Welcome to the School of Musical Traditions

The School of Musical Traditions is a private music lesson studio dedicated to the instruction of the world’s many musical styles and traditions. We are well-versed in the art of teaching music and take great delight in getting to know each of our students and their individual learning goals and styles.

We are delighted to make your acquaintance!

About

In addition to teaching a wide array of instruments, our teachers specialize in folk traditions from the US and around the world, jazz, blues, rock, pop, and classical music.

For students who are ready to create and share their own material with the world, we offer instruction in songwriting and recording & production.

Learn

Many of our students work one-on-one with a teacher whose expertise matches their learning goals. With lessons available online every day of the week, we will match you with a teacher who fits both your style and schedule.

Our workshops and classes allow students to learn from the finest musicians in the region.

Testimonials

Man playing guitar in front of wall of guitars

Connect

We are always accepting new students! Email, call, or fill out our lesson request form and our admin team will assist you.

All instruction is online at this time. We look forward to re-opening our studios in Takoma Park and Rockville, MD as soon as it is safe to do so!

C. Linder

“My son started taking lessons late last fall at the School of Musical Traditions. The gang there made us feel welcome, inviting us to local events where they would be playing and giving great advice about appropriate music books. I'm of the generation where music classes started with repetitive exercises. Eventually you went on to play awful, old songs. It has surprised and impressed us enormously to see our son learn how to play actual songs of his choosing in a short span of time.”

H. Lida

“It has been one year since lessons went virtual, and I must say my stay-at-home guitar lessons and practice sessions have helped me to stay positive and safe during this socially restricted time. So thank you -- we have now become an expert Zoom student-and-teacher pair!”

M.S. Powers

“Highly recommend School of Musical Traditions. Our son has been taking guitar lessons for over 6 months now. Communication has been very good. Our son enjoys the lessons and his teacher is very knowledgeable. Staff are professional and courteous. Great place for lessons for people of all ages.”

Robert Schamberg

“After 47 years of being a musician and ten years of performing, I set myself a goal for making some audio and video recordings. I spent months of trying to do this on my own and realized I needed some professional help! McKinley Corbley of the School of Musical Traditions provided me with a couple months of lessons that were fantastic and got me up and running, and actually excited about music production. She helped me set up my own recording studio, complete with a great condenser mic, recording and mixing software, and showed me how to use everything. McKinley is bright, energetic, insightful and a fun and compassionate teacher.”

News & Blog Posts
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What is Taiko?

With all the Taiko classes we’ve been offering lately, you might be wondering “what the heck is taiko, anyway?” Here is an explanation by Mark Rooney, who teaches all of our taiko workshops! WHAT IS TAIKO? This may seem like a pretty straightforward question at first glance, but I have learned over the past 20 years that there are as many different answers to this question as there are people you might ask. TAIKO = DRUM Firstly, “taiko” is a word used to refer to any drum in Japan. A snare drum is a “taiko,” a djembe is a “taiko”. But to the English-speaking world, “taiko” is a term that has come to mean “a traditional style of Japanese drumming”...

June 4, 2021

An Introduction to Traditional Swedish Fiddling and Why It’s so Lively!

This blog was written by SMT’s very own Mari Carlson in anticipation for her upcoming Swedish fiddling workshop on May 16th—click here to sign up now! If you’ve ever heard Swedish as a spoken language, you’ll recognize the pronounced diphthong — the sing-song lilt and melodic cadence of the language. Similarly, the polska is a Scandinavian type of dance that is as Swedish as the diphthong. The polska is a dance tune, or, rather, an overarching term for various subsets of polskas from different regions. Its rhythm defines its melody and also gives it direction, drive, and an invitation for the listeners to MOVE! Characterized by its 3/4 meter, it bobs along with heavy emphasis on 1 AND 3, and...