Today we’d like to introduce you to Lance Russell.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Lance Russell is a music theorist in New Braunfels, TX. He moved to NB in April of 2025 from Dallas, where he built a successful private music studio over the past five years. Lance loved music from an early age. He was active in band and choir throughout K-12, and pursued bachelor’s and master’s degrees in vocal performance from the University of South Florida. In 2020, completed his doctorate in music theory and vocal pedagogy at the University of North Texas, a school highly revered for its music academics and jazz programs. He now has multiple publications and has presented at many state, national, and international music academic conferences.
Lance was raised by an eternally optimistic and entrepreneurial father who encouraged him to find opportunities in any situation. 2020 proved to be an excellent opportunity to build an online presence for music education, where in the past there had always been a strong preference for in-person lessons. Over the following few years, Lance taught students of all ages and backgrounds from all over the United States, and several other countries, including Canada, Denmark, the UK, and Israel. At the same time, he taught courses locally at Dallas College.
Now in this new chapter, Lance has been warmly welcomed by the New Braunfels community, and has rapidly grown his base of local students. Expansion is likely on the horizon, always keeping an open mind for the next opportunity.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Everyone has struggles along the way. For me, my doctoral program was interrupted for personal reasons, causing me to leave the state for about 18 months. Progress had slowed to a crawl, and I realized if I was ever going to finish, I needed to get back to Dallas. I had to rebuild and refocus myself, but I was eventually able to do it and finally completed my degree… on the first week of March… of 2020. Then, the whole world promptly shut down.
It was not an easy period for anyone to find or hold on to work, including myself as a recently graduated college professor. But I had managed to keep and foster a local position I acquired in Fall of 2019, and I was able to take advantage of the newly discovered Zoom video chat platform along with a now defunct third-party marketing company named Takelessons to make my own work giving private lessons. Its not quite how I had envisioned my career path, but it many ways it is more successful, rewarding, and freeing than I ever thought it could be.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I give private lessons in voice, piano, saxophone, and guitar. Voice is my primary instrument, and I have a strong background in the physics, anatomy, and educational strategies involved with singing. But my greatest expertise are in the field of music theory, and as a theorist, I can often offer deep insight about the performance art that few others can.
Music theory is the study of musical structures – things like melody, harmony, and rhythm – and how they are used to create the songs and pieces we all know and love. It also investigates the way we think about music, how it is that music can be so meaningful to us, and how performers can enhance those connections. In the college courses I’ve taught, I’ve always told my students that my goal is always to give them the knowledge and language to describe what it is they like about their favorite music in detail. Something beyond “I like the lyrics” or “it has a good beat.” That’s what music theory is all about, and it’s my greatest passion.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
There are many people that have helped shape my path along the way. My professors and colleagues at University of North Texas and University of South Florida nurtured my musical curiosity and honed my skills. My grandmother and mother supported me throughout my college experience, and my father’s strong character and entrepreneurial spirit defined my own. My little sister has always been extremely supportive, and of course, my beautiful wife has been my rock throughout everything in life for the past seven years. Her support and encouragement has kept me on my path through some turbulent times, and I owe her everything for it.
Pricing:
- Monthly tuition as low as $150
- 30/45/60 minute sessions, from $40-$70
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.lancerusselltheory.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lancerusselltheory/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lancerusselltheory
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@lessonswithlance
