Who we are...

In 2017, two friends--a blue-haired soprano and a red-headed flutist--decided that music and business (and the music business) were a heck of a lot more fun when enjoyed with friends. Over Sarah's (the flutist) kitchen table, they envisioned creating a music lessons studio rooted in collaboration and camaraderie--shared goals, training, skills, and successes.

Knowing they were stronger together, Sarah and Christin combined their desire to create something different, along with their decades of teaching and performing experience, to launch Sand Dollar Music out of Christin's basement and Sarah's living room.

In 2018, Coleman Clark--a pianist and singer specializing in jazz and rock--joined the team, and he and Christin codified a system for team teaching in voice lessons.

In 2020, Christin moved to
Las Vegas, NV, and Sarah and Coleman grew the Dayton studios
in her absence.

In fact, Sarah and Coleman grew the flute, voice, and piano studios by 66% between 2020-2022, despite lockdowns and the unpredictability
of virtual lessons.

In 2022, Christin moved back to Dayton (yay!), and the whole team moved into our lovely new studios in Centerville. Student enrollment tripled in the first six months, causing us to outgrow our existing space and move into a much larger one, conveniently near Centerville High School.

And that brings us to
where we are now:
A team of 17+ performers and music educators, growing, dreaming,
and scheming together on
how to best serve our students.

Because here's what we believe:

--You are meant for music. You just need the right team to help you find your song.

--You deserve clarity on what's going on with your playing or singing.

--You deserve simple, straightforward ideas for how to play or sing the way you know you can.

--We are your pedagogical partners. You don't need someone telling you what to do based on their standards of excellence. You need someone who gets it, who gets you, who understands what you're trying to do and who can help you do it better. You need someone who can help you develop the skills you need to make the music you love.

And here's how we do it:

--Goal-setting. It's hard to know what to work on if you don't know what you're working toward. We'll help you define specific, achievable goals so you can confidently assess your progress.

--Simple teaching. There's no cult of personality here, no method devotees. Our team draws from both time-honored and cutting-edge pedagogical practices to help you develop the technique that makes sense for your brain, body, and spirit.

--Open-source environment. This teaching team is truly a team, and you have access to all of us, our education, ideas, and experiences as needed.

--Development of your innate artistry and musicianship. You're in the artistic driver's seat the whole time. We're just gonna show you how to use the stick shift.

--Skill building through performance training. Playing or singing is a different skill set from performing. We train both. This holistic studio model is designed for the musician who wants to improve in technical skill so that they can confidently communicate in front of an audience...whether that's an audience of 10 or 10,000.

Think this might be the place for you?

We think so too. Let's get started.

This studio is FANTASTIC! So great with the kids! We've been here for several years now, and the growth in my child's performance and ability is incredible.

--Jess H.

Hard to express how genuinely impressed
I am with this group. Their approach and technique were not what I expected and produced astounding results.

--Jay D.

I am so thankful for the time and experiences I got at Sand Dollar! They are good at what they do but still care very much for the students.
They are phenomenal at encouraging and providing opportunities for collaboration!

--Karena C.

I did lessons with this studio for many years. Because of the dedicated staff, I was encouraged to try out for All State Band, and I made it. I could not have gotten this far if not for Sand Dollar Music.

--Aria C.