Triumph Music Academy

Taking guitar lessons from James at Triumph Music Academy has by far one of the best decisions I've made in my adult life. I've wanted to know how to play for years, and now that is a reality. James and his staff are fun, patient, and extremely knowledgeable. Whatever dreams you have related to the instrument you want to learn, these guys will make it happen. I really cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed this - I would recommend Triumph Music Academy to anyone.

James and the team at Triumph do a great job! I worked with Mike Dodge, a top-notch instructor and musician, on both mandolin and guitar. I recommend Triumph on a regular basis to folks looking for teachers in GR. One great aspect of Triumph is there are students of all ages, lots of adults as well as young people. Music making is for everyone across the age spectrum and Triumph fosters that.

My daughter’s instructor is James (also the owner of the academy). It’s clear that the instructors are committed to helping their students develop a love of music, not just “play” an instrument. My daughter had never played a musical instrument before attending the academy, so we were starting from square one. James has been an incredibly patient and encouraging instructor. One of the things my daughter most enjoys is how flexible her lessons are. It seems as if James can take any song or style of music and create a lesson plan scaled to my daughter’s abilities. We highly recommend Triumph Music Academy.

Triumph Music Academy has a way of picking up on someone's learning styles and really focusing on material that a certain individual needs in their journey through music. As an individual who use to only pick up his guitar once a week at most I can say after attending the first lesson I was playing in the morning, on my lunch break and in the evening until I went to bed. This place has given me hope that I can easily break through my brick wall that I hit with my music. Though Triumph Music Academy focuses on how to bestow contemporary tactics and tones on your instrument they also incorporate easy to learn theory and foundation that make understanding one's instrument much more easily. It is nice that those at Triumph Music Academy are personable and most importantly relational. I have tried other avenues to learn music and all of them have failed. Look to the internet and there is just random chunks of information that have no rhyme or reason that leave you overwhelmed and frustrated. I looked to other teachers and most of them have not had the passion to truly help people connect with their music. I am so happy I found Triumph. These guys have changed my life musically in crazy ways. I would recommend any musical artist to check out Triumph no matter if you are a beginner or if you have played for years and have hit a brick wall. Also, Triumph Music Academy's location could not be any better. There is much to do in the surrounding neighborhood which makes the time after my lesson is completed much more enjoyable.

After years of performing as a vocalist and flutist with various amateur groups, I decided I would like to learn more about how music is constructed, and particularly wanted help learning to write harmony lines for flute to accompany vocal music. I contacted Triumph by email, and James responded to me within the day. After learning my goals, James paired me with Theo for private composition lessons. With Theo I instantly felt comfortable, understood, and encouraged. His teaching style is a perfect match for the way I learn best. Always encouraging, he listens carefully to my work, and teaches by showing me the overarching concepts I need to accomplish particular goals in a composition, rather than tell me what to do. I end each lesson feeling empowered and full of new ideas. After just two lessons, my goals expanded from writing simple harmony lines to writing my own original music, which I previously had no idea that I could do. I now find myself wishing for more hours in the day so I could spend them composing. Both Theo and James have encouraged me to perform and record my compositions, and they have the know-how to help me get my music recorded and heard. In just two months of lesson time, I have met my original goals, and then exceeded them exponentially. This would never have happened without James and Theo's caring expertise in their knowledge of music, teaching, and connecting students to the real world of performing and recording. Wish it were possible to give Triumph six stars!