Liberty Hill School of Music offers a stage for young Williamson County talent

“I’ve just really, really enjoyed teaching," Gomez said. “At one point, when my kids were little, I taught 50 kids a week Monday through Friday.”

Now, the school is celebrating its third anniversary in its downtown Liberty Hill location. While the business hosts recitals locally, students come from Burnet, Florence, Leander, Bertram, Cedar Park and Georgetown for lessons.

What they offer

The business began with piano and voice lessons, which Gomez said are typically the most requested. Within months of opening, the business hired its first voice teacher and began attracting teachers proficient in a variety of instruments.

Gomez says that the ideal age for starting each instrument varies. While children previously were recommended to start learning piano at 8 years old, Gomez says the new “golden age” to begin learning can be as young as 6 due to higher academic readiness from an earlier age. Gomez also recommends starting voice lessons at the age of 6.

Given the hand dexterity required for guitar, she recommends that children be at least 6 or 7 years old before beginning. The school prefers percussion students to be about 9 or 10, in particular because the program is geared to helping the students for band auditions. Flute and brass students should be enrolled in later elementary grades, Gomez said..

“That's one of our goals with all of our kids, we try to push them into those band and choir programs as they enter middle school,” Gomez said.

Gomez’s practice is also informed by her background in early childhood education and special education, which some of her instructors share.

Although Gomez cites cartilage development as a hurdle for younger children in learning piano, one of her instructors with early childhood experience will evaluate children younger than 6 in a trial lesson to understand whether their fine motor skills are advanced enough to take piano or voice lessons.

“We'll give you our honest opinion,” Gomez said. “I don't want to just take somebody's money just to take their money, I want them to have a good experience and a good foundation. ... If they're 3, I'm absolutely turning them away; they're just way too young.”

The setup

The school has five practice rooms equipped with soundboards created by Gomez after she moved the business into the brick-and-mortar location.

The school recently acquired two new Roland pianos from Capital Music Center, which operates a rent-to-own program. Gomez says this kind of program offers parents flexibility since they can return the piano if they decide they are not interested in lessons after four months.

For parents interested in enrolling their child in guitar lessons, the school offers guitar rentals for $5 a month. Additionally, the school is planning on expanding into instrument and accessory sales through its websites.

“We could have something out here locally where people don't have to drive all the way into almost Austin to get to the closest place or buy their stuff off of Amazon,” Gomez said.

The school also features digital pianos, as well as a group piano room. The school’s percussion room features two acoustic drum sets, although instructors sometimes bring in their own. The percussion room also hosts the group guitar classes.

“My ultimate goal is to be able to teach teachers to teach piano,” Gomez said.

Professional development for piano teachers is difficult to find, according to Gomez. In turn, she seeks to mentor her instructors in how to teach lessons from common practice books and effectively confront challenges. Eventually, Gomez seeks to create an inviting space piano teachers can “present and talk about what works for them.”

“You can be the best piano player in the world, but that doesn't mean you're the best teacher in the world,” Gomez said. “If you play at this level, sometimes you can't break it down and explain it in five different ways to five different kids.”

Other projects

Beyond teaching children how to make music, the business also partners with Lone Star Dance Co.

The business is led by Gomez's daughter, who was a former baton twirler. The dance company also offers camps throughout the summer.

While the school has hosted recitals in local churches and schools, it recently began hosting recitals in the backyard of Agape BBQ, a neighboring restaurant.

By moving the recitals to a less formal venue, families have begun bringing younger children and the school has been able to invite other local businesses, such as Fletcher’s Florals and Scribble Land Studio, Gomez said.

Additionally, the school has begun doing a showcase recital for more advanced students to demonstrate their talents, which Gomez says the school will continue to host annually.

“The expectation was that [families] were coming to listen to really nice music, really good performers, and it was exactly what it needed to be,” Gomez said. “We had those kids playing longer songs or multiple pieces.”

As Gomez reflects on the business’s development, the confidence students gain since beginning lessons stands out to her.

“Growth has been the biggest highlight for me so far to watch these kids grow in their musical journey,” Gomez said.

Each year, the school provides every student with a trophy to commemorate their work. This year, Gomez gave two brothers who followed her teaching from Round Rock eight-year trophies, the largest she’s ever given out.

“Well, [they’ve] earned it,” Gomez said. “Taller and taller, we're just getting bigger and bigger.”

• 3608 RM 1869, Liberty Hill
• www.lhmusicschool.com