“I was so nervous going into that initial lesson ... and I went in, and I was hooked,” Evans said. “I think by the end of it she was already playing a song; I [said] ‘I think I could really do this.’ It didn’t feel like a job.”
Since founding Lessons on the Go in early 2011 and opening with one student and two teachers for piano and guitar, the music instruction business has grown to include a stable of 16 teachers offering lessons ranging from drums and vocals to cello and ukulele.
The business now has more than 200 students in The Woodlands area. Lessons are open to those age 6 and older, but piano students can begin at 4 years old. Teachers offer a custom lesson plan based both on improving fundamentals and students’ own favorite artists, genres and songs, Evans said.“What you get is a perfectly tailored music lesson to your exact needs and your exact interests. With us there’s definitely no one-size-fits-all lesson; it’s all a customized lesson planned around that individual student,” Evans said.
Teachers are matched with students based on their instruments of choice, and 30- to 60-minute lessons are scheduled on a weekly basis. Families with multiple children can book back-to-back sessions. Safety is also a top concern, Evans said, and all instructors are vetted before beginning to teach.
“We’re hyperaware of the fact that we are sending an individual into someone’s home,” he said. “All of our teachers are background checked. ... We’re very selective about who we bring on.”
Evans said the structure and check-ins with families allow Lessons on the Go to track and encourage growth. And while the business is based on customized, weekly lessons, two yearly recitals serve as goalposts offering students a chance to perform.
Evans said the business model has had to adjust slightly over the past year as COVID-19 initially halted operations. Online and in-person learning resumed last summer based on individual preference, and although Lessons on the Go suffered an enrollment drop after a strong start to 2020, Evans said interest slowly ramped up into 2021.
“We have more students than we’ve ever had in our company’s history that are doing at least twice a week right now. So that was an unexpected surprise,” he said.
He said he expects to hold community events throughout the year and expand the service into other communities.
“There’s so much more of a need for in-home, on-the-go kind of lessons versus parents traveling 20 minutes to their local music school, waiting 30 minutes for the lesson and then driving 20 minutes back,” he said. “I definitely see us growing and expanding into other surrounding areas.”
Lessons on the Go
9595 Six Pines Drive, Ste. 8210, The Woodlands
Office hours: Mon.-Fri. 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Lesson appointment times are flexible.
281-401-9580
www.lessonsonthego.com
Musical mixture
Lessons on the Go offers instruction across any style of music and for multiple instruments:
Piano
Guitar
Violin
Cello
Bass
Drums
Ukulele
Voice
