Guitar, piano and music lessons in Charlottesville
Private weekly lessons in guitar, bass, piano, mandolin, banjo, ukulele and songwriting, for students from age four to adult.
Lessons
What you can learn
Guitar in all its forms (acoustic, electric, classical and bass), piano and keyboards up to synthesizers, the folk strings (mandolin, banjo and ukulele), and songwriting. It is one teacher for all of them, so a guitarist who wants to try piano a year from now stays with the person who already knows how they learn.
Reading, theory, ear training and technique are part of the lessons, but they are learned through the songs the student picks rather than instead of them.
Classical · Jazz · Blues · Folk · Rock · Metal · '90s alternative
Every style
From Bach to metal
The techniques differ: a Bach prelude on classical guitar is played fingerstyle, while a metal riff relies on alternate picking and palm muting (damping the strings with the side of the picking hand). The theory underneath, from scales to chord construction, is the same, and lessons build it through the music the student wants to play.
Tap a note to hear it; tap a name to read about the style.
Your teacher
Meet Bill Sanderson
Bill Sanderson's first teacher was his mother, who taught piano in Utica, New York. As a teenager he studied guitar with Carman Caramonica, and later classical pieces at the Crane School of Music. He came to Virginia in 2003 to teach at Orange Music and opened B# Music in Charlottesville six years later. These days he also plays bass in a working band, turns up at open mics, and still takes lessons himself. More about Bill.
- 2009opened B# Music
- 4+years old and up
- 1:1private weekly lessons
“Literally the best part of the week.”
B# Music · Charlottesville, Virginia
Free intro visit
Before your first lesson
A lesson is half an hour, once a week, one to one, at the studio on Woodbrook Drive. It costs $35 whatever the instrument or the student's age.
The first step costs nothing. At the free intro visit you talk through what you want to play, and if you don't own an instrument yet, Bill tells you what to look for before you buy one.
weekly · private
Lessons since 2009
Find the studio
Visit B# Music
Hours
- Mon
- Closed
- Tue–Wed
- 2:00–8:00 PM
- Thu–Fri
- 2:00–7:00 PM
- Sat
- 12:00–5:00 PM
- Sun
- 10:00 AM–5:00 PM
Good to know
Questions and answers
How much do music lessons cost at B# Music?
$35 for a private 30-minute lesson, once a week, whatever the instrument and however old the student is.
Is there a trial lesson?
No. Instead there is a free intro visit: you come to the studio, talk about what you want to play, get advice on an instrument, and meet Bill before deciding anything.
How young can a child start?
From four. The lesson is the same half hour as for adults, and piano or ukulele is the usual first instrument at that age.
Am I too old to start?
No. Students at B# Music have included adults up to the age of 70.
What instruments can I learn?
Acoustic, electric, classical and bass guitar; piano, keyboards and synthesizer; mandolin, banjo and ukulele. Songwriting is taught too.
What styles are taught?
Classical, jazz, blues, folk, every kind of rock, metal and '90s alternative.