News & Events

Juilliard’s New Amsterdam String Band comes to Asheville

We are very excited to bring this group to Asheville to work with Asheville Music School students! Student of all ages and skill levels are invited to attend the August 7 workshop/performance at AyurPrana Listening Room, just up the street from AMS. This event coincides with the finale of our Appalachian Music Camp week, led by teachers Paul Stroebel and Jason McCoy, and is free for AMS students. 

More info about the Juilliard group and the event

Rosette Chamber Concerts, a new Asheville-based concert series dedicated to Baroque music, period instruments, and intimate live performance, launches its inaugural season August 7-9 with a public opening weekend featuring the New Amsterdam String Band. The weekend introduces Asheville audiences to Rosette’s central mission: presenting outstanding Baroque musicians from around the United States and abroad in small, resonant spaces throughout the Asheville area.

As a special opening program, the New York City-based ensemble New Amsterdam String Band will explore one historical thread connecting music of Baroque Europe with the traditional music that later flourished in Appalachia. The weekend begins Friday, August 7, with an interactive public workshop at the AyurPrana Listening Room in West Asheville. Musicians of all experience levels are invited to bring acoustic instruments and learn the traditional tune “Squirrel Hunters.” Listeners are also welcome. Members of the New Amsterdam String Band will combine teaching, storytelling, and short performances to illuminate connections between Baroque-era musical practices and Appalachian fiddle traditions.

“Rosette was created to bring extraordinary Baroque artists and instruments into intimate spaces where audiences can experience this music up close. For our opening weekend, we wanted to invite Asheville into that world through a program that shows how European musical ideas traveled, changed, and took root here, before our season turns fully toward the repertoire of the Baroque period.” — Jessica Honigberg, founder and artistic director of Rosette Chamber Concerts.

Friday August 7
AyurPrana Listening Room
4:30pm
All ages and skill levels

We have a few summer camps still enrolling, including Harry Potter-themed Suzuki Strings, Video Game Music Camp, Audio Architects, Jazz Camp and more. 

More info below, or click here to inquire and/or enroll.

Video Game Music
7/6 – 7/10
9am-12pm
Ages: 8-14
Led by: Mary Steinbrecher

Video Game Music Camp is a great way to play your favorite compositions in a group setting! Explore the music of Mario, Zelda, Minecraft, and others all while learning how to play and arrange compositions in different types of ensembles.

This camp will include an end of the week performance and a video game character costume contest! All instruments are welcome.

Minimum 6 months of playing experience required.

Song Studio
7/13 – 7/17
1pm-4pm
Ages: 12-14
Led by: Rachel Hansbury

Grow your singing skills in Song Studio camp! Singers age 12-14* who love to sing in choir, theater productions, lessons, and more will love the enjoyable and fast paced Song Studio camp. Prepare and polish solos, duets, and group songs from popular songs, musical theater, or other genres while building your technique, musicianship, and stage craft.

Singers will support and learn from each other while preparing for future auditions or performances, learning to sing in a masterclass style setting, and more! We’ll also have a lot of fun sharing techniques and honing our craft together.

Harry Potter-themed Suzuki Strings
7/27 – 7/31
9am-4pm
Ages: 5-12
Led by: Holley Ross, Paul Stroebel

Come join in on the magic, music and merriment of Hogwarts Camp of Violin and Musicality. We will have wand practice, a Quidditch game, and plenty of music making.

This camp is for string students with at least 6 months of experience on their instrument. But, we do have a new Harry Potter themed camp for very beginners, the previous week! Scroll back up to learn more.

Jazz Camp
8/3 – 8/7
9am-12pm
Ages: 13-18
Led by: Andy John

Jazz Camp is a great place for the advancing musicians to learn how to play jazz. Reading music is recommended but not required. Available for all instrumentalists and singers, we will explore standard jazz repertoire and styles, music theory, improvisation, common jazz rhythms, phrasing, and song forms.

Open Jam Camp
8/10 – 8/14
9am-12pm
Ages: 9-16
Led by: Mary Steinbrecher

Open Jam Camp is a great way to get started with improvisation and playing in a rock band. Any instrument welcome! Whether you’re building confidence on your instrument, or you’ve been rocking out for years, this camp is a great way to expand your musical horizons and collaborate with your peers. 

Audio Architects: Intro to Recording & Production
8/10/2026 – 8/14/2026
1pm-4pm
Ages: 14-18
Led by: Guinevere Thorn

Camp is 1pm-4pm with the exception of Wed. Aug 12: 1pm-7pm

This hands-on, in-the-recording-studio camp covers the fundamentals of a music recording, with a focus on basic recording and mixing techniques. Campers will learn essential signal flow, mic placement, Digital Audio Workstation usage, and approachable tools to help bring their recordings to life. No instrumental or vocal skills required, only an interest in the production side of music making. In this half-day camp (plus one full-day recording session), campers will become acquainted with the gear in AMS’s Sound Lab; plan out a recording session in which they’ll be their own lead engineers; produce, mix and even master their work into a finished song.

This class is designed for ukulele players who already have a basic foundation on the instrument and are ready to continue building confidence, technique, and musicality. Over the course of 7 weeks, we’ll deepen our skills through more varied strumming patterns, introductory fingerpicking, chord transitions, and musical phrasing, while learning new songs together in a supportive group setting.

Students will have opportunities to expand their repertoire, strengthen timing and rhythm, and develop a clearer understanding of how chords, melody, and song structure work on the ukulele. The class emphasizes practical playing, listening, and ensemble skills, with space for questions and individual growth.

Whether you’re looking to solidify your fundamentals, gain momentum in your playing, or simply enjoy making music with others, this class offers a relaxed and encouraging environment to help you progress.

Prerequisite:

Students should be comfortable with basic chords, simple strumming, and tuning their instrument.

Asheville Rockestra celebrates 1976
Thursday April 30 at The Orange Peel
Songs In The Key Of Life opening set by AMS teachers
Doors at 6:30
Show at 7:30
All ages
$20 advance/$25 DOS

It’s been 50 years since 1976, a year of music that celebrated huge records from Stevie Wonder, David Bowie, Queen, ABBA, The Ramones, Heart, and so many more. Each year for their annual benefit concert Sound Effects, Asheville Music School selects a musical focus. For 2026, students and teachers alike have spent months studying and rehearsing some of the greatest hits of 1976. They’ve created a huge band – the Asheville Rockestra, made up of dozens of students, and some teachers, to celebrate (and perform live) the 50th anniversary of 1976.

Sound Effects Benefit Concert raising funds for music scholarships and outreach programs at Asheville Music School. 

Saturday March 21, 2026
12:30pm-3:30pm
Ages 14-18

This hands-on workshop covers the fundamentals of music production, focusing on basic recording and mixing techniques. Participants will learn essential signal flow, mic placement, DAW workflow, and simple mixing approaches to help bring their recordings to life. We’ll focus on practical techniques, creative decision-making, and simple tools that help turn raw ideas into polished tracks.

No prior experience necessary – all skill levels welcome.

$95
Held at Asheville Music School’s Sound Lab, 10 Ridgelawn Rd. in West Asheville. 

About Josh Blake

Josh Blake is a Grammy-nominated musician, producer, and engineer with over 30 years of experience. Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Josh now calls Asheville, NC his home since setting roots there in 1997. As a musician and producer, Josh uses whatever toys are available, but on stage a guitar is his instrument of choice. He has recorded with and performed in a wide variety of bands over the past 30 years, whose styles include hip-hop, funk, reggae, bluegrass, acoustic and rock.

Click for more…

Music Production & Composition Intro Class
Taught by: Alexander Rodriguez
April 2-23, 2026
5:00pm-6:00pm
$110

Introduction crash course for learning music software to compose and produce original music.  Focused on learning the fundamentals of music composition and music technology. No experience necessary.

Develop knowledge and experience working in a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) using music software – softwares used in the class will be Logic, Ableton, Garageband, and Pro Tools

Classes will focus on composition techniques, music production, songwriting & song structure, music theory,  live recording, music for multimedia, and all other aspects of making music

Creative group space for exploring composition techniques and developing music technology skills.  All styles and genres of composition are welcome.

Summer music camps at Asheville Music School are a great way to begin your musical journey, enhance your skills, or even try a new instrument. Students will learn music in a fun, supportive, team-oriented environment in small or large groups. All camps include time outdoors, weather permitting. Camps run Mon-Fri, half day (9am-12pm or 1pm-4pm) or full day (9am-4pm). Financial need-based scholarships are available

Cost: $210-$385. Email info@ashevillemusicschool.org for more info.

Click for more info and links to register…