The History of Avant-Garde Music LLC: From Dynamic Music to In-Home Music Lessons Across Glenview, North Shore Suburbs & Northside Chicago
When I tell people I’ve been teaching music for over 20 years, their first question is usually, “How did you end up with your own studio in Glenview and the North Shore?” The answer starts with a simple truth: I never planned to own a music school. But life — and the closing of one beloved local business — had other ideas.
My Journey Began Long Before Avant-Garde Music
Music has been in my blood since I was four or five years old. I watched my mom play classical and jazz on the piano and thought she was a goddess. At my grandmother’s house I picked up her guitar and started writing little songs before I even knew what chords were. By age 12 I was composing, singing, and playing in bands.
Those early years taught me something I still live by: the best music education happens in the home, surrounded by family and zero traffic stress.
After high school I attended Columbia College Chicago, earning a degree in Music Theory, Composition, and Guitar Performance. I was named top guitarist on the fretboard jury two years running. But the real education came from the hundreds of students I taught across Chicagoland — first as a private instructor, then for several years with Dynamic Music.
Dynamic Music was a pioneer of true in-home music lessons in Glenview and the North Shore suburbs. Their model was brilliant: bring qualified teachers directly to families so kids could learn piano, guitar, violin, or voice without anyone fighting Chicago traffic. I loved every minute I spent there. Families in Wilmette, Northbrook, Skokie, and northside Chicago neighborhoods became like extended family.
The Day Everything Changed
Then, like so many small businesses after the pandemic, Dynamic Music dissolved. One day the company simply wasn’t there anymore.
For a moment I felt the same uncertainty many music teachers face. But I also saw a clear opportunity. Families in Glenview, the entire North Shore, and the northside of Chicago still desperately wanted the same high-quality, convenient lessons Dynamic Music had provided — they just needed someone who truly understood the model to keep that magic alive.
So in 2022 I took the leap and founded Avant-Garde Music LLC.
Why “Avant-Garde”?
The name isn’t random. “Avant-garde” means new, experimental ideas that break with tradition while still honoring the classics. That’s exactly how I teach. We offer traditional technique and theory, but we’re also wide open to rock, blues, pop, metal, flamenco, reggae, ska — whatever lights a student up.
As I wrote on our About page: “While we offer a traditional music curriculum, our flexible, in-home lesson system supports a new type of education — one where we are open to new styles, music, and teaching methods to support your best learning and individual creativity.”
What We Built in Glenview & Beyond
From our northside Chicago base at 4343 N Keeler Ave, Avant-Garde Music now brings private in-home (and Zoom hybrid) lessons to:
• Glenview
• Northbrook
• Wilmette
• Northfield
• Skokie
• And the broader North Shore suburbs and northside Chicago neighborhoods
Our talented team teaches piano, guitar, violin, viola, cello, voice, ukulele, mandolin, bass, drums, and more — for kids as young as 4 and adults of any age. We also offer professional piano tuning right in your home.
The response has been incredible. Parents tell us their kids actually look forward to practice because lessons feel like a fun part of their own house instead of a chore across town. Teens rediscover piano after quitting years earlier. Special-needs students thrive because they learn in the safest, most familiar environment possible.
More Than Lessons — A Growing Community
Today Avant-Garde Music isn’t just a business; it’s a community. Students become friends. Recitals turn into neighborhood celebrations. And every time a parent in Glenview or Wilmette messages me saying, “My child finally loves music again,” I remember exactly why I started this company in 2022.
Ready to Write Your Family’s Next Chapter?
If you live in Glenview, any North Shore suburb, or the northside of Chicago and you’ve been thinking “maybe now is the time for music lessons,” I’d love to meet you.
Book your free trial in-home lesson today and experience the Avant-Garde difference — the same convenient, high-quality model you loved from Dynamic Music, now reimagined and growing stronger every year.
Because great music doesn’t belong in a distant studio. It belongs in your living room.
— Adam McKinstry
Founder & Instructor, Avant-Garde Music LLC
See why we believe in-home lessons work better for most Glenview and North Shore families