Half Note Studio

I have been taking both guitar and vocal lessons with Half Note Music School for just over a year now and I would happily recommend anyone else interested in music lessons do the same. I've played the guitar on and off for over a decade. Jack - my guitar instructor - quickly learned where my past musical experience placed me and tailored our lessons to my skill level.

I have no formal singing experience, and Amy has been wonderful helping me learn how to better use my voice. She has given me several different techniques that are easy to practice in my spare time. I have come a long way with both my instruments and I'm very satisfied with these lessons. As is common these days, my lessons were all over Skype and Zoom, but I hear the studio is open now for those that can attend in person.

Half Note offers great guitar instructions, I learned a lot about theory, and how to practice well and consistently. The instructors are very helpful, and often are able to tailor lessons to suit your interests (i.e: Your favourite genres of music).

My son took guitar lessons at the Half Note for two years. The environment is friendly and inviting. The instruction included a strong emphasis on learning to play and read, coupled with solid music theory.

I had a few months of guitar lessons at Half Note Music School. Edgar was my instructor, and he was very skilled and very knowledgeable about music theory. I asked so many questions, and he answered them all, sometimes even going past our allotted time to make sure I understood a concept. Unfortunately, I had to stop taking lessons because of work and time management. I want to start taking guitar lessons soon, and Half Note will be my goto school.

A little over a year ago, I came to Half Note so I could learn how to sing and play a song on the piano for my soon-to-be wife at our wedding. I had no idea how to play the piano at all, but the team at Half Note taught me how to play the piano and also gave me vocal lessons so I could sound halfway decent (they did a great job, I'm mainly commenting on my abilities).

Everyone I worked with was very professional and very friendly. They loved my story and were happy to work with me (and very patient). They all knew their various disciplines (several different ones usually) and were great teachers. I couldn't recommend a music school more.

I started taking classical voice lessons at Half Note 2.5 years ago. Since then my voice teachers have helped me grow consistently and given me lots of tools to develop my voice. It's often said that vocal instruction is very personal and requires a lot of trust and rapport, especially in the classical training techniques. I am fortunate to have found vocal instruction at Half Note that fit as well as I've hoped for. They've got teachers who are dedicated to the art form of music, and who are tireless in tailoring lessons to students' needs at various levels and genres. Twice a year the students get opportunities to perform on stage at a recital in a supportive and encouraging environment. Highly recommended!

The instructors here are really good and well qualified. I take voice lessons here, and I made way more progress in a few months than I expected. The lesson prices are reasonable, and the student and instructors have lot of freedom regarding scheduling the lessons. They also have these "Cook n Jam" sessions a couple of times a year, where the students get a chance to perform in front of an audience. I find it really useful and important to grow as a musician.

Have had my children here over the years for voice, guitar and piano. All of the instructors are amazing. They are flexible with scheduling and make up classes. The prices are always reasonable. Multiple performace opportunities to gain skills and confidence.

I don't like the owner of the school. I paid the first batch of 10 classes at once, and he processed the second batch charge on his own without my authorization while I was actually not planning to continue here. PS: the rate was up too and he didn't mention it to me at all. when I signed up, he made me buy two extra books that I didn't actually need for the class at all. I'm very skeptical of the other 5 stars ratings of this place.

My book club gave me a month of guitar lessons as a birthday gift. Lucky for me that they found Half Note on Yelp. I've been there about 15 months and recommend it as a terrific school for any age and ability level. They genuinely care about the students. As a guitar instructor Jack is challenging, amiable and always ready to go in any direction I want to take.

I really look forward to each lesson as a high point of my week. I also just started voice lessons with Jessica who is knowledgeable, enthusiastic and charming. My highest recommendation for Half Note!

I am an adult who learns to play piano. Eunjin is my third teacher. I decided to settle with her as long as she won't move out of Seattle : She is very skilled, experienced, well-educated, humorous. I had a lot of fun in class. She definitely made me more passionate about piano learning. And of course, my skilled improved a lot. I decide to study as possible Eunjin holds DMA degree in piano performance, which most teacher doesn't have.

This makes her extremely qualified to teach students at any level. She really knows how to teach effectively. There was a song I had practiced for two months for my wedding but it still sounded wrong to me. I couldn't figured out what's wrong. Then I knew I need a teacher. That's when I started my class with Eunjin. She went through each line with me. Corrected my figuring to make it easier for me to play each key evenly.

She taught me which part to use finger and which part to use hand, and how to relax fast between two notes. Those skills are so helpful for me. None of other teachers taught me before. Without her I will never do it.

Jack at Half Note is a fantastic guitar teacher and I highly recommend him and Half Note for any age or level of ability. I went in as a lefty, adult beginner wanting to learn guitar. The first great impression was Jack asking exactly what I wanted to learn and giving a free lesson to sample his style and what I could expect. He tailors his lessons, makes it fun and has a sense of humor to go with his professional playing and teaching ability.

You will not regret enrolling yourself or your kids at Half Note and will come away with some solid skills - no matter what instrument - and love of music. Jack truly loves what he does, understands everyone has a different learning style and can deliver those "aha" moments for any level of student. Great place to look forward to going every week.

I HIGHLY recommend Half Note Music School! I applied to Berklee College of Music, a prestigious music school in Boston, not knowing how to read music for guitar at all. Jack and Ira both did an amazing job assessing my strengths and my weaknesses and preparing me for my very demanding audition. I only had a month until my audition, but in that month, I greatly improved my reading skills, my music theory knowledge, and my overall preparedness for my audition (Considering Jack and Ira are both Berklee alumni).

I ended up nailing my audition, especially the reading portion of it! Berklee is infamous for not giving out scholarships, but because of how prepared I was for my audition, I earned an amazing scholarship that covered most of my cost of attendance. Overall, Jack and Ira are great teachers and taking lessons at Half Note was comfortable, fun, and not to mention affordable! 5 Stars!

Half Note is awesome. Our kids started piano lessons there last year. It was important to us that they learn to play and learn to love music. Half Note has done a great job teaching them both. Highly recommended.

I've been taking guitar lessons from Half Note Music School for about six months now and I highly recommend them! First, some background: I considered myself an "adult beginner", though I've played around with a guitar since high school. I knew the basic open chords and a few songs from the various "Teach Yourself Guitar" books I'd gone through. I'd often thought about taking lessons, but never quite got around to it.

As it turns out, one of my friends had been taking guitar lessons at Half Note Studio for about two years. When I asked her about it, she said she'd learned a lot and recommended I give Jack a call. I arranged a free initial lesson with Jack. I was nervous going into the studio, but Jack was quite friendly and quickly made me feel at ease. We went over what I knew and talked about what I wanted to get out of lessons.

In my case, I was looking to learn more music theory and get some "proper" guitar instruction. Six months later, I still look forward to my regular guitar class! I'm developing a better understanding of music theory, improving my ear training, getting better at sight reading and generally developing a deeper appreciation for what I can do with the guitar. Jack's a great instructor and very flexible in terms of tailoring his lessons to the needs of the particular student. If you've ever thought about taking music lessons as an adult, I say give Jack and Half Note Music Studio a try!

I've been taking guitar lessons with the director of the studio, Jack Dowdell, for the past 9 years. I started by taking a beginning guitar class Jack was teaching at the University of Washington Experimental College. I liked Jack and the instruction so much that I continued up to today. Jack has helped me play music as well as appreciate different styles of music. I've also written my own compositions and performed in a public setting.

My wife and I did extensive research on where to place our son for beginning guitar lessons. He is 10 and we wanted an environment and teacher we could count on to make it fun and educational. We found that in Half Note Studio and my family would recommend this to anyone interested in learning an instrument. The Director of the School, Jack Dowdell, has been fantastic from the very beginning. He is the main reason we chose this school and Evan, our son's guitar teacher is why we are staying!