Small-group lessons for young learners.
Violin ages 6-12 & Ukulele ages 8-15.
Small-group lessons on violin, based on the Suzuki style of education. Students will get hands-on with violins from day one, learning the basics of the instrument.
Violin Program Details
10-week course with weekly one-hour small group lessons.
Session 1: Saturday, January 11th-March 15th at 10AM.
Session 2: Saturday, March 29th-May 31st at 10AM.
$185 tuition includes: lessons, instrument rental for the duration of the course, and all necessary supplies.
Geared towards elementary and early middle-school aged children, ages 6-12.
Taught by instructors with advanced degrees in music education with multiple years of experience in a classroom setting.
Located at Augustana Lutheran Church: 5000 E. Alameda Ave, Denver, CO 80238
Contact josh@augustanaarts.org for information about program scholarships
Small-group lessons on ukulele and singer-songwriting. Students will get hands-on with ukuleles from day one, learning the basics of the instrument.
Ukulele and songwriting Program Details
10-week course with weekly one-hour small group lessons.
Session 1: Sunday, January 12th-March 16th at 1PM.
Session 2: Sunday, March 30th-June 1st at 1PM.
$185 tuition includes: lessons, instrument rental for the duration of the course, and all necessary supplies.
Geared towards elementary students to young teenagers, ages 8-15.
Taught by instructors with advanced degrees in music education with multiple years of experience in a classroom setting.
Located at Augustana Lutheran Church: 5000 E. Alameda Ave, Denver, CO 80238
Contact josh@augustanaarts.org for information about program scholarships
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Learning violin is a slow process. The first lessons will focus primarily on how to hold the violin and bow. At the end of their first 10-week session, they may be playing simple notes and rhythms. Most students should not expect to be performing melodies until after multiple months of learning.
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All students will receive a violin that is the appropriate size for their body, a corresponding bow, rosin for their bow, and all necessary sheet music and supplies. Additional supplies that could be required for maintenance of the instrument, like extra strings, will be managed by the teacher.
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If you decide that the lessons aren't the right fit for your student, we will refund your registration at a prorated rate - we'll retain funds totaling $18.50 for each of the lessons attended, refunding any remaining amount from your initial $185 payment.
Violin Class Information
Ukulele and Songwriting Class Information
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Learning the ukulele can be a fun and satisfying process. Your young musician will learn the basics of how to hold the instrument, beginner chords and strum patterns early on.
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All students will receive a ukulele, instrument case, and all necessary sheet music and staff paper. Additional supplies that could be required for maintenance of the instrument, like extra strings, will be managed by the teacher.
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If you decide that the lessons aren't the right fit for your student, we will refund your registration at a prorated rate - we'll retain funds totaling $18.50 for each of the lessons attended, refunding any remaining amount from your initial $185 payment.
Meet Your Violin Instructor:
Debra Robinson
Debra Robinson is a violin and viola strings teacher. Her primary instrument is the violin which she has been playing for 15 years. She attended Grambling State University in Grambling, LA, with a double major in Visual Communication and Violin Performance, and she graduated from Grambling with a degree in Visual Communication. While attending Grambling, she performed with the Monroe Symphony Orchestra in Monroe, LA.
Currently, she is pursuing her second degree at Metropolitan State University in violin performance. She recently joined the staff of Maestro Music Institute as a strings teacher and has already served on the audition committee. In addition to her Saturday group violin lessons at ALC, Debra teaches group lessons in Music Encounters throughout the Denver area.
Meet Your Ukulele and Songwriting Instructor:
Tim Girard
Tim Girard received a B.M. in Composition from the University of Rhode Island in 2001, and between 2001 and 2011 he did a variety of teaching, performing, and composing. Tim taught drums, piano, guitar, and music theory at More Than Music in addition to other private lesson studios throughout Rhode Island, and for a year he was the Classical Percussion Instructor at the Community College of Rhode Island. Tim was the Drumline Instructor for the University of Rhode Island Marching Band for ten years and for two years he was the Percussion Instructor for the Franklin High School Marching Band and Percussion Ensemble. As a percussionist, Tim performed with the Thayer Symphony Orchestra, Atlantic Wind Symphony, Southeastern Massachusetts Wind Symphony, The American Band, Milford Concert Band, Symphony Pro Musica, Rhode Island Philharmonic Community Orchestra, Brown Wind Ensemble and Percussion Ensemble, and Wheaton College Wind Ensemble. Tim also played drum set for musicals at the Prout School, Johnson and Wales University, and Franklin High School, and he played drum set, keyboard, and guitar in various rock bands. As a composer, Tim was commissioned by the Ocean State Chamber Orchestra, the Ocean State Youth Orchestra, the Ocean State Music Collaborative, the URI Concert Band, and the Woonsocket High School Concert Band.
In 2011 Tim moved to Colorado to attend the University of Denver’s Lamont School of Music, and was a Graduate Teaching Assistant for Music Theory II, Aural Skills II, and Orchestration until he received his M.M. in Composition in 2013. Since graduating from DU, Tim has been teaching and composing, with an emphasis on film scoring. For two seasons, Tim was the Composer for Opera Colorado’s Page to Stage program, and for a year he was the Drumline Instructor for Castle View High School’s Marching Band and Indoor Drumline. Tim has had numerous orchestral works performed at the Lamont Symphony Orchestra’s New Music Concerts, and he has also composed music for podcasts, video games, and short films, including LEGO stop-motion animated films, the trailer for a Star Wars fan film, and most recently, a comic book superhero fan series. In September of 2022, Tim received an M.M. in Film Scoring from the Berklee College of Music. Tim’s music can be heard on his website (TheTimGirard.com) and YouTube channel. Currently, Tim tutors college students in music theory, aural skills, musicology, ethnomusicology, and music technology, and he teaches private studio lessons in guitar, ukulele, piano, drums, music theory, and songwriting/composition throughout Colorado at Maestro Music Institute (in Arvada), American Music School (in Lakewood), and Classical Tones (in Broomfield). Tim has written his own method books for snare drum, drum set, guitar, and ukulele which he uses as a part of his teaching curriculum in his lessons.
About Music Encounters and Augustana Arts
Augustana Arts is a 501c3 nonprofit that presents accessible music programs to adults and children around Denver. Since the late 90’s, our Music Encounters program has brought instrument lessons into schools and community sites around Denver. Each year, our teachers log hundreds of hours in the classroom with classes focused on violin, ukulele or guitar.