Overview & Philosophy

New Sounds Skool (NSS) cultivates musical literacy, self-expression, and creative confidence in children through immersive, imaginative, and joyful, sound-centric learning experiences led by practicing musicians and educators from the region. 

NSS is a playful reimagining of music education for toddlers to teens—one that blends structured, time-honored pedagogy with the vibrant, child-led magic of freeform musical exploration. Our play-based and child-led philosophy is inspired by Waldorf, RIE, and Montessori educational models. Founder and lead teacher, David Weinberg has a Masters in Education and over 20 years of teaching experience in Public Elementary Schools and Montessori and Waldorf preschools in Portland, Oregon, all the while, maintaining his intermedia creative practice as an artist, performer, and musician. 

In a city filled with cookie cutter music schools that adhere to rigid lesson plans, NSS offers an alternative: a space where children not only learn music but also create, collaborate, and dream new ideas of what music can be into existence. Our instrument library is unlike anything you’ve seen before, and includes both analogue, digital, acoustic and electric instruments. What differentiates us further is our educators are internationally renowned practicing artists and musicians based in the region.

At NSS, music is more than scales and notation—it is storytelling, play, emotion, and the embodiment of a child’s inner world. Children will steer their own musical journeys, developing technical skills while also shaping their artistic voice. Whether that means scoring a sci-fi puppet opera, composing soundscapes for a storybook, or forming a ragtag jazz orchestra, NSS is where their wildest dreams come to life.

Our curriculum blends the familiar and the experimental, ensuring that families feel engaged while simultaneously experiencing something unique. We will offer Private & Group Lessons, Early Childhood Music Exploration, a Creative Music Technology Lab, Ensemble & Band Programs, Theatrical & Multimedia Integrations, and Sensory Music Experiences.