Barcelona. A city where the streets hum with melodies, from the soulful strum of a flamenco guitar in El Born to the echoes of jazz floating through the Gothic Quarter. Whether you’re sipping a cortado by La Rambla or watching the sun set over Montjuïc, there’s a rhythm to life here—a heartbeat that pulses through the city’s rich musical history. If you’ve ever dreamed of learning an instrument, refining your voice, or diving into music production, there’s no better place than Barcelona to start your journey.
Why Study Music in Barcelona?
Beyond the breathtaking architecture and Mediterranean charm, Barcelona is a city built on sound. It has been home to legends like Pablo Casals, the iconic cellist, and the birthplace of modernist composers like Frederic Mompou. But it’s not all about classical music—Barcelona is a melting pot where flamenco, jazz, indie rock, and electronic music collide. The city boasts a thriving underground music scene, legendary summer festivals like Primavera Sound and Sónar, and a wealth of music schools catering to every genre and skill level. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned musician, the city offers a creative atmosphere that makes learning music feel electric.
Studying at Shine Music School in Barcelona offers a unique opportunity for anyone passionate about music. With a wide range of instruments and vocal lessons tailored to all ages and skill levels, students benefit from personalized instruction by experienced teachers. Whether you’re a beginner or looking to refine your skills, Shine’s dynamic courses foster creativity, musicality, and confidence. You can join a vibrant community of music lovers, enjoy flexible learning schedules, and experience an inspiring environment that will help you shine in your musical journey!
Types of Music Classes Available
Barcelona has something for everyone, whether you’re looking for casual lessons or professional training:
Instrument Lessons: From classical violin to electric guitar, you can find private and group lessons across the city. Many music schools offer specialized programs in jazz, flamenco, and rock.
Vocal Training: If you want to refine your voice, Barcelona has top-tier singing instructors offering courses in opera, pop, and even traditional Catalan music.
Composition & Music Production: With its deep electronic music roots, Barcelona is an ideal place to learn music production, DJing, and sound design. And you can try your hand at creating your own music.
Flamenco & Traditional Music: If you want to immerse yourself in the true sound of Spain, flamenco guitar and singing lessons are widely available.
Kids’ Music Classes: Many schools offer early music education, perfect for introducing children to the magic of sound.
How to Get Started
Find Your Style: Are you drawn to classical music, rock, electronic beats, or traditional Spanish sounds? Your choice will determine the best teacher for you.
Set Your Goals: Are you learning for fun, or do you want to perform? Knowing your goals will help you pick the right level of training.
Check Out Trial Lessons: Not sure? Take advantage of discounted trial classes to find the right fit.
Explore Local Music Venues: Inspiration is everywhere! Visit places like Razzmatazz, Apolo, or Jamboree to experience live music and connect with fellow musicians. Shine even regularly runs Jam sessions, where you are welcome to come and see what our students get up to!
For Parents
Enrolling your child at Shine Music School ensures they receive high-quality music education in a nurturing and creative environment. With passionate, experienced teachers and a variety of music courses, your child will develop not only musical skills but also confidence, discipline, and creativity. Shine offers individual and group class options, allowing children to progress at their own pace while fostering a love for music that lasts a lifetime.
What to expect in your music classes
A warm, welcoming environment to ease any nerves.
Introduction to basic music concepts, tailored to your skill level.
Fun and engaging activities to make learning enjoyable.
Guidance on techniques, whether for an instrument or voice.
An opportunity to discuss your musical goals with your teacher.
Final Notes
Barcelona is more than just a city—it’s a symphony of culture, history, and creative energy. Whether you’re here for a summer, a year, or a lifetime, taking music classes in this vibrant metropolis will connect you to its soul in ways you never imagined. So grab your instrument, tune your voice, or fire up your DAW—it’s time to make some music in Barcelona at Shine Music School!
Ready to start your musical journey? Register HERE
Picture this: your little one picks up a violin for the first time, and instead of a sweet serenade, you’re met with a sound that closely resembles a cat in distress. Don’t panic! Every musical journey starts somewhere, and trust us, it’s worth it. Music lessons aren’t just about playing an instrument; they’re about building confidence, enhancing brain development, and giving kids a creative outlet that will stay with them for life.
Studies show that kids who study music have better memory, improved mathematical skills, and even enhanced social abilities. Plus, music can be a stress reliever—something we all need, even at a young age!
Some schools in Barcelona have great music programs, while others specialise in other things, like sport or art. You can find after school music classes in many of the neighborhoods in the city, and some even offer classes on the weekend, in your home, or even online. Both Group lessonsand Individual classes are great. At Shine Music School, you can even create your own group beginner classes. This is a fantastic option for siblings, or for friends looking for discounted music classes!
But lets find out about what to expect from taking music lessons…
Finding the Right Instrument
Choosing an instrument is a bit like choosing a pet—it needs to match your child’s personality and lifestyle! Here’s a quick breakdown:
Piano: Great for beginners! Teaches melody and harmony right away.
Guitar/Ukulele: Fun and portable, perfect for sing-alongs.
Violin: Takes patience, but rewards with elegance.
Flute/Clarinet/Saxophone: Ideal for kids who love a challenge and enjoy playing in a band.
The key is to let your child explore and choose—they’re more likely to stick with it if they love the sound and feel of their instrument.
Private Lessons vs. Group Classes
Both options have their perks. Private lessons offer one-on-one attention, helping kids progress quickly. Group classes, on the other hand, can be more social and fun, teaching collaboration and teamwork. If your child is just starting, group classes might be a great way to ease into learning without pressure.
What to Expect in the First Few Months
Here’s the deal: it won’t sound amazing right away. (Sorry!) But that’s all part of the journey. In the first few months, your child will:
Learn basic techniques
Practice simple songs
Get comfortable with their instrument
Encourage them to stick with it. Learning an instrument is like learning a new language—it takes time, but the rewards are huge!
Practice Tips for Parents
Getting your child to practice without turning into a drill sergeant is an art in itself. Here’s how to help:
Make it fun! Turn practice time into a game.
Keep sessions short and sweet (10–15 minutes for beginners).
Praise effort, not perfection—celebrate the small wins!
Set a routine—same time every day works best.
Join in! If you play an instrument, have a mini jam session together.
When to Expect Progress
Don’t expect Mozart-level compositions in a month. Most kids show noticeable improvement after about 6 months of consistent lessons. After a year, they might be ready for recitals or small performances.
Beyond the notes and rhythms, music teaches patience, perseverance, and self-expression. Whether your child becomes a concert pianist or just enjoys playing for fun, music will enrich their life in ways you can’t even imagine.
Final Tips from the professionals!
Rent an instrument, rather than buying one. Initially, your child may not be sure which instrument is the one for them, renting allows them to play on better quality instruments for a fraction of the price. And quality goes a long way in facilitating easier playing, and therefore helping them progress faster. It also means that you can change instruments at any point! The piano wasn’t for them? No problem, try the violin!
Communicate with your school or teacher. Finding the perfect teacher for your child isn’t always so easy. Sometimes they click immediately, and sometimes not. There’s nothing stopping you from trying lessons with different teachers, as each have their preferred styles of teaching. It helps to give your school as much info about your child as possible, thus allowing them to suggest the best teacher suited for their needs! If there is no noticeable improvement or the child is not enjoying lessons after 6 months, chat with their teacher or school and see if perhaps changing teachers or instruments might be in order. Remember everyone is unique, some people learn music for fun, while others are very serious, and require very structured, intensive classes.
The end of the year is the perfect time to think of a thoughtful gift for the musicians in your life. As we move into the season of gifts and giving, start planning ahead. November also hosts the ever popular “Black Friday” on the 27th of the month, and it is a perfect opportunity to grab some great online offers for your family and friends. Or why not think of supporting some small local businesses with unusual gifts like a music class, hand made local guitar or artwork. Also remember there are plenty of places where you can buy sustainable gifts, like second hand instruments or equipment. Just make sure check the reviews or test the instrument. Without further ado, here are 20 ideas for fun festive season gifts…
A DIY ukulele for the creative, musical child in your life.
Drumming is hard work, check out this handy drink holder that attaches to the drum kit!
Oblique Strategies is a card stack for musicians created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. Each card has a word or phrase to kickstart the creative process. Amazing for songwriters or generating ideas and breaking through creative blocks (Only in English)
Km0 Spanish Guitars – Germanos Camps produce fantastic Spanish and Flamenco Guitars in Girona. We sell them at Shine in Barcelona
Guitaleles are great little travel companions. A six stringed travel sized guitar that sounds like a ukulele but is played like a guitar with the Capo in the 5th space. It’s versatile and portable. This may be the perfect gift for those who love to play guitar and travel! You can buy one directly from us!
Don’t forget to check out your local music stores, or second hand shops. Online, places like Gumtree or Facebook Market place often have listings for second hand instruments. Support your local teachers too. Many have valuable skills to share, and don’t forget that the internet allows you to have lessons in particular styles with specialised teachers from all over the world.
Music is a fantastic hobby, and playing an instrument can be a great source of entertainment and joy. But times are tough and every budding musician can use a freebie every now and then! Even if you are taking lessons and have invested in a great instrument, having free extra musical resources in your pocket is recommended and useful!
We have put together a list of freebies for you to browse. From free software for editing music, to free tabs and backing tracks.
FREE GUITAR TABS
Ultimate Guitar has about a bazillion guitar tabs that you can browse by genre or difficulty. They have an easy search bar, so finding the tab you are looking for is not at all complicated. Guitar Tabs has tabs listed alphabetically, and you can even submit your own. Acoustic Guitar Tabs has a great archive of free tabs as well as free lessons, so you can learn how to read the tabs too!
FREE BACKING TRACKS
If you are struggling to play your music at home, perhaps a backing track will help. Not only does it help you with improvisation and timing but also fills in all the other instruments! Many websites provide free downloadable tracks so that you can practice anywhere, both online and off. Guitar backing tracks has loads of tracks created specifically for guitarists. Backing Tracks has almost 100 000 tracks that you can download! Karaoke Version has a number of free backing tracks that come with variations, for example instrumental versions, or ones that include backup vocals. You can browse and find the tracks you like, and download them. Each track includes useful info such as Tempo and Key. And if you cannot find what you are looking for here, Youtube has loads of free backing tracks available online too.
FREE MUSIC EDITING SOFTWARE
Audacity, while it might look a little complicated, can be mastered through some trial and error. It has been providing one of the best free music editing tools for over 20 years. If you can get past the intimidating look of the program, and figure out how to use the plugins, you can master the art of music editing for free! TIP: Watch some tutorials online! Ocenaudio is far simpler to use, and may be a better place to start if you are just beginning to set up your home studio! This software also lets you listen to the changes you make to your audio files as you make them. Wavepad has some very useful features, like editing audio tracks in a batch (ie more than one at a time!) which can save you a lot of time! It has plenty of handy features like noise removal, compression and reverb as well as audio scrubbing! And if you need more free editing tools, check out this list which also includes a free lesson on getting started on music editing!
FREE ONLINE MUSIC LESSONS & COURSES
You can find plenty of free lessons online for every instrument. Most of them are introductory, but a free tutorial can really help if you are a bit stuck! MakingMusicFun has some free lessons for kids in everything from Recorders to Guitar and Trumpet! Alison offers full courses in music and music theory, all it requires is a sign up, which you can do easily with your email address. Learn how to write your first song for free with this online course from Future Learn! Study how to play the Jazz piano with The Jazz Pianist’s free courses! Udemy is well known to provide great lessons! If you are a serious musician and want to make a business out of your music or band, why not try the free Band as Business, Musician as Entrepreneur course.
FREE DOWNLOADABLE MUSIC
Perhaps you need some music for your video or school project. If you don’t have time to make your own, there are plenty of places where you can legally download free music without any copyright issues. The Free Music Archive is a wonderful resource full of all kinds of different music that you can use free of charge! Jamendo also offers music for free. Soundcloud is not only a fantastic place to listen and discover music for free, but many artists allow you to use their music under the creative commons usage rights. Youtube now also offers free music to use in making a video, logging in grants you access to loads of royalty free soundbites and background music.
It’s the start of a new school year here in Spain, and at the Shine School of Music in Barcelona we are offering a fresh new group courses in music! After a long summer, now’s your chance for a new beginning! If you ever wanted to start singing or playing an instrument, don’t let “later” becomes “never”, start your musical journey now!
Group lessons are beneficial in that they provide a chance to those who may find shelling out for the private music lessons a bit of an economic burden. Besides being a great way to learn music in a fun environment, group lessons are also a super way to make new friends, all the while learning a new skill!
Shine Music School is running group lessons in the following:
All of these lessons are 4 hours a month, in 4 one hour classes, 1 class each week. You can check out our schedule for the time slots. Each of the lessons is facilitated by a professional music teacher. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact the school to find out more!
Besides these fixed group lessons, the Shine Music School also provides the option to arrange your own private group lessons. So if you and bunch of your friends or family would like to get together to learn an instrument or to sing, we can provide a flexible schedule, a talented teacher and great prices!
Let your musical journey begin!
If you don´t have your own instrument, not to worry, we can provide one for your first lesson and we also sell and rent both guitars and ukuleles!
