Who Are We?

We are Swords&Strings. Calian Raine and Bethany Ann are both disabled, queer musicians who have a passion for promoting confidence, sound creation, and accessibility to music. Both having grown up in the performance arts in the Lake Norman Area, we know how important music is to the area - especially for middle and high schoolers.

 

We have both been trained in multiple modalities and practical applications of music. With Calian Raine taking an approached that is pulled from the basics of Music Therapy, and Bethany Ann taking an approach from traditional Jazz music - both bring unique perspectives to technique, composition, music theory, and in person lessons. Both having grown up with learning disabilities and a passion for the arts, neurodiverse learners are not a new concept, and are in fact something that we love working with. Making sure classes are paced, designed, and executed with each individual student in mind is very important to us both - and reflects in how we design each experience. 

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Here at Swords&Strings - we believe making sound is a universal right, our goal is always to be making progress, not striving for perfection, and that inherently music should be fun and not a source of stress for students (or parents). With that in mind we offer sliding scale pricing and instrument rentals to ensure that music, transcriptions, and classes remain accessible.