Our Story
YaMusic offers Yamaha music lessons in Edmonton and we are an Authorised Yamaha School. We specialize in group music lessons starting ages 2 and up.
YaMusic was a dream before it was a reality. Jillian and Melanie have worked together for many years teaching the Yamaha program and it was always the dream to open our own school together.
The day had finally come! We jumped at the opportunity to start our dream and offer our students a place to continue their music education. We made the decision to start our own business in September 2020. By the beginning of October we had found a place to lease (for the time being), took care of all the legalities of starting a business, enrolled 91 students, and started teaching! On top of all of this, Melanie had 2 kids under 4 and Jillian was pregnant with her first child. Talk about a whirl-wind few months!
“Yamaha has not only changed the way I teach others, but have made me a better musician. I continue to grow with Yamaha every year that I continue to teach. I am so grateful to be a part of this amazing education system.” – Melanie
“I am so excited for this next chapter as a Yamaha school owner, and can’t wait to be a part of creating positive musical memories for children and adults alike.” – Jillian
Melanie’s story
I grew up playing piano from an early age. I had many amazing teachers through the years who inspired me and gave me additional opportunities to develop my musical skills. Some of my greatest musical memories involve playing on a bunch of trash (my first band experience) and also being given the opportunity to play trumpet with University students when I was only in high school.
Unfortunately, along with the good experiences, I also got my share of bad. I had the stereotypical piano teacher that people are haunted by in their adulthood. This teacher taught me a lesson far greater than piano technique; what NOT to do with my students.
I was given the opportunity to start teaching when I was 17 years old. I was introduced to the Yamaha group style program in 2007, and haven’t looked back since.
Jillian’s story
Music has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. I’m a “Yamaha kid”, and started taking group classes at 4 years old! I went through the entire program, including the JOC program where I learned to compose my own music. My parents were focused on giving me a diverse childhood, and I can remember attending the children’s symphony concerts, plays, and other artistic experiences from a young age. I was always a part of the band program in school growing up, and had the opportunity to develop my skills on the clarinet (although I haven’t played in a long time!), participated in choirs, jazz bands, and basically every other musical group I could be a part of.
I’m grateful for my supportive teachers that I’ve had along the way, from childhood all the way through my university education. Each of them has had a profound impact on my life, and that is something I strive to provide with my own students.
Ultimately, from our experiences, good and bad, our dream is to provide a place where teachers want to teach, students want to learn, and parents want to hang out because it is just that cool.