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Classes

PRIVATE MUSIC LESSONS

75% OF SILICON VALLEY CEOS HAD INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC EDUCATION AS CHILDREN.

All students of Excel Music learn to read music—guitar students will learn to read standard notation, tablature, or both. Teachers will devise a customized curriculum for each student which will incorporate the style of music that the student wants to learn in addition to teaching music theory, history and other appropriate musical skills.

Benefits Of Studying Music

  • Develops hand-eye coordination better than sports.
  • Builds confidence and self-esteem.
  • Improves memory, intelligence and children’s behavior
  • Increases brain function and mathematical skills.
  • Develops discipline, patience, determination and perseverance.

Private Lesson Tuition

  • 30-minute private lesson once each week $120 per month
  • 60-minute private lesson once each week $226 per month
  • 5% multi-lesson discount for individual students and families

Piano

A piano is provided in the lessons

  • Recommended starting age: 5
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 5-10, 30 minutes
  • Above age 10, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll need a good quality piano or electronic keyboard to have something practice at home. A keyboard should have at least 60 full-sized keys, be velocity sensitive (the harder you press, the louder it plays) and NOT have keys that light up or other distractions, like rhythm accompaniment.

Piano

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: Starting age: Piano is an excellent beginning instrument for students age five and above (we will start students at age four if they are deemed ready after a free evaluation). Learning keyboards is a great way to learn the fundamentals of music. It is easy to understand because of its straight-forward layout. In addition, piano is a great starting instrument for those students who are a little too young to start their favorite instrument. And it can make a change to a different instrument easier when a child is older.

Additional info: Of course, pianists of all styles and levels are welcome, whether to be more prepared for an audition, improve their skills for church, or just to have more fun with friends and family. Learning piano, or keyboard, promotes excellent hand-eye coordination. It requires the ability to perform multiple movements and thoughts simultaneously, which encourages rapid processing in the brain. Studies have shown that this can assist in other areas of learning as well.

Guitar

Acoustic or electric guitar, ukulele and banjo
An amplifier is provided in the lessons

  • Recommended starting age: 8
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 8-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll need a good quality, student model guitar to have something practice at home and play at your lessons—either an acoustic, electric or classical guitar. A classical guitar, which has nylon strings, is the easiest to play. Electric guitar is the second easiest to play but requires the purchase of an amp. A good student-line guitar is about $150-200 (an amp would be about $150 extra).

Guitar

Ukuleles have only 4 strings, are tuned differently from guitars, are much less expensive, and can be a great option for younger students because of their very small size.

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: We recommend age 8 as a great age to start learning guitar. Younger students can find the instrument quite uncomfortable to play—even if they can get their arms around one of the smaller instruments that are available—because it requires a fair amount of pressure to hold down the strings which can be a bit uncomfortable, at first. At the right age, however, learning guitar can be very satisfying because learning an actual ‘song’ can happen a bit sooner than with other instruments.

Additional info: Students can begin on an electric, acoustic, or classical guitar. All three use the same tuning, have the same number of strings and are learned in a similar way, so the choice is the student’s. With guitar, especially, daily practice is important because it requires a fair amount of strength at first to hold down the strings and the student needs to build up calluses on the tips of the fingers. Guitar can be a bit uncomfortable to play, at first, so the more you practice, the sooner you can get past the discomfort and enjoy the journey.

GUITAR TEACHERS:

Bass Guitar

An amplifier is provided in the lessons

  • Recommended starting age: 10
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 10-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll need to have a good quality, student model bass guitar to practice at home and at your lessons. At home, you’ll also need a bass amp and guitar cord. Look for a 4-string bass and expect to spend $150-250 for a new student model, or used, higher-quality bass. You’ll also need a bass amp (only for the electric bass and only at home—we provide amps at the school), which will be approximately another $150-200. While a cheap guitar amp will “work,” a bass amp will sound much better and last longer. Basses with 5, 6, or more strings are available, but are only needed for professional use

Bass Guitar

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: We recommend age 10 as a great age to start learning bass. Younger students can find the instrument quite uncomfortable to play—even if they can get their fingers stretched out to reach more than a fret, or two—because the instrument is very heavy and it requires a fair amount of pressure to hold down the strings. At the right age, however, learning bass can be very satisfying because learning an actual ‘song’ can happen a bit sooner than with other instruments.

Additional info: Students can begin on either an electric or acoustic bass guitar (not to be confused with an orchestral, upright bass). Both use the same tuning, have the same number of strings and are learned in a similar way, so the choice is the student’s, however; some acoustic basses—like the Guitarrón Mexicano—can be too large for a smaller student to use. As with guitar, daily practice is important to build strength and fingertip calouses.

BASS GUITAR TEACHERS:

Drums

Drum set, band & orchestral percussion, mallet
instruments and ethnic percussion Drum set,
practice pad or mallet instruments are provided in
the lessons

  • Recommended starting age: 8
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 8-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: A good quality, drum pad (available from our office) or school percussion kit to practice at home in between lessons and, of course, drum sticks (we have those, too). Your instructor will let you know when the student is ready for a good, student-level drum set—$300-500. The teacher can also offer advice for purchase, as drum set buying can be a bit complicated.

Drums

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: : We recommend age 8 as a great age to start learning drums. Younger students will advance faster mentally than they do physically and can become frustrated by the challenge. Girls can have a bit more coordination than boys and can sometimes get started at age 7.

Additional info: Students can begin on either electronic or acoustic drums. Acoustic drums are naturally much louder but do offer a better learning experience as they have many more subtleties than electronic drums can offer. Daily practice is important because of the extensive muscle memory that is required to play drums and, once the student starts on drum set, the independence of playing different rhythms with different apendages.

DRUM TEACHERS:

Voice

Singing and public speaking

  • Recommended starting age: 6
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 6-10, 30 minutes
  • Above age 10, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: None, although having a keyboard can help

Practice time: 20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over
time to at least an hour per day

Starting age: From age 6-10 we take a more general approach with our voice students, as the younger body is generally not yet ready for physical demands of traditional voice lessons. With the youngest students we will sometimes include a variety of musical activities, including singing, clapping, rhythm sticks and flash cards.

Voice

Some teachers will even include a little piano playing to help the student with pitch. At age 10 and above, the more rigorous voice training can begin. Once the student has gone through puberty and the voice has changed (both boys and girls), the most intense training can start.

Additional info: Voice lessons teach the student proper breathing techniques, projection, control and how to prevent damage to the vocal cords. With other instruments, a blister on a finger or sore muscle from holding it in place is about the most trouble you can have. Singing incorrectly, however, can actually cause a callus (called a “node”) on the vocal cords. This can make the voice sound constantly gruff and make singing almost impossible. Curing a node requires prolonged silence, or even surgery. That’s why voice lessons are so important for singers and public speakers at all ages and levels.

VOICE TEACHERS:

Strings

Violin and viola

  • Recommended starting age: 6
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 6-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: Violin or viola—renting can be a good option, especially if a smaller instrument is needed for a smaller, or younger student.

Strings

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing
over time to at least an hour per day.

The viola is the larger, lower-voiced cousin of the violin (shown side-by-side in this photo). Students are generally not ready to play violin or viola until they are 6 due to the coordination required to play—although, smaller size versions of both are also available for smaller or younger students that have an interest. (ask an associate for a size chart to help you choose the right size instrument for your child).

Additional info: It takes anywhere from 2–6 months to be able to play a simple song on violin or viola. You’ll need to have a good quality, student model instrument to practice at home and play at your lessons.

STRING TEACHERS:

Clarinet

  • Recommended starting age: 10
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 10-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 10, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll want to have a good quality, student model instrument to practice at home and play at your lessons. For clarinet, renting is an excellent option as even student models can be quite expensive and some inexpensive instruments sold are unreliable, or even unplayable.

Clarinet

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: We recommend age 10 as a great age to start learning the flute. Children need to have all of their adult teeth, be big enough to reach all of the keys properly and have enough breath support to produce a consistent sound. Those not quite ready for clarinet can start on the recorder and switch to clarinet once they meet the requirements.

Additional info: Private lessons in conjunction with school music programs are a great way for students to get the individual attention they need to play well. Band and orchestra directors appreciate students that study privately, as they have limited time for any one student. Most bands and orchestras have anywhere from 50, to over 100 members. Individual instruction is, by necessity, extremely limited, making private lessons invaluable for the student’s progress.

CLARINET TEACHERS:

Recorder

  • Recommended starting age: 6
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 6-10, 30 minutes
  • Above age 10, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: Recorders cost less than $10 (of course, professional models can cost hundreds of dollars) and come in a wide variety of colors. We have them available for purchase at the school.

Recorder

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: Recorder is an excellent instrument for younger music students, especially those with an interest in flute, clarinet and sax, that don’t yet have their adult teeth. It can be started at age 6 because the instrument is very small and light, has very small holes that can easily be covered by small fingers, and requires very little breath support.

Additional info: Learning to play the recorder teaches all of the necessary fundamentals of music. These skills can then be later applied to any other instrument. But don’t let the easy-for-beginners nature of this instrument fool you, recorder is increasingly being played to a very high concert standard. If you are familiar with Celine Dion’s biggest hit, My Heart Will Go On, then you’ve heard a similar-sounding, and similarly-played instrument, the penny whistle (sometimes called a tin whistle). This is just the tip of the iceberg (sorry) of what can be done with these small woodwind instruments.

RECORDER TEACHERS:

Flute

  • Recommended starting age: 8
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 8-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll want to have a good quality, student model instrument to practice at home and play at your lessons. For flute, renting is an excellent option as even student models can be quite expensive and some inexpensive instruments sold are unreliable, or even unplayable.

Flute

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over
time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age:We recommend age 8 as a great age to start learning the flute—although some can start at 7. Children need to be big enough to reach all of the keys properly and have enough breath support to produce a consistent sound. Those not quite ready for flute can start on the recorder and switch to flute once they meet the requirements.

Additional info: : Private lessons in conjunction with school music programs are a great way for students to get the individual attention they need to play well. Band and orchestra directors appreciate students that study privately, as they have limited time for any one student. Most bands and orchestras have anywhere from 50, to over 100 members. Individual instruction is, by necessity, extremely limited, making private lessons invaluable for the student’s progress.

FLUTE TEACHERS:

Saxophone

Alto and tenor sax

  • Recommended starting age: 10
  • Recommended lesson length:
  • Age 10-11, 30 minutes
  • Above age 11, 60 minutes

Equipment needed: You’ll want to have a good quality, student model instrument to practice at home and play at your lessons. For saxophone, renting is an excellent option as even student models can be quite expensive and some inexpensive instruments sold are unreliable, or even unplayable.

Saxophone

Practice time: 15-20 minutes per day for beginners, increasing over
time to at least an hour per day.

Starting age: We recommend age 10 as a great age to start learning the sax. Children need to have all of their adult teeth, be big enough to reach all of the keys properly, be strong enough to hold up the instruments—which can be quite heavy—and have enough lung capacity to produce a consistent sound. Those not quite ready for saxophone can start on the recorder and switch to sax once they meet the requirements.

Additional info: Private lessons in conjunction with school music programs are a great way for students to get the individual attention they need to play well. Band and orchestra directors appreciate students that study privately, as they have limited time for any one student. Most bands and orchestras have anywhere from 50, to over 100 members. Individual instruction is, by necessity, extremely limited, making private lessons invaluable for the student’s progress.

SAXOPHONE TEACHERS:

Testimonials

What Our Clients Say

Quotes
Ms. Sara and Excel Music have gone above and beyond to support our daughter since she started learning piano there a few years ago. Especially since the beginning of covid, they have been flexible, supportive and communicative. We appreciate their dedication to their students and perseverance through this very trying time!
Kristi Sargent
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My experience with Excel Music has been great from the beginning. Office staff are kind and communicate well. I was lucky to have Mr. Greg as my cello teacher. Transition to virtual lesson was smooth and there hasn’t been any issues. My daughter also started viola lesson with Mr. Greg during the summer. It is still enjoyable and good quality lessons even though it is virtual. We look forward to many more lessons!
Google review
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Just wanted to thank my daughter's piano Teacher Ms Bari at Excel.. She took Piano classes when we were in Tampa and then we moved back to India in Feb 2021. Now here every one who listens my daughter playing is in full praise for her teacher... She taught and worked very hard with her. Thank you and to everyone at excel music.. You all helped us the best. Sending Good wishes from here in India.
Sumita Sarkar
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Below is the experience of my daughter who is studying violin at Excel Music : In my humble opinion, learning violin in person itself is hard. But, now making it online, it will be even harder. But Excel Music has done everything it can to make my classes easier. I am grasping the concept and the music very easily through virtually. Their new app called “Teacher Zone” is very helpful. I can talk to my teacher and ask her for help, I know which assignments that I am supposed to practice, my scheduled classes and the dates. Lastly, it has a practice timer which tracks how many minutes I practiced each day and tells you the total hours you have been practicing during the week, and in whole. My teacher, Ms. Brittnay, has been working so hard to teach me new music and she helped me improve in a lot of areas in my violin. Every Saturday at 11:00am my class starts, and it ends at 12:00pm. But, in that one hour, I learn so much of new topics and concepts in my violin. Mrs. Brittnay is a very kind and helpful teacher. I learn songs and music sheets without any difficulty in understanding anything. She answers my questions, she also even lets me suggest new songs which she can help me learn by sending me the notes. Excel Music has been doing a wonderful job and will keep doing an excellent job. Teaching students virtually is difficult and challenging, but Excel Music has been excelling at it so far.
Sowmya Rana
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My daughter really enjoys taking lessons at Excel music. They have a beautiful facility and very professional staff! I highly recommend Excel music to anyone who is looking for a professional , high quality music school.
David Comeau
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Great place! Very nice facilities and helpful staff. Special thanks to Mr. Brandon. Excel is my recommendation for any musician wishing to take music lessons.
Chanjun Ju

  • 813-991-1177

  • info@excelmusic.us

  • 10353 Cross Creek Blvd,

    Tampa, FL 33647

  • Opening Hours:
    Mon-Thu: 02:00 PM – 09:00 PM
    Fri: 02:00 PM – 07:00 PM
    Sat: 10:00 AM – 03:00 PM

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