or is self-taught, and is looking for more advanced instruction. Our guitar students learn not only chords, scales, and modes, but also how to read music. Our teachers can teach you how to read TAB, music staff, & chord charts, so that you can figure out your favorite songs and/or riffs to play with your band, FAST! We want you to be GOOD, and during the summer we will have jam nights to give our instrumentalists a chance to play with other musicians at their level. We also specialize in getting self-taught guitarists from beginning to proficient at their guitar playing. We have several teachers that can even help you with your vocals at the same time as your guitar playing. If you are going to take guitar lessons, take them with us!

DRUM LESSONS: Our drum students will have access to the first full drum studio in South SLO County, which will feature 2 full drum kits for one-on-one instruction with the county's #1 studio drummer... Mr. Dean Giles. Dean has been with us for over 5 years, and in addition to being a highly sought after studio drummer in Los Angeles, with studio credits to include production work on "Dancing with the Stars", Dean is a master teacher. He can teach all types of percussion and drum theory for band students, as well as rock & roll, jazz, r&b, and country drums. If you are going to take drum lessons, take them with us!

BAND/ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENTAL LESSONS: Most new instrumental students come to us when they have been in band for a while. They are looking for some help with reading music and getting to know their instrument. We have hired the best instrumental instructors to help you or your child learn band and orchestra instruments including woodwinds, brass, strings, and percussion instruments. Our teachers specialize in helping each student learn to read music, create a solid tone, and feel comfortable with their instrument. In addition, our teachers work with the student playing duets, to help the student learn to play with another instrumentalist. If you need instrumental lessons, take them from us.

RECORDING: We are installing the latest in audio recording technology, and will be installing video recording equipment to help students prepare for competitions, performances, and auditions. We are teaming up with Minds Eye Studio, a full photography and video production company to produce audition portfolios, and professional music videos for our students. Our recording studio is for the exclusive use of our students. If you are one of our students, you may schedule a time for a project of your own.

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Here are the Eight (8) Signs of Musical Talent:

Do You or Your Child:

1. Love to listen to music (sometimes one favorite song over and over again)?

2. Notice sounds in the environment, or individual instruments in music?

3. Love to Perform (always wanting to be the one on stage that is singing or playing)?

4. Continually sing or hum a tune, or have a song playing in your mind?

5. Constantly tap fingers on surfaces, to the beat of internal or external music?

6. Always loved the sound of, or had a desire to learn to play a particular instrument? (for a child: draw pictures of an instrument or instruments?)

7. Figure out little tunes by ear without reading music?

8. Have parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, or other blood relatives who are musicians, including those who played only "by ear", sang, or who may have even had perfect pitch?

If you answered "yes" to 3 or more questions, there is a test that can be given to determine if you (or your child) have Musical Aptitudes. The test takes about 90 minutes, and can be administered to a child as young as 4-5 years old, with the parent's input, all the way through to adult aged students. It is recommended that this test be administered at the youngest age possible in children who show unusual musical abilities such as singing on pitch, or more of the signs listed above.* We have administered hundreds of these aptitude tests, and have years of experience determining the results of such testing. If you know of a child or adult who needs musical aptitude testing, have it done by Bonnie teVelde at the teVelde School of Music.

*There is an ability called Perfect Absolute Pitch, which is hereditary. If your child has the gene for it, they must be put in music lessons before age 6 to retain the ability. If your child is older than age 6, do not panic. It is a quite rare ability, and only appears in children whose direct relatives demonstrated a gift for music, especially the ability to sing well, or play an instrument "by ear". If your child has a grand-parent or great-grandparent that had these abilities, though, AND you notice that your child can sing a song on key at a very young age, MAKE SURE you have them tested for musical aptitudes as young as possible! Recent studies at the University of San Francisco prove that the ability of Perfect Absolute Pitch dramatically decreases in children who are not started in music lessons by the age of 6. By the age of 12, the ability decreases from a possible 95% accurate pitch identification skill at age 6, to less than 29%. This loss is permanent... the child may lose the ability for LIFE!

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8 Skills We Utilize To Help Adults Learn a musical instrument:

1. Reading - Most adults have been reading since they were children. This skill translates directly to reading music. We show each student directly how to use this ability to make reading music easier for them.
2. Typing - The hand/eye coordination required to type, even if it is hunting & pecking, is the same mental skill as reading music and playing a corresponding note/chord on an instrument. We show the student ways to use this skill to learn to find the notes more quickly.
3. Basic Math - The fundamental ability to count money, measure ingredients in a recipe, or complete a construction project helps a student understand time signatures and beats in the music. We use specific examples based on the adult's specific experiences to explain how time works in music.
4. Language - When an adult understands sentence structure, and writing, they have an advantage when learning music. With the right instruction, they will be able to correlate the similarities in understanding spoken language and understanding music as a language. We show each student how translating key signatures works just like translating spoken languages.
5. Established Right and Left Brain Connections - An adult has had many times in their life to build and strengthen the communication between the right & left sides of their brains. This is done through participating in activities such as: photography, drawing, painting, or following directions on a map. Learning a Sport is another very effective way of developing both sides of the brain, because when one first learns each skill of a sport, the process is very left brained. As the processes become automatic, ie: the tennis player begins to serve without thinking of each, individual step, it becomes a right brained process. Learning music is fundamentally a right & left brained activity, with melody and harmonies being handled in the right brain, and rhythm being handled in the left brain. With the right instruction, the student can be shown exactly how to use these learned right & left brained activities to make their music flow effortlessly.
6. Longer Attention Span - A human being's attention span is roughly equal to their age. Adults have a significantly longer attention span, and ability to focus, than children do. We test the length of each adult's attention span, and utilize exact timing to maximize learning while minimizing mental fatigue.
7. An adult knows that a skill is learned by going slow, being methodical, and following instructions. As a result, the complexities of music can bemastered more quickly, and remembered more accurately. The key is that the instructor must know how to pace the learning of each skill, and teach the student how to follow up at home. We work with tools such as the metronome, dual playing on two pianos, and poly-rhythmic practice to help set each phrase in the student's mind.
8. Determination - An adult has waited a long time to learn music, and is paying for their own lessons. They are much more motivated to really pay attention during the lesson, and, as a result, they can absorb much more of what the instructor says during each lesson. We take the time to clearly identify each skill we are teaching in each lesson, so the student can go home with clear goals for the coming week.

All of these examples are techniques that we, as your music teachers, can use to help you learn music more effortlessly.

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