Music Lessons in Utah

When school band, orchestra and choir begin in Utah

School music begins at different ages across Utah districts, so a private start can give you or your child a head start or fill a gap before a school group opens. Jordan School District offers band as early as fourth grade, while Salt Lake City School District has band and string orchestra at Wasatch Elementary in fifth and sixth grades. Provo City School District starts band and orchestra in sixth grade; Tooele County School District begins band and orchestra in seventh. Choir ranges from third grade in Provo to sixth grade in several districts and seventh in Tooele, so the right starting point depends on where your child attends school.

Who runs student music in Utah

Utah has separate groups for school activities and for private study, which helps you find an opportunity that fits your learner. The Utah High School Activities Association (UHSAA) runs the State Solo & Ensemble Festival for high school students, while the Utah Music Educators Association (UMEA) organizes school festivals for junior high and high school musicians. For private students, the Utah Music Teachers Association (UMTA) offers noncompetitive Performance Evaluations at all playing levels, entered by a teacher in their region. The Utah chapter of the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) also describes student chapters in many high schools, colleges and universities, so singers have a school-based path too.

Homeschool and private school students

Homeschool students have a place in Utah’s youth music scene: Northern Utah Youth Ensembles offers a youth chamber orchestra that rehearses on Saturdays at Promontory School from mid-September through April, and recommends at least two years of string experience. The State Solo and Ensemble Festival is another opportunity for high school students, though its eligibility is through the Utah High School Activities Association rather than a general open entry.

Choosing an instrument

Utah schools often offer band, orchestra or choir beginning in elementary or middle school, but the starting grade depends on the district. A string player might find an optional elementary orchestra in Cache County, while Utah’s fiddle history and Native American musical traditions give you more than one direction to explore. For a young child, the best choice is one that fits their hands, breath and attention; teens can think about the sound they want and the groups they hope to join, while adults can choose simply for the pleasure of learning. Lesson With You’s free first lesson is a chance to meet a teacher, try a real-time online lesson and see what feels comfortable before deciding on weekly study.

Starting or coming back as an adult

Adults have several ways to make music with others in Utah. Desert Winds Band in St. George welcomes all ages and skill levels, and the Salt Lake Valley New Horizons Orchestra in Sandy is for mature adult string players. Utah Voices welcomes singers across experience levels in the Salt Lake Valley, while Saratoga Springs Community Orchestra in Saratoga Springs does not audition. It is not too late to begin or return to music; with a weekly one-on-one Zoom lesson, a teacher can meet you where you are and help you build at a pace that fits.

Music in Utah

Where to hear live music

Maurice Abravanel Hall in downtown Salt Lake City is home to the Utah Symphony and hosts classical and pops concerts, so it gives you or your child a place to hear orchestral music live. Utah Opera’s Opera-tunities program offers free tickets to public, charter and online school students and accompanying teachers, while private and homeschool students can get $5 tickets with a teacher or chaperone. The Moab Folk Festival brings folk music and related genres to Moab. Hearing live musicians helps a learner connect notes on a page with phrasing and ensemble listening, which can make an instrument feel more familiar.

A little history

Utah’s musical roots include Native American ceremonial music, social dances and hand-game songs associated with the Shoshone, Utes, Goshutes, Paiutes and Navajo. Scandinavian and British fiddle tunes and ballads came with Mormon settlers in the 1840s, and original fiddle tunes accompanied dancing. In Salt Lake City, the Tabernacle Choir first sang at a church conference in 1847, and the Salt Lake Tabernacle organ, first played in 1867, has influenced Latter-day Saint music and worship. These traditions point to several distinct ways of listening and playing, from voice and organ to fiddle.

Utah also has a long connection to classical music and instrument making. Peter Paul Prier came to Salt Lake City in 1960, opened his own shop in 1968 and founded the Violin Making School of America in 1972. The Ogden Music Festival presents acoustic folk, indie and bluegrass at Fort Buenaventura Park, with free entry for children 16 and under. If one of these sounds draws you in, it can guide your choice of instrument without limiting what you explore next.