The Music Studio

The Music Studio is a music school in Albany, NY that was founded in 1977 by Noel Ottery Liberty. Located at 1237 Central Avenue, the school has classes starting for children as young as two and has seen over 15,000 students since its founding. The school has five programs: Music for the Young, The Foundation Program, The Piano Program, Recreational Piano for Adults, and Classes for Children With Special Needs. Additionally, the school’s group The Music Studio Kids participates in performances throughout the year.

Founder

Noel Liberty is the founder and director of The Music Studio. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Depauw University and a Master of Music in piano pedagogy from the College of Saint Rose. Along with teaching, Liberty has served as an accompanist and organist/choir director at various churches and choral groups, and is an accomplished performer on piano, organ, and harpsichord. She has a national certification from the Music Teachers National Association in both piano and preschool music and has been an officer at the New York State Music Teachers Association for both state and local levels. A certified Orff instructor, she is a member of the American Orff-Schulwerk Association as well as the National Guild of Piano Teachers. Liberty created The Music Studio’s educational programs, developing curricula for a wide range of ages. She has been the recipient of several awards: the Honorable Gerald D. Jennings Backstage Award from the Albany Chefs’ Food and Wine Festival, a Women of Excellence award for Distinguished career from the Albany-Colonie Chamber of Commerce, as well as being named one of the 100 women who have most contributed to the Capital District.

History

When Liberty founded The Music Studio in 1977, it started with a single classroom and an upright piano. Liberty wrote her own textbooks for the first portion of The Music Studio’s Foundation Program, as none existed for very young students at the time. As the school grew, Liberty added teachers and classrooms, eventually ending up at the present location, which has four classrooms. Each room is equipped with a grand piano and 8 digital pianos, along with a variety of other instruments used in classes, ranging from recorders to drums to xylophones. Additionally, the school has offices, and rehearsal and recital spaces. The Music Studio currently sees 500-1000 students a year and has 9 teachers, one of whom is composer and pianist Joseph Fennimore. In 2023, the school was named KidsOutAndAbout’s reader favorite for arts education in the Capital District.

Programs

Music for the Young

One of the distinct aspects of The Music Studio is its programs catered to very young learners. In Music for the Very Young, 2-year-olds are able to experience music classes that are designed for their learning and attention capabilities. The four session course allows the toddlers and their parents to partake in musical activities including songs, dances, games, and different instruments.

Let’s Begin is another four session course and is intended for ages 3-7. The design of this course is twofold- a standalone class on its own, it also serves as an introduction to the Foundation Program, showing the kinds of activities and lessons that the core program entails. The course incorporates singing, ear training, rhythm, movement, note reading, ensemble, and composition.

The Foundation Program

The Foundation Program is The Music Studio’s two part school-year program in which children ages 4-8 start out in weekly small group classes. Students use textbooks written by Liberty during the first component, called Music Fundamentals. A two year program for those aged 4-6 and a shorter one year program for students older than 6, the course emphasizes exploration and creativity, through various activities such as singing, movement, ear training, and reading music. The students interact with many instruments, including but not limited to keyboard, recorders, guitars, and Orff instruments. Parents are encouraged to join for every class and are included in activities.

After students complete the Music Fundamentals course, they move on to Creative Keyboard, a two year course with more in-depth musical training. All instruments are still used but there is an emphasis on the piano. In this course curriculum advances to ear training, sight reading, improvisation, technical development, music theory, music history, and more. Students also partake in a yearly recital, performing both individual and group pieces. At the end of the year, both cohorts from The Foundation Program perform in an end-of-year show, most recently held at The Palace Theater in Albany.

The Piano Program

Students that have completed The Foundation Program are then eligible to move on to The Music Studio's Piano Program, where they receive weekly private lessons and attend occasional group classes with their peers. Students remain in The Piano Program for the rest of their schooling, until they graduate from high school. In the Piano Program, students are required to perform in multiple recitals a year as well as evaluations both at The Music Studio and through the New York State Music Teachers Association.

Recreational Piano for Adults

The Music Studio also offers a few levels of group lessons for adults- two beginner levels, an intermediate class, as well as a "no-pressure refresher" for those who have previous musical knowledge.

Classes for Children with Special Needs

The Music Studio offers a program taught by Beth McLaughlin, a music therapist and music teacher, for children with special needs. Circle of Friends is a four week class for 4-6 year old children with special needs and their parents. McLaughlin also teaches private lessons for students with special needs, with the content of instruction individualized to each students' needs.

Summer Camps and Classes

The school has offered several different summer programs in the past, including the Piano Camp, The Music Studio Rocks, and Catch a Rising Star.

The Music Studio Kids

The Music Studio Kids are a group of students within The Piano Program that gather and perform at several different venues and events. Most notably, The Music Studio Kids is invited to perform both singing/dancing and Orff pieces with the Albany Symphony Orchestra at their yearly Christmas show, The Magic of Christmas. When The Music Studio was first asked to join the concert, Liberty looked to find Christmas compositions for both Orff and orchestral instruments. After discovering that no such compositions existed, she enlisted the help of composer Paul Gerike to write original scores.

Other performances include various charitable events, performing at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), and at The Music Studio's annual end-of-year shows.