Chris K Music Lesson Schedule Is Full – Join the Waiting List
There are certain milestones in running a small business that make you stop for a minute and appreciate how far things have come.
This is one of those moments for me.
My current weekly lesson schedule at Chris K Music is officially full.
When I started teaching music, I never imagined that years later I would be working with more than 80 students each week and have a waiting list for new students. I don’t take that for granted.
Every one of those lesson times represents a student or family who has trusted me with a part of their musical journey. Some students walk through my door having never played a note. Others are preparing for school band, auditions, performances, worship teams, college, or simply trying to become better musicians.
That’s what makes having a full schedule mean so much more to me than simply having all the spaces on a calendar filled.
More Than Filling Lesson Times
I’ve been teaching and performing for more than 25 years, and one thing I’ve learned is that no two students are exactly alike.
Some students want to become professional musicians. Some want to make first chair in band. Some want to learn their favorite song on piano or guitar. Others simply need something that gives them confidence and a place where they can be creative.
That’s one of my favorite things about teaching.
My goal has never been to create one type of musician. I want students to understand music well enough that they can take what they’ve learned and use it wherever music takes them.
That might be a concert band, marching band, jazz band, worship team, garage band, college ensemble, recording studio—or simply playing music at home because they enjoy it.
Music lessons should create musicians who can keep making music long after the lesson ends.
A Very Special Year for Chris K Music
Having a full lesson schedule feels particularly meaningful during what has already been an incredible year professionally.
In 2026, I’ve been blessed to be recognized as a GRAMMY Music Educator Award Quarterfinalist, recognized by Marquis Who’s Who, and selected as a Notable Men 2026 Honoree.
Those recognitions are meaningful, but the work that happens every week with students is still at the center of everything I do.
It’s the beginner finally playing a song from beginning to end.
It’s the drummer who finally locks into a groove.
It’s the band student who walks into an audition more confident than they were a few months earlier.
It’s the adult student deciding that it’s not too late to learn something they’ve always wanted to do.
Those moments don’t come with awards, but they’re some of the best parts of being a music educator.
So, What Happens If You Want Lessons?
Although my regular weekly schedule is currently full, I’m not closing registration.
Instead, I’ve opened a Chris K Music Lesson Waiting List.
If you or your child would like to take lessons, you can add your information to the waiting list. When an appropriate lesson time becomes available, I’ll work through the list and contact families about openings.
I teach students ages 5 through adult, from complete beginners through advanced musicians.
Lesson areas include piano, drums and percussion, guitar, bass, voice, brass, woodwinds, strings, music theory, ear training, composition, arranging and general musicianship.
In-person lessons are based at Chris K Music in Mattoon, Illinois, and online/video lesson options allow me to work with musicians outside Central Illinois as well.
Join the Chris K Music Waiting List
If you’ve been considering music lessons, I would still love to hear from you.
Joining the waiting list does not mean you have to commit to a lesson time right now. It simply gives me the opportunity to contact you when an opening that may work for you becomes available.
👉 JOIN THE CHRIS K MUSIC LESSON WAITING LIST
Thank You
Most importantly, I want to say thank you.
Thank you to the parents who bring their kids every week.
Thank you to the adult students who make lessons part of already-busy schedules.
Thank you to the band directors, music teachers, churches and musicians who continue referring students to me.
And thank you to the students who show up, work hard, ask questions, make mistakes, laugh, learn and keep getting better.
A full schedule isn’t something I could have created by myself. It happened because people in Mattoon and communities throughout Central Illinois have continued to support Chris K Music and trust me as a music educator.
I’m very blessed to do what I love for a living.
And while the lesson calendar might currently say FULL, I’m excited about the musicians who will eventually fill the next openings.
There’s always room for more music.
— Chris Keniley
Chris K Music
Mattoon, Illinois