The Andrea Royer Studio

07/31/2025

Check out these awesome stress balls made by Henry and Harriet Ludwig and donated to our non-candy basket! Thanks Henry and Harriet!

07/30/2025

07/28/2025

Wondering about my upcoming classes at BURN? Check out my August schedule!

07/28/2025

07/27/2025

So so SO proud of my student Dean McQuistion for playing the theme to “Star Wars” during his church’s service today. I love seeing my students out in the world using their music skills to bring smiles to faces. Way to go, Dean!

07/27/2025

Great job on another killer Oahe Blues Fest ! Loved ‘s set and all the Hendrix ❤️ way to go

07/23/2025

Why group lessons?

Recently, I've had several people reach out asking about private instruction. While I know private instruction has value, I do not offer it as I believe group lessons are more effective. Here's why:

1) Time: a private lesson is usually only 30 minutes long. This gives the instructor just enough time to cover the material, hoping the student absorbs it enough to understand it, go home, and practice. In a 60-minute group session, not only do students get a chance to practice the lesson in a supervised capacity, they have time to learn much more material! Instead of focusing on one or two songs, we get to develop skills like note-reading, counting, playing with a group, and so much more.

2) Independence/autonomy: in a private lesson, the student must rely on only the teacher to provide the information and often, teachers are left to spoon-feed the notes and rhythms to the student. In a group lesson, the teacher provides the information and then students go to their pianos to process it at their own pace, developing independence. They also develop self-governance as they learn to manage themselves without the teacher sitting right next to them correcting each mistake. When students are left to correct their own mistakes, they become more confident and are more eager to take on challenging material. My goal with each student is to develop independence so someday, they can look at any sheet of music and be able to learn to play it on their own.

3) Teamwork/friendships: probably the most important aspect of group lessons is the fact that students get to make friends with other students who are learning the same material. These friendships are so important, especially for young musicians. Young musicians often feel isolated and alone and group lessons allow them to meet other kids with their shared interest. Not only do they get to experience the joy of playing music with their friends, or "jam", they also get to be accountable to their classmates which encourages practicing. If the whole class is learning Old MacDonald, nobody wants to be the one who didn't practice!

4) Practice/progress: students involved in group lessons practice more than students in private lessons and because of this, they progress more steadily and with more enthusiasm. Often in a private session, the student did not practice the previous week's lesson and the teacher has to re-teach the same material, often for several weeks in a row! Students in group sessions tend to practice more because they want to make music with their friends and they enjoy the results of regular practice. This allows them to learn more which makes them want to practice more-a wonderful cycle!

5) FUN! Without a doubt, group lessons are more fun for both the students and the teacher! Group lessons provide opportunities to make music with friends, play games, have contests, and even give kids a chance to practice performing for their classmates. They also really enjoy learning from each other which reinforces the skills they themselves are learning. As research shows, when someone teaches something to someone else, they retain 90% of the information compared to 10-20% when they just learn it.

I do get a lot of parents saying "but my child needs individualized instruction". While this may be true in school or more traditional classroom settings, I don't find it to be true in music. Most students who need individualized instruction really just need to be seen and heard by a teacher who sees their uniqueness and, more importantly, to be seen and heard by other kids who get it. Musicians are a special kind of people and flourish best when they are with other musicians!

If you have questions about group lessons, please do not hesitate to reach out! We have been doing group lessons at the ARS for several years now and the proof is in the pudding. Kids arrive happy and excited for lessons and leave each week with something new and fun to practice. I frequently get parents messaging me saying "every day my kid asks if it's music day!" When you're doing something that makes kids ask if they can do it every day, you know you're doing something right!

07/22/2025

The life I love is making music with my friends!

07/22/2025

Our third annual school supply giveaway will be August 17th. For ALL students K-12.

07/21/2025

We are now enrolling students for the fall schedule of music classes!
Piano ages 6+
Music Explorers (preschool music)
Voice ages 6+
Guitar ages 10+
Drums with 2 years piano experience
Rock Band by audition

Shoot me a pm to get started!

07/21/2025

Two spots still available!