Private Lessons

Children between the ages of 8 and 18 are eligible for free lessons at CMA if their families are not otherwise able to afford music lessons. At CMA, we go by the income thresholds determined by the US Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). We go by the low-income household levels, which can be found here.

Each student enrolled in private lessons at CMA receives a free weekly half-hour lesson taught by a qualified professional.

We offer lessons on many different instruments, including brass, woodwinds, bowed strings, percussion, guitar, voice, Bluegrass and and Old Time instruments, and piano. We accept students with any level of experience; the material studied in each student's lessons is tailored to that student's individual needs. Focused one-on-one time with instructors helps our students make leaps and bounds in their progress; recent student achievements include successful auditions into All-State and All-District Band, Choir, and Orchestra; SCAPA; CKYO; and music scholarships at UK and Morehead State University.

Group Classes

The central music academy’s teachers offer unique courses of study outside of regular private lessons.

During the school year, for example, CMA has offered more than ten after-school steel band outreach classes where students study Caribbean music and culture while learning to play the Trinidadian steel drums. Our six-year program at Dixie Elementary has yielded especially successful results. At Dixie, not only did students' grades and classroom behavior improve after they participated in CMA's steel pan program, but the school's annual CATS (the state's standardized test) scores increased dramatically from 55 points in 2005 to 109 in 2007.

In 2008, CMA provided two trained instructors to teach interactive music and movement classes to 15 ESL (English as a Second Language) students from Cassidy Elementary. Many of these children had recently relocated to Lexington as refugees or immigrants, and in an effort to help them integrate into the community, our teachers used Orff xylophones and group improvisation in order to improve the kids' linguistic, motor, and social skills. In 2010, we added a group guitar class to our program; we partnered with M.A.S.H. of the Bluegrass for this program. We have also offered jazz improvisation classes, a clarinet choir, a class for pre-school-aged children in partnership with the UK Music Therapy Department, a CMA rock band, a steel band, a ukulele class, and a Bluegrass ensemble.

Summer Classes

Chamber Strings Camp

CMA’s Chamber Strings Camp is held in June and is for students ages 10 to 18. It is free to students who qualify for free/reduced lunch; $100 for those who do not. Students must be able to read music and have at least 2 years of experience.

During the camp, each student explores new repertoire as part of a string quartet as well as a larger chamber ensemble. They receive instruction on technique, sight reading, music theory, and improvisation.

Check back in January 2025 for summer 2025 dates!

Annual Schedule

CMA has student outreach performances monthly at a variety of locations in Lexington.

January - New board members introduced, Spring lessons begin

March - Honors Recital

April - Student juries

May - Spring mailing, Recitals

June - Summer lessons begin, Chambers String Camp

August - Fall lessons begin

November - Goodgiving Challenge

December - Student juries

 Current Students