Hi there, welcome to Mira’s Music Studio!

Welcome to Mira’s Music Studio! This is THE PLACE to grow a love for saxophone, flute, clarinet and music theory online. Lessons are student centred and develop musicians of every age in a creative, engaging and inspiring way.

Read on to find out why Mira’s Music Studio is perfect for you or your child to start or continue your musical journey.

“Why mira’s music studio?”

The student experience at Mira’s Music Studio is unique and joyful. The learning centres on engaging your mind, body, and imagination to connect deeply with the instrument and sounds. Musicians who learn with me experience the enjoyment in musical creativity and experimentation whilst maintaining commitment to skill development and progress.

Mira’s Music Studio has roots in Western Classical music but delivers it differently. Western classical music training has a reputation of learning with your brain before your ears or body. That’s why at Mira’s Music Studio, students are led to sense the music before intellectualising it. Rather than being rigid and tense, this encourages a culture of easeful practice where we can be curious and playful. 

The student is always at the centre of lessons. Every lesson is tailored to how the student learns, the type of music they like to play, and builds on their strengths while developing areas that need more attention. When lessons are structured for the STUDENT, not the style or syllabus, the student flourishes.

This is why Mira’s Music Studio focuses on:

• Exploration: being curious and engaging with the plethora of wonderful music out there

• Cultivation: spending the time to be with the instrument and develop skill

• Creation: beyond copying the notes that someone else created, actually inventing/choosing/imagining/making music from scratch

You can find out more about my qualifications, experience and artistic projects over on the bio page. But don’t take my word about Mira’s Music Studio, here’s a review from the happy parent of my long term student:

“Mira taught my daughter saxophone for several years and was always extremely organised, professional and creative in her approach to teaching. We were so lucky to find her.” - Adèle S (parent) 

And here are more reviews from students on Google.

“What will I do in lessons?”

In every lesson, students at Mira’s Music Studio develop musical, instrumental, listening and creative skills through inspiring and engaging methods. Developing musicians thrive with tailored lessons that touch on each of these areas every week. I have students who, at the end of every lesson, say “Oh no, the lesson is over already? I don’t want it to finish!” because learning these skills is enjoyable, not a chore.

“What do students aim for? Do they have to do exams, eisteddfods, or competitions at Mira’s Music Studio?”

Short answer: No, but students still have personalised goals to work towards. 

Long answer: At Mira’s Music Studio we will always work collaboratively to get students to where they want to be with their music. I understand that people have many different reasons for learning music and tailor unique performance and creative goals for the student’s interests and preferences (which may include exams, maybe not). A valuable part of a student's music learning is being inspired to go beyond their comfort zone or to work that little bit harder. Generally a variety of goals across a student’s education is ideal and leads to a well rounded and motivated musician.

Past students at Mira’s Music Studio have loved fostering their artistic side and community connections through preparing a busking set, performing for family, creating a video soundtrack, or composing. Equally, there have been students who are inspired to practise twice as much leading up to an exam or public performance, or to tackle a challenging piece. Everyone is different and that is valued at Mira’s Music Studio.

Many (if not most) students feel hesitant about performing - and this is OK! By challenging ourselves to do hard things, we learn how capable and resilient we really are. It is so rewarding when students say “yes I am scared but that won't stop me from trying my best” and afterwards realising “Hey that wasn't as bad as I thought! I feel amazing that I got up and did that! When’s the next concert!?” 

Let me share a story about my student Rory (name changed for privacy). Rory quickly picked up the basics of saxophone, practised diligently, started playing in the wind band and overall loved his music practice. When the band walked on stage to do their first performance, Rory stood side stage filled to the brim with terror.

“I don’t think I can do it,” he said "I can't go out there!”

Does this sound familiar? Through some encouragement and mindfulness exercises he mustered the courage to go on stage. He said to me after that

“it actually felt good to perform, I was scared at first but it wasn’t that bad!”

Very proud teacher moment!

Despite his stage fright, Rory would have a go at every performance opportunity that came along. Unsurprisingly, he improved each time. After a year of performance practice, Rory smiled as he walked confidently on stage (in front of family and school mates) and boogied his way through Uptown Funk, getting the loudest applause of the night! 

Through Rory’s participation in music he was able to see that the feeling of anxiety doesn’t mean he can't do something. He saw that there is reward for doing hard things and that improvement comes with persistence. These are such important lessons for a 13 year old to learn, and those of us that aren’t 13 any more can often benefit from a reminder ;)

Are you or your child ready to work towards goals that suit you and challenge you to be your best?

“What is music good for?”

Music is intrinsic to being a human and to being well as a human.

There has been so much research done on what music is good for that I won’t reinvent the wheel to explain it. Below are some links where you can discover the myriad of benefits that music education has on the brain, body and person. I am a big believer that “music for music’s sake” is one of the biggest reasons for learning music, but I’ll save that for another day.

The report Music for Every Child from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music is a fantastic resource that explores the broad range of benefits that music education has in children's brains, character and community. 

 “Music-making is an essential part of a child’s growth” (Pg 2) 

“Musical training not only accelerates brain development, but also produces long-lasting changes even in the mature adult brain.” (Pg 9)

There is no such thing as “too old” or “too late” for reaping the benefits of learning music. 

Just looking at the contents page gives a reader a great overview of what music is good for:

A glance at that list shows that learning a musical instrument really is the superfood of activities! This report backs its claims with links to scientific research where you can find out more information. Comprehensive yet easy to understand, I highly recommend checking the report out if you would like to understand why music is important for your children or yourself.

More resources:

Brainvolts has an extensive and up to date list of scientific studies relating to how music impacts the brain. The “Of Sound Mind” section of their website also links to many incredible music and science podcasts and resources. 

The Music Education Research Journal has many open access papers exploring music education from various perspectives

This National Library of Medicine article shows that learning music as an older adult still has many benefits for brain and mental health - it’s not only the kids who benefit! 

The Power of Music Thinking Podcast explores peoples connection to music, how it shapes their lives and how it helps them in sometimes unrelated careers. In their own words “from deep listening to developing a creative mindset for innovation, using instruments to better connect with each other and letting people see the big picture, one thing is for sure: you will hear and see patterns in your personal or business life and think from different perspectives at the same time.”

Roland explores the various ways music can benefit people at any stage of life, including citations. 

A wise and experienced teacher of mine once said “Music is inherently good.” There really is nothing bad about it. It makes our brains bigger and better, it builds social cohesion, strengthens the person's character, and is inherent to being human.

If you want to make your or your child’s brain bigger and more effective, to develop your growth mindset and enhance creativity, and to foster a stronger sense of belonging and connection within your community, start music lessons today!

“Are lessons for me?”

Are you human? Then yes, learning music is for you. Music is intrinstic to being a human, and also to being well as a human.

Music lessons are a great way of having structured learning at the appropriate level, getting specific feedback, and regularity that is hard to find as a DIY music learner trudging through endless blogs and YouTube videos.

So often I hear people say:

“Oh I don’t have a musical bone in my body”

Are you human? All of your bones are musical!

“I used to learn back in the day but stopped. I wish I didn’t give it up though, too late now I suppose…. [stares wistfully into the distance]”

It’s never too late, whether you’re picking it back up 10, 20 or 60 years later! All you have to do is start. Check out this review from my student Cam, who didn’t let a long break get in his way from enjoying making music again:

“After deciding to play the sax after a 25 year hiatus, I found Mira and couldn’t be happier. Mira is an accomplished saxophonist and has a great ability to be patient and thorough with my learning as a beginner. I always leave our lessons with new tips and challenges to build my skills and would alternate my lessons with alto and tenor which she encouraged. I highly recommend lessons with Mira if you’re a beginner like me, or an experienced player looking for someone with a keen eye and ear to improve your playing.” - Cam W (adult learner)

All are welcome and encouraged to learn music at Mira’s Music Studio. My teaching experience ranges from beginners to advanced with young children to retirees. Mira’s Music Studio is an inclusive space for LGBTQIA+ folk, first nations people and those with accessibility requirements or additional learning needs. You are welcome to mention, if you are comfortable, anything that can make your learning more enjoyable, effective and safe.

Levels on offer:

• Saxophones (alto, tenor, soprano, baritone): beginner to advanced 

• Flute: beginner to intermediate

• Clarinet: beginner to intermediate

• Music theory: AMEB grade 1 to 3  

I recommend that children are at least age 8 before learning a woodwind instrument. If your child is younger but super keen, reach out and we can chat about some options.

Limited places are now available for online lessons. Fill out the New Student Sign Up Form now to secure your preferred time!

I look forward to meeting you soon,

Mira Stephens

Questions? Ask them here!

Keen to start lessons? Sign up here!

After filling in the form I will reach out shortly to book your first lesson. I look forward to meeting you soon!