Here are some of the kind words families had to say about We Love Music:

“My 8-year old son has been taking music lessons from Ross Carnes since he was 5 years old.  Ross is an incredible instructor, and tailors his lessons to the interests and pace of the child.  When my son first started lessons, Ross had him simply play and experiment with all of the instruments.  As my son developed an interest in the drums, Ross would select music that my son liked (e.g. Queen – “We Will Rock You”, The Who – “Pinball Wizard”), and the two would play drums together.  My son would learn by mimicking, as he could not read yet.  My son at age 7 wanted to play the electric guitar.  Many other instructors would not teach a child electric guitar until they were age 10 and had first learned acoustic guitar.  But not Ross.  He taught my son electric guitar initially through mimicking/memorizing hand placement and then through reading notes.  My son loves it.   We recently moved from Austin, TX to Durham, NC and my son continues his guitar lessons with Ross through Skype.  Ross is the most accommodating, creative music instructor I’ve ever met, and I would recommend him to any child or adult who loves music and wants to learn to play an instrument or in a band. –Sherri Kempf

When my musically-inclined but very independent 7 year-old announced at piano: “I don’t like pieces and I don’t like other people’s music!”, I didn’t know where to turn.  Fortunately, a friend directed me to Ross who immediately understood how easily a child can be dissuaded from pursuing an interest in music.  After a few meetings, they developed a strong rapport and for the last two years, Ross has taught my son through both leading and following.  As a result, my son’s love of music – especially drums – has grown when it could have been lost altogether on a traditional teacher.  Thanks to Ross, my son loves music and is developing both his skills and his creative expression through composition.” –Ashley McLain

“I have three boys ages 4, 7, and 9, and they all take drum lessons from Ross.  At first we were only getting a few lessons to get them started on their new electric drum set, but they ended up begging me to continue the lessons.  Ross connects with my kids in a very authentic way, and somehow he inspires their interest in music.  He does a great job balancing the fun part of learning to play an instrument with more basic elements that have to be studied.  I would certainly recommend Ross as a music teacher, and I also think he’d be great at helping groups of kids get a band together.” –Kimberley Watts

“Through my daughter’s experience taking ukulele lessons with Ross, she has come to love making and performing music.  Ross actively applies teaching strategies and methods that are based upon the desires and uniqueness of each child.  He asked my daughter what song she wanted to learn as opposed to telling her what songs he thought she should learn.  He worked with her over many months to work up and perfect The Rainbow Connection, which she confidently performed for her whole school at their annual talent show.  Not only did he come to watch her perform, but also stepped in to work the sound system and microphone setup to assure that all students had the best possible performing experience.  Ross loves music and helping kids realize their musical dreams.  We can’t recommend him highly enough.” –Amy Hufford

“We feel so blessed that Vivian was given the opportunity to have such a talent-affirming kick-ass experience last night. And in general: working with you to write original music with Ada, to put together such an original and awesome performance set, recording original music, and feeling so empowered to create her own music her own way. It’s something that wasn’t even available when Blake and I were kids. We’re so grateful for your patience, support, expertise, creativity, and all that you do. It was inspiring and amazing to see all the kids last night, and we especially loved the original songs. And overall, the grace and courage of all the performers in getting up on that stage and letting us see what they do.” –April Smith-West