Golden Rule Music School

Golden Rule Music School is a music school in Hickory, NC, dedicated to getting students playing their instruments as quickly as possible. Instruction covers a broad range of instruments and topics, with Jamie Stephens currently offering guitar, bass, piano, ukulele, mandolin, banjo, drum, songwriting, theory, recording, music production, reading music, and percussion lessons. Private lessons run either 45 minutes with a 15-minute jam session or 30 minutes with a 15-minute jam, and group and band lessons are offered in small settings of family, friends, or similarly skilled students. Stage Craft lessons, Jam Classes, workshops, and school-sponsored Jam Nights round out the interactive practice opportunities, and rehearsal space is available for bands or groups of friends. Virtual lessons are also offered for students learning from home.

The school operates under a "learn, play, perform" framework, moving students from understanding the physical, mental, and theoretical side of their instrument, to putting those concepts together coherently, to performing live. Lesson packages include the Performer Package with four 45-minute private lessons and two 30-minute Stage Craft lessons, and the All-Star Package with four 60-minute private lessons and two 30-minute Stage Craft lessons, with the fifth week of each month free. Jamie Stephens, the owner, founder, and teacher, is a professional musician and songwriter based in Hickory who has performed and recorded with several bands across America for more than 20 years. He studied Performance and Music Education at the Musician's Institute (Guitar Institute of Technology) in Hollywood, CA from 2003 to 2005, during which time he worked as a session musician at Westlake Studios in Los Angeles. He later moved to Chicago, where he played as a sideman for locally popular bands at venues across the city. He brings more than 12 years of teaching experience to students of all ages, both in-person and online.

The school is located on 3rd Avenue Northwest, within a short walk of the Harper House/Hickory History Center and Frye Regional Medical Center, and a couple of blocks from 2nd Avenue Northeast and 2nd Street Northeast.

Golden Rule Music School holds a rating of 5.00 based on customer reviews, reflecting the experiences of the students and families who have worked with the school in Hickory.