Today we’d like to introduce you to Kirk Nebel.
Kirk, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Everything started with me teaching guitar out of my apartment in Hollywood. I was a working guitarist playing in a number of bands in the LA area, a fresh graduate of Musician’s Institute in Hollywood. I had worked for several other teaching studios in the past, but decided to go on my own, and was looking for work that was education based and also steadier than going from gig to gig.
From there, I moved to a very small three room teaching spot in Hollywood that I leased, which is the existing studio space on Melrose. In the beginning we just offered guitar and bass lessons. Over time we have expanded our offerings to include piano, voice, drums, violin, viola, cello, ukulele, mandolin and all brass and woodwinds instruments. We began offering musical theatre and acting classes in 2016. I expanded the space over time and now there are 10 available teaching studios in the same studio space started in 2004.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s been a fairly smooth road overall. We have been able to keep our school open and going strong for over 13 years now, which is wonderful. We get to be involved in nurturing the growth and development of both children and adults, in both music and the arts – it’s incredibly worthwhile and fulfilling. We meet so many amazing people and we are grateful that we’ve been able to do this for so long. As most business owners can attest, there are good months and months that are more challenging. Some of the struggles would include staffing, financial management and the changing landscape of lessons due to the evolving state of technology in our world.
In the end, we believe that music and arts education is most effectively done in a safe, professional facility, with teachers that have education and degrees in the arts. We also offer regular free recitals and performances, which are a key to our students’ success and progress.
Hollywood Academy of Music and Arts – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
We are educators and teach both music and performing arts classes. Here is a short list of benefits and features that set us apart! 🙂
15 Benefits of becoming a Hollywood Academy of Music and Arts Student:
Musical instruction on over 17 instruments and voice – available at each of our three locations: includes piano, voice, electric and acoustic guitar, violin, bass, drums, percussion, cello, viola, ukulele, banjo, saxophone, trumpet, flute, clarinet, mandolin, songwriting, pre-school music, recording technology, music theory and composition.
Musical theatre and acting classes available from world class acting coaches – both group and private. Save valuable time by combining music and drama programs in order to reduce driving time and traveling to and from various lesson providers.
We offer an encouraging, educated and dedicated teaching staff – featuring university trained instructors, many with a Master’s Degree and most teachers having applied performance experience in the real world. Even though our teachers are highly educated – we select instructors based on their ability to be positive, encouraging, and to motivate our students through positive feedback. Most of our teachers additionally have had extensive live performance experience: both on stage and in the studio.
A variety of musical genres taught at the school: we have teachers that can instruct on exceptionally high levels for classical technique – as well as jazz, pop/contemporary, rock, blues, r&b and Jazz.
We offer free optional recitals, twice yearly, in exceptional quality performance venues – such as the MLK Auditorium in Santa Monica, which features a Steinway grand piano. Unlike many schools our students are not charged any recital fees or admission fees. Our twice a year recitals are typically in April and October, where all students get a chance to perform.
Performing Arts productions offered every three months. Free of charge.
Annual “Rock Band Showcase” recital where students get the opportunity to perform in a band setting.
Full time dedicated administrative staff during all teaching ours. Our front desk staff is available to assist our students at all times during regular lesson hours. Unlike some other studios where the teacher manages the schedule and collects lesson fees – our students don’t miss out on valuable lesson time because our administrative staff is available to help with the extras at all times.
A proven track record of excellence since 2004. Visit our testimonials page (here) or watch our school video (here) to get a better idea of what our school is about.
While many new teachers open and close a new studio in their first year, Hollywood Academy of Music and Arts has a proven track record of offering quality instruction since opening over 12 years ago; we have taught lessons to over 5000 students in our three Los Angeles area studios.
Happy student/family guarantee. We want you to be happy with your lessons. If you are not completely satisfied with your experience at the school we will gladly refund your first month of lessons.
Medals, certificates and rewards given out to commemorate recitals, passing tests, and to incentivize students to practice and accelerate their level of achievement. Every 6 months students will have the opportunity to advance to their next level and in turn receive a reward.
Free supplemental quarterly workshops held onsite on subjects of interest such as: songwriting, music business, recording technology, drum and bass, rock band 101, ukulele, mandolin, blues guitar.
Month to month lessons. All students are on a month to month basis for lessons. We do not require semester minimums or full year tuition prepayment.
All teaching rooms offer observation windows, mirrors, high end pianos and musical equipment.
Teachers and desk staff are required to have successfully passed a background check.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moments of my career has been opening the school and seeing our happy students and parents after our free recitals!
Pricing:
- 30 min private music lessons – $36.00 per class ($144.00 / month)
- 30 min group music lessons – $18.75 per class ($75.00 / month)
- Musical Theatre Classes – $20.00 per class ($80 / month): 80 minute group class
Contact Info:
- Address: Hollywood Academy of Music and Arts
7469 Melrose Avenue Suite 34
Hollywood, CA 90046 - Website: www.hollywoodacademyofmusicandarts.com
- Phone: 323-651-2395
- Email: [email protected]
Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
