Community Music School provides $1 weekly music lessons. No experience necessary, and all materials are provided. To enroll, students must be between 2nd-12th grade and meet the income eligibility requirements for the Free and Reduced Lunch program, Medicaid, or other financial need. Community Music School conducts its after school music lessons late August-May, Monday-Friday, 4-8pm at Longleaf School of the Arts, 322 Chapanoke Rd, Raleigh, NC 27603.
1 on 1 private music lessons in both contemporary and classical music are offered in all instruments, including piano, guitar, percussion, violin, cello, woodwinds, harp, voice, music production and more, and instruments are provided at no charge. Second graders will begin two years of small group classes where they explore a variety of instruments in Explorations I and II. Third graders will begin with Explorations I. Starting in Fourth grade, students will begin 1 on 1 lessons on the instrument of their choice. Private lessons are 30 minutes and small groups lessons are 1 hour each week for 32 weeks. Tuition is $32 for the year.
Each year, Community Music School welcomes new and returning students into the school and enriches their lives through access to high quality music instruction. The open enrollment period is April 1 through June 30. Once enrollment closes, we welcome you to sign-up for our waitlist as we do have spots open up each year.
Once you have made your instrument choices and submitted your registration form, the Director of Music Education will place your child in the appropriate program based on your child’s age and musical experience. Some programs have minimum and maximum numbers of students.
While we always try to assign students to exactly what they would like, for a variety of reasons, that is not always possible. We will do our very best to place your child with an instrument and a teacher, in a program that will make your child happy!
Summer Camp
Each summer Community Music School offers a one-week, half-day summer music camp:
- For rising 3rd-6th graders
- At Longleaf School of the Arts, 322 Chapanoke Rd., Raleigh NC 27603
- No experience is necessary
- Lunch and all materials are provided
- Cost $35 per student for the week
- To be eligible, students must meet the income eligibility requirements for the Free and Reduced Lunch program, Medicaid, or other financial need.
- Enrollment opens February 1
- For 2024, camp runs July 22-26, 9am-1pm. Enrollment is currently closed.
At summer camp, students rotate through a variety of instruments such as ukulele, percussion, handbells and harp, as well as arts and crafts. The week culminates in a showcase performance on the final day of summer music camp.
Satellite Programs
Community Music School enjoys working with non-profit partners and the Wake County Public School System to develop satellite programs for after-school music lessons. We currently have satellite programs in partnership with:
- Fox Road Magnet Elementary School
- Southeast Raleigh Community Learning Center at State Street Community Church
- Wakelon Elementary School
Berklee City Music Network
Community Music School is a proud member of the Berklee City Music Network. Berklee City Music Network is a consortium of 46 community organizations across the United States, Canada, and Latin America committed to delivering high-quality contemporary music instruction to youth from underserved communities. The network consists of out-of-school time programs that receive access to the Berklee PULSE Music Method, as well as other resources and support from Berklee College of Music in Boston.
As the only designated North Carolina agency partner to the Berklee College of Music, Community Music School students have access to scholarship opportunities for the Berklee five-week summer intensive, as well as scholarships to their undergraduate programs.