Columbia Arts Academy

Columbia Arts Academy is a music school in Columbia, SC. It teaches piano, acoustic and electric guitar, drums, bass, mandolin, banjo, ukulele, voice and singing, and violin, with lessons for students from age 4 to adult. The school holds a rating of 4.90 based on 109 reviews. The academy describes itself as SC's largest music school, teaching over 1,600 students, and states that it has won more awards than any other music school in the Midlands. It has operated since 2003 and teaches at three locations, in Columbia, Lexington and Irmo. Its faculty numbers 70 music teachers, each with college training or professional performance experience, with at least three teachers for every instrument. Lessons are offered seven days a week, from 9:00am to 9:00pm Monday through Friday, 11:00am to 4:00pm on Saturdays, and 1:00pm to 6:00pm on Sundays. The school occupies more than 3,000 square feet, including a parent lounge with Wi-Fi, and lesson rooms equipped with amps, full drum kits with pads, keyboards, acoustic pianos, and LED monitors that connect to mobile devices. Observation windows on every door let parents watch a lesson or sit in. Teachers and staff undergo background checks, security cameras are installed in all rooms, and full-time office staff are on site. Students perform in biannual recitals, held with a grand Steinway piano, with no participation fees. The academy sits on Rosewood Drive, about 0.2 miles from Rosewood Park and 0.3 miles from both Sims Park and Rosewood Elementary School, with Beltline Boulevard about 0.6 miles away. Families have reviewed the school 109 times, and the academy has served the Columbia area since 2003, drawing students from as far as Charlotte, Augusta and Charleston.