Mount Tabor Music School
Guitar Lessons, Piano Lessons, Violin Lessons, Voice Lessons & more!
Finalist for Best Music School in Willamette Week’s Best of Portland, 2019!
Private Lessons
Scroll to find the instrument you've been dreaming of and click to read about and/or contact your new instructor(s)!
Banjo
Select to contact Norman Hamilton today for banjo lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Baritone Ukulele
Select to contact Norman Hamilton today for baritone ukulele lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Composition
Select to contact Sarah Collins today for composition lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Fiddle
Select to contact Adam Easley today for fiddle lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Music Theory
Select to contact Chrysa Eleni Siameti today for music theory lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Piano
Select to contact Sarah Collins and/or Chrysa Eleni Siameti today for piano lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Voice
Select to contact Chrysa Eleni Siameti today for voice lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Combining Voice & Piano
Select to contact Sarah Collins today for combining voice and piano lessons at Mount Tabor Music School!
Group Classes - Fall 2019
Learn something new and meet new Portlanders in the process!
Kids Ukulele Workshop!
Saturday Sept 14th: 10-10:45am Ages 6-8 Saturday Sept 21st: 10-10:45am Ages 8-10 Spark your child’s curiosity in the ukulele and introduce them to the world of fretted string instruments! Ukulele pro and master teacher, Norman Hamilton, teaches bite-size skills that add up quickly! Great for kids with any level of experience playing music or no experience at all. This organized approach helps kids feel comfortable and secure as they make their way toward mastery. Class size limited to 6 students to ensure each child receives personal attention. $15 per session. Register at normanwhamilton.com/kids-ukulele-workshop today to secure your spot! *Ukuleles provided
Beginning Folk Guitar for Adults!
September 18th - October 23rd (6 week series) Wednesdays: 6:30-7:15 pm If you're an absolute beginner when it comes to playing guitar, this class is for you! Guitar pro and master teacher, Norman Hamilton, uses a step-by-step approach that will have you strumming patterns, reading music and playing chords in no time at all! By the 6th week, you'll have a repertoire of folk and old time tunes that are fun to play on your own or with friends and family. Class size limit of just 6 students means you'll get personal guidance on your playing technique. $126. Register at normanwhamilton.com/group-classes today to secure your spot!
Women's Song Circle!
Thursday September 19th: 7:30-9:30pm Thursday October 17th: 7:30-9:30pm Renown singer-songwriter Beth Wood hosts a song circle for women to share songs and support each other in our creative practice! A song circle is a fun, safe space to share new and old works and to offer/receive support and feedback (if requested). Open to all ages and levels. If you have a new song or an old song or a favorite cover song you'd like to share, or if you'd like to sharpen your performance skills by playing for others, or if you'd like to celebrate creativity and community, I hope you will join us! Free. Register today by emailing Beth at bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com!
Vocal Ensemble for Ages 12 & Up!
Auditions: Saturday, September 28th, 4pm 4 rehearsals/month starting Saturday October 5th - Saturday December 14th from 4-6pm Explore your musicality and sing in a small, fun group of singers! This ensemble - led by master singer, pianist and music theorist, Eleni Siameti - is geared towards people that want to expand their vocal abilities in a group setting. The rehearsals will be divided into 2 sections, one will be dedicated to a detailed and intense vocal warm-up, and the second will be in learning and singing musical pieces of various eras. (Song suggestions are welcome). We will be working with a lot of movement and rhythmic patterns, so wear your comfy clothes and prepare for a vocal workout! $225 for the entire term. All voices welcome to audition! Register today by emailing Eleni at truevoicepdx@gmail.com!
Open Song Workshop/Playshop by Stand and Sway!
Saturday October 26th: 3:30-6:30pm and Sunday October 27th: 10am-1pm The Stand and Sway Open Song workshops are led by the incredible Beth Wood and Ara Lee James and are an exploration in play, singing, and songwriting. Trying something new is some of the bravest work you’ll ever do. And we believe that the best way to coax out ideas, songs, words, whatever might in there takes a thoroughly supportive environment and permission to just try already. We don’t teach people how to sing. We help people remember how to play. We will write group poetry, make up songs, do some creative unlocking, sit still, and sing like nobody's listening. All levels are welcome. Join us for some collaborative, creative fun! $100. Register today by emailing Beth at bethwoodmusic@hotmail.com!
Vocal Masterclass for Beginners - Ages 12 & Up!
Sunday, November 3rd 11am-afternoon (length of masterclass depends on attendance) Mount Tabor Music School teacher Eleni Siameti is sharing her inimitable Greek conservatory training with us in her first Portland masterclasses! In this first class, she'll teach the basics of singing and vocal anatomy, plus how to work with movement, how to use core muscles to help with diaphragmatic breathing, and much much more! Singers are required to prepare a song of their choice, for which they will have 45 minutes to work with Eleni. An accompanist will be available for each singer but singers are also free to provide their own. Singers must register their song or aria at least 20 days before the masterclass. The masterclass will also include a Q&A after each singer, and an open audience for people who would like to attend but not sing. $60 for singers. $15 for attendees. Please contact Eleni at Truevoicepdx@gmail.com for more information as well as for registration!
Vocal Masterclass for Advanced Singers - Ages 14 & Up!
Sunday, November 24th 11am-afternoon (length of masterclass depends on attendance) Mount Tabor Music School teacher Eleni Siameti is sharing her inimitable Greek conservatory training with us in her first Portland masterclasses! This second class is intended for contemporary and opera singers, students of music colleges, music academies, as well as for high-level, non-professional singers wishing to strengthen their skills in vocal repertoire. Attending students are required to prepare a contemporary song or aria (with or without the recitative) of their choice. Each student will have 45 minutes with Eleni, during which she will provide you with feedback and new ways to improve on lyric expression, stage performance, annunciation, technique, and useful information about both audition and competition preparation. An accompanist will be available for each singer but singers are also free to provide their own. Singers must register their song or aria at least 20 days before the masterclass. The masterclass will also include a Q&A after each singer, and an open audience for people who would like to attend but not sing. $60 for singers. $15 for attendees. Please contact Eleni at Truevoicepdx@gmail.com for more information as well as for registration!
Our School
Upstairs in the UPS building on Hawthorne - right next to New Seasons - there's an unpredictably beautiful 1,000 square feet of space. Wood-slat ceilings, a skylight that stretches the length of the school, 4 teaching studios, a kitchenette, central heat and A/C and a large private restroom. And once Mount Tabor Music School moved in: a deep purple performance space complete with stage, an art/homework bar, cozy waiting area and a Portland-themed mural. Welcome to our school. ❤️
In the Heart of Southeast Portland
Mount Tabor Music School is located in the upstairs suite of the UPS building at 41st and Hawthorne. Enter through the door facing Hawthorne, and the stairs to the school are immediately to the left. There's one reserved parking space on the lot, and plenty of street parking.
Mount Tabor Music School is not your average music school…
Mount Tabor Music School, founded February 2018, utilizes a “salon model” – meaning each teacher is an independent contractor who rents their own room.
There are high standards in place for selecting our teachers.
MTMS only chooses teachers who are:
- Highly trained and experienced musicians.
- Experienced teachers, either in the classroom or privately (or both).
- Devoted to prioritizing the well-being of the student over the lesson plan for the day.
- Safe and welcoming for all families and people.
Each teacher has also passed a professional background check to ensure comfort and safety for all.
The salon model often means our school feels different than others.
- There’s frequently just one teacher at a time here as we all run different schedules.
- All communication about lessons, payments, etc happens directly with your teacher, rather than with an administrator.
- Students can always expect to be in the same studio with the same teacher, rather than being moved around as administrators re-assign studios.
It also means that our teachers commit to our space because it’s their space too. And the security that comes from that long-term relationship ripples out to our students, and their relationships with both their teachers and their instruments.
Our teachers believe in the power of music education so much that they’ve devoted their careers to it.
And Mount Tabor Music School is dedicated to finding and nurturing the very best teachers.