About Natural Ear Music

First time visitors to Natural Ear Music School are always amazed by the electric performances of the young bands in the soundproofed rooms - kids as young as 7 playing rocknroll with their friends in a band. It's a school that teaches advanced music and performance skills as integral parts of the program.

Natural Ear Music School was established in 1991, far before the movie School of Rock hit the theatres. It was the first school of its kind, teaching music by ear instead of using sheet music. The teachers are not music majors or jazz band refugees, but instead are revered members of the Austin music scene, each with a history in the local lore, ready to pass on the tradition of live music performance to the next generation of rockers.

There are no auditions to apply at Natural Ear Music; the method embraces beginners, showoffs, and little comedians. Within hours of arriving, most groups are playing recognizable songs. The kids can stay on their particular chosen instrument, or switch on every song. The songs are chosen by the coach, so the material is always upbeat and challenging, with no dark songs of depression, no drug references. Even the most jaded and nihilistic teenager can't resist after a while - this stuff is just fun to play.

Listening in to one group of 11-13 year olds play Pinball Wizard, a parent comments, "It's really amazing. It's the best money I've ever spent on that kid." Another exclaims, "I wish there had been something like this when I was 13." The coach, Thierry LeCoz, a roots rocker from France who has made Texas his home for the last twenty years, agrees, "Man, these kids don't realize what they are getting. And the teenagers here, wow, they sound better than a lot of pros!"

Natural Ear Music School offers private lessons on everything you might find in a rocknroll band, plus weekly rehearsals that last two hours, but the best known offering at Natural Ear is the summer camp. The camp has day camps in June and July, plus has offered a residential experience for the more advanced teenager, that includes a 12 day stay at Hardin House near the UT campus.

The day camp meets four hours a day, five days a week for three weeks and ends with a raucous performance at the famous Broken Spoke.

The residential campers practice everyday as well, but also get to roam around town with local musicians, going to shows and concerts, meeting backstage with the performers, and occasionally getting to sit in with the bands. They also perform at the Broken Spoke show on the last Thursday of camp.

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