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About Us

Music for EVERYONE!

“Music and performance are life-long skills that connect you with others in very special ways. Whether it’s your family, your friends, or a professional career; the ability to make music will change your life. And the good news is… you’re never too old or too young to begin!
Personalized education and life skill development is at the heart of our program, come explore and see where your heart leads!
When I went to post secondary school to study music I really just wanted to be a better musician. I was terrified of performing and desperately wanted to become un-terrified. Like so many music students, I spent most of my time studying theory and history and academics, and taking private lessons. The performance opportunities I experienced were highly intimidating and many of my collegues quit because of it. There were so many times I wished for non-competitive community music school that just lets you focus on improving your skills; where you can study with the great teachers and learn to get better at performing through supportive performance experiences.
I believe music is meant to bring people together to experience something greater than ourselves. That is how it is used in so many “underdeveloped” countries. (ha!) I wanted to create a program that would bring families together in celebration of our awesome children and awesome parents and awesome grandparents. I wanted to foster a sense of fun and personal connection with music. And I wanted to create a program that would give students of all ages the opportunity to collaborate and learn from one another. There is really nothing more inspiring than seeing your peers achieve results.
My passion is truly community Love through music expression. The power in the moments when we witness people discovering their greatness is awesome; in watching and hearing students persevere and progress; in witnessing students support and care for one another. It’s just so beautiful. And from this Loving supportive community it is truly AMAZING where students musical journeys take them.
The HH developed over the last 29 years in direct response to supporting the dreams of the students enrolled in the school. This program now has a proven track record of igniting life long passion in it’s participants, and for many professional careers. From professional players and vocalists to recording engineers to music directors to song writers and teachers, our alumni are all doing great things in the world, each one standing out in the crowd with a reputation not only for being an awesome musician but also an human being.
Curious? Let us support you to explore where your heart leads! ” - Sandi Melody, founder.

Our Story

At Harmony House Music Studio, we are passionate about music and its ability to transform lives. Our founder, Sandi Melody, is a renowned voice instructor with over 30 years of experience in the music industry. Her vision was to create a music studio that not only teaches music but also develops life skills in its students. Today, Harmony House Music Studio is a successful leadership program that uses music as a medium to develop important life skills in its students, including confidence, communication, team building & cooperation, self-expression, and leadership.

Meet Our Voice Instructors

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Sandi Melody

Founder/Educator

Sandi is the founder of Harmony House and creator of the HH Contemporary Music Program. She graduated from the VCC Contemporary Music Program in 1992 with a double major in voice and piano then moved on to the Capilano University Jazz Studies program for vocal performance. In 1996 she performed her graduation recital at Cap receiving top marks and bringing her teachers to tears.

While studying at VCC and Cap U it was very clear that there wasn’t an organized training system in the lower mainland that was set up to help musicians excel the same way organized sport did, and that’s when the seed for Harmony House sprouted. Sandi envisioned a community music school that focused solely on skill development for performance. A school where anyone that wanted to learn was allowed in. She believes that music is a skill that anyone can learn if given the right circumstances, and so she set about creating a safe haven for would be musicians to come and get their feet wet and see where it took them.

From the age of 5 Sandi had been a serious competitive swimmer, attaining National Standing between 1978 – 1983, For 12 years she lived the concept of training for performance. She recognized the value of her long term commitment to skill development and loved the idea of applying that philosophy to music, a skill that can last a lifetime! She created the Harmony House Program to mirror her swim training and performance experiences, in hopes it would provide musicians with the same strong foundation for personal growth and healthy self esteem gained through positive learning experiences.

In organized sport players don’t just learn how to kick a ball or shoot a basket, there is a big focus on “leadership” and “teamwork”. Sandi recognized that the same things could apply to music education and set out to give those same opportunities to the artists in the crowd. She advocates that like music, leadership is not something you’re born with but something that can be learned and acquired through practice and experience.

Sandi is passionate about health and volunteers at The Canadian Mental Health Association, she loves to travel, ski and practice yoga.

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Dr. Laura Harrison

Director/Educator

Laura Harrison (DMA, University of Southern California, 2007) is a jazz educator, composer, arranger and vocalist who has been pursuing a dual career in jazz and classical music since 1996. She has made quite a reputation for herself as a classical mezzo-soprano performing in the Los Angeles and Orange County areas of Southern California for the past 20 years. In August of 2010, she debuted her first jazz CD that has been played in forty-three states and thirteen countries, and climbed to #18 on the CMJ Jazz National Chart.

After receiving degrees at Capilano University and the University of British Columbia, Harrison was a high school teacher in Maple Ridge, BC until she was recruited to pursue her graduate studies in Los Angeles, California. She received her Master of Music and Doctorate of Musical Arts degrees in Jazz Studies at the University of Southern California under the mentorship of Dr. Thom Mason and Carmen Bradford. As a former student of Capilano University, Harrison had the distinct pleasure to sing in the flagship ensemble, NiteCap, and is thrilled to be back teaching at her alma mater.

One of Harrison's passions is building musicianship skills. She observed students struggling to understand music theory. As a result, she developed a curriculum that the students found to be accessible and motivating; many become theory enthusiasts. Her students loved her teaching style and encouraged her to write a theory book that incorporated Harrison's sense of humour since this is what made them absorb the information quickly and thoroughly.

In 2015, Harrison published Enjoying Music Theory (ISBN-13: 978-0986415401), which has been used as a textbook at Mount San Antonio College and Irvine High School in Southern California. It delivers theoretical concepts in a concise, clear manner and is intended for the absolute beginner.

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