An Over the Mountain couple recently realized a lifelong dream by opening a music studio and academy in Hoover.
Shane and Shauna Nichols opened Stickandstrum Academy on David Green Road in Riverchase in January.
Stickandstrum Academy offers private and group music lessons in guitar, bass, drums, piano and ukulele.
“What sets us apart is that where most teachers end with lessons, we are only getting started,” Shauna said. “Our focus is on students playing in bands together or cultivating themselves as a live solo acoustic act.”
Shane has been teaching music lessons in the Birmingham metro area at studios, churches and music stores for about 10 years. He said he felt it was time he and Shauna opened their own studio.
“There is an innate problem with typical music lessons,” he said. “Students come in for their lessons once a week and then go home. It is just another activity in the multitude of things keeping kids busy these days.”
As a music teacher, Shane said his aim is to do much more than keep his students busy.
“With no bigger goals to set their sights on, many students ultimately get bored with lessons and quit,” he said. “It would be like going to soccer practice every week for a year but never playing a game. What’s the point?”
At Stickandstrum, the students are performers, Shauna said.
“Whether they are working in one of our student bands or honing their craft as a solo artist, our students are excited about taking their music to the stage,” she said.
The students at Stickandstrum also get to play the roles of teachers, Shane said.
“The best way to learn something is to teach it, so we let our older and more advanced students teach,” he said.
Shane and Shauna said the best part of their job is watching their students “get it.”
“There’s something magical when you see a concept click and see a student really start to take off and achieve what you always knew they were capable of,” Shauna said. “We love to see students mature and develop both musically and as people.”
When they are not busy building their new business, Shauna and Shane, who have been married for seven years, said they like to play with their two dogs, Flops and Sadie. They are also in the process of adopting their first child.
For more information, visit www.stickandstrum.com.
