A new music teaching studio has recently opened in Pinehurst Plaza at 1680 N.C. 5 between Pinehurst and Aberdeen

The new Sandhills Academy of Music currently offers lessons in all styles of music on guitar, bass, piano, drums and violin.

In addition, negotiations are in progress to secure brass and woodwind instructors in the near future.

The academy is also the regional representative for quality, name-brand band and orchestra instrument rentals from Veritas.

An open house is planned for Saturday, Sept. 19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to provide parents an opportunity to meet the instructors and learn more about the firm's offerings.

The studio, located in suite 105, is owned and operated by Clay Singletary, a longtime guitar teacher and music store manager from Laurinburg.

Singletary has more than 20 years of professional guitar experience and more than 10 years of music management experience, being well-known as the manager of the highly popular Music Master store in Laurinburg. As a performer, he has recorded and released 10 albums on independent labels and studied music at the University of North Carolina.

Other instructors include piano teacher Court Stewart. He holds a bachelor's degree in Music from Radford University in Virginia and a master's degree in piano performance from the University of Tennessee. He is accomplished in classical, popular and jazz music, and has performed at jazz festivals and concerts up and down the East Coast, including the Atlanta Jazz Festival and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

He is also a qualified piano tuner and an associate of the Piano Technician's Guild.

Kelly Boaz teaches violin and beginning guitar and has been recognized for her accomplishments by selection to several All-County orchestras. She is well versed in the popular Suzuki violin method, as well as other styles and methods, including bluegrass.

Drum instructor Tom Bernett is a recent transplant to the Sandhills area and teaches a rudimental approach to the drum set. Bernett has more than 40 years of professional experience including USO shows, touring pop bands, celebrity and dinner theaters, and commercial recording studios.

He has toured with the American Cavalcade of Big Bands and has provided backup to artists such as Steve Allen, The Lettermen, Tiny Tim, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, the Spinners, Rodney Dangerfield and more.

He currently serves as the drum chair of the Heart of Carolina Jazz Orchestra in Sanford, as well as leading his own nine-piece band, Swing Street.

Studio hours are by appointment. The phone number is 420-2746.