Our Mission

 To provide the most effective, safe and enjoyable environment for students to discover their untapped ability to play the musical instrument of their choice. We are constantly exploring the abundant resources that make learning easier and more fun. Our goal is to transform your musical learning experience into an adventure that will educate, inspire, and energize you unlike any other.

             Our lessons are designed to engage students in a unique and fulfilling way - sensitive to individual needs - to provide  opportunities to explore music in your own way.

History

St. John Music studios were created by Robert St. John, a successful musician who began his music career playing multiple gigs at various establishments in San Antonio. In order to supplement his income, Robert gave private lessons in his home, until his student load became too great to provide adequate facilities at home. He explored the possibility of teaching lessons at various music stores but was severely disappointed with their poor teaching environments. They were mostly retail stores that simply were not designed for teaching. Lessons were expensive yet minimal resources were available for teachers and students; space was scarce, distractions were many, ventilation was lacking, and teacher qualifications were rarely checked. Getting a teaching job was just too easy and as a parent, Robert felt uncomfortable with the idea of having his own children being subjected to the uncertainties.

So he decided it was time to put his Bachelor's degree (in business management) to good use. He located a brand new facility on a main road in a good neighborhood where he leased three studio rooms. He began teaching his students there and spent every spare hour working hard to custom build a beautiful new home for his business. As word got around, his student numbers grew so he went to several universities to recruit music-majors who wanted to teach music lessons. He explained his teaching philosophy to these aspiring teachers and the response was overwhelming. He built a "quiet room" with his own hands to allow for more than one teacher-student session and before long, he realized that he needed many more improved "quiet rooms". His design specifications required that the rooms be quiet (of course), colorful, spacious, air-conditioned, exhaust ventilated and safe. As a parent, he wanted to be able to peek into a window to see his child without distracting them and to know that every moment was monitored by video cameras. So that is what he had built. Six of them. The first one no longer met his strict requirements so he took it down.

Again, the response was overwhelming. With very little advertising, his student roster grew to what it is today - almost every time slot is filled so he is working on further expansion. And yet he tirelessly continues to expand the quality, technology and innovation available to his students. One of the rooms is being used to create music videos for his students. It is one of the wonderful perks that students have to strive for: their own music video, professionally developed, in which they are the star; a video that they can take home with them and share with whoever they want. You can see some examples of this and other comments by satisfied parents in the "Take a Tour" video on the home page. 

Organization

Beauty, Comfort, Simplicity

• No bureaucracy or hierarchy - Our instructors are carefully selected to ensure that they provide the highest quality instruction as they determine best for each of their students. The only requirement is that they are in harmony with the St. John philosophy that music must be fun! Some organization is important, but too much can take the fun out of it so teachers are encouraged to constantly look for and share their ideas about new and better ways to make the learning experience fun and inspiring.  
• Nobody wants to learn or practice in a cramped, stuffy, dull space, so we have spent a great deal of time and energy making our studios safe, comfortable and beautiful. Click on the slideshow below to see inside.

Methods

Our methods are simple:

We go to great lengths to

1. Hire the best, most qualified and understanding teachers we can find. (All subject to background checks)
2. Maintain a clean, comfortable, beautiful, convenient and safe environment that is most conducive to learning.
3. Provide a fun, exciting, inspiring, and rewarding music-learning adventure by remembering what it was that inspired us to make a career in music and helping our students find that inspiration in themselves.
4. Keep it affordable for you. We conduct regular market research to ensure that we offer competitive prices even when our services and facilities far exceed our competitors. To do that, we do as much of the "leg-work" ourselves to save overhead costs. Sometimes we find creative ways to do that, often with the help of our families, students and their parents. We are always open to new ideas, resources and skills that you may have to offer. 

Our teachers are expected to

1. Remember what made learning fun and inspiring for them and to do their best to provide that to their students.
2. Communicate with kindness and respect and strive to understand what best motivates each of their students.
3. Provide feedback to parents on their student's progress, strengths and areas that need improvement.
4. Maintain their own schedule and to be on time for every lesson or to communicate any problems with the student (or parent) before the time of the lesson.

Our students are asked to

1. Have fun!!! and search for their own musical inspiration.
2. Show up to every lesson on time with a positive attitude and a yearning for learning.
3. Make music a part of their regular lives. The old saying, "Practice makes perfect" is an old saying for a good reason... 
4. Please understand and adhere to the contract agreement. It makes life easier for both of us.
5. Watch the video on our "Why take music lessons" page. Music lessons will improve your brain and greatly improve your chances of success in whatever career you choose. Practically any scientist, engineer, physicist, or high-level executive you ask will tell you about his or her fond music memories. Most of them played an instrument in their high school band and some of them still play in some kind of band. So consider this adventure a fun way to improve your future in many ways.