For 45 years Swallow Hill Music has been Denver’s home for high quality music instruction in a group class setting. That tradition continues on September 3 when the celebrated music nonprofit kicks off its Fall Session of music classes.
This eight-week session will feature 143 classes, taught by 32 teachers, all of them professional musicians with performance experience. Swallow Hill offers classes to people of all ages, from its Little Swallows Music Classes for toddlers ages 1-4 and their guardians, through adolescents and teens, to adults.
REGISTER: For Swallow Hill’s Fall Session of Group Music Classes
As North America’s second-largest acoustic music school, course offerings include instruction for aspiring musicians who are completely new to their chosen instrument, as well as classes for more advanced players that zero in on a specific technique, or ensembles that get players in a group or band setting across a variety of genres.
In 2023 Swallow Hill’s Music School experienced a year of growth and reinvigoration. Ultimately, 1,300 students received instruction in over 520 classes. In early 2024 Swallow Hill built off that momentum, which it is carrying into the upcoming session.
“I feel really excited about how everyone continues to come back to Swallow Hill,” School Programs Manager Catherine Cecil said about the music school’s strong growth since the start of 2023. “We hear over and over again that people enjoy how each class builds off the one before keeping people excited and motivated.”
When asked about what she’s excited about in the upcoming session, Cecil immediately said that it’s been a “joy” to work with the five new teachers they’ve recently onboarded. “They’re coming into their own and have really great student bases.”
Cecil brought up instructor Nabin Shrestha, who has hosted jams and workshops for Swallow Hill over the years. This fall he is teaching two classes for beginners and intermediate players on the tabla. The tabla is a pair of hand drums that are popular in India, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, and elsewhere, that can be played solo, or with other instruments.
A native of Nepal who studied in India, Shrestha is now based in Colorado and well-established as a musician in the Front Range creative community. “We love Nabin!” Cecil shared.
Other highlights of the Fall Session include:
- Little Swallows classes introduce toddlers, preschoolers, or babies to the joy of music. These 30-minute classes take place Mondays and Thursdays at 10 am, and on select Sundays at 10:30 am. Registration 24 hours in advance is recommended.
- In Introduction to Audio Recording students will learn to use a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation – such as GarageBand) to release their own music
- The return of our online intensive learning experiences, Progressions. This session’s Progressions offerings are Lead Guitar, Bluegrass Guitar, and Songwriting.
Swallow Hill’s beginner classes, also known as Core Classes, focus on the basics of an instrument or singing, whether the student has never picked up the instrument before, or has played it just a little bit. Core class offerings include Guitar, Voice, Piano, Violin, Mandolin, Banjo, and many more.
More advanced classes and ensembles that allow more seasoned players to focus on specific techniques and play in a band setting are also offered.
Each of Swallow Hill’s eight-week sessions culminate with a Graduation Week where students get a chance to perform what they’ve been working on in front of an audience of their family, friends, and peers.
Swallow Hill believes music education should be accessible to all. Their Tuition Assistance program gives all students, regardless of age or income, the opportunity to connect with music. To learn more about the program, including who is eligible and how to apply, visit their website here.
Swallow Hill also offers private music lessons.