A new home for music lessons at 337 Tompkins.
Private lessons in strings, piano, voice, guitar, brass and woodwinds, taught by working professional musicians. Rigorous training, open to every background and level, from a first lesson to conservatory prep. Join the waitlist and we'll tell you first when enrollment opens.
Join the waitlist
Study the tradition.
Question the expected.
Listen deeply.
Create your own language.
Burton Music Studio is a center for serious, creative music education. We develop musicians through rigorous study, individualized instruction, curiosity, creativity, and artistic independence. We teach the fundamentals of instrumental technique and musical language while encouraging students to think critically, listen deeply, and develop their own creative voice.
Our goal is not simply to teach students how to play an instrument, but to help them become listeners, thinkers, collaborators, and creators — musicians who understand tradition, engage with the world around them, and have the confidence to create something of their own.
Discipline is the thread through all of our teaching. Learning a difficult piece, one small section at a time, shows students how patient effort becomes ability, and they carry that habit into their schoolwork, their work and the way they approach any problem.
What you can learn here
One-on-one lessons with a small faculty of working professional musicians.
Look for the chalkboard sign.
337 Tompkins Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11216.
Mr. George Burton
George Burton is an award-nominated pianist, composer, and teaching artist who teaches students of every level, from first-time beginners to musicians preparing for conservatory auditions.
He has toured around the world with a range of groups and appeared as a featured soloist with the Philadelphia Pops. He won the Peter Nero Piano Competition and has played in the bands of Shabaka Hutchings and Marquis Hill. His performances include the Newport Jazz Festival, Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center.
As a working artist, he brings a rare depth to his teaching. His recordings and performances have been featured in The New York Times, NPR Music, The Washington Post, and DownBeat, and his work has earned him a place on many “best of” lists.
Whether a student is beginning serious study or preparing for conservatory auditions, George brings patience, rigor, and a deep commitment to the music. He has taught private students in Bed-Stuy, Clinton Hill, and Fort Greene for years, and now they have a home at 337 Tompkins Avenue.
Twenty-five years of teaching, from high school classrooms to Banff.
George has taught high school strings, a statewide arts intensive and university jazz piano. In 2025 he joined the faculty of the Jazz & Sonic Arts program at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, teaching alongside professional artists.
Along the way, students from his private studio have earned scholarships to Manhattan School of Music, San Francisco Conservatory, Bard College Conservatory, Indiana University Bloomington, Boston Conservatory and Spelman College.
Get on the list before the doors open.
Tell us who's learning and what they'd like to play. We'll use it to plan teachers and schedules, and to reach out when spots open.
It takes about a minute.
Your name and email, the student's age, the instrument, and which days work for you.
Join the waitlist