Sound House is the coziest place to make music.

Not so sure? Check out our reviews!

What you can do at Sound House:

• Guitar Lessons (Acoustic and/or Electric)
• Bass Guitar Lessons
• Ukulele Lessons
• Beginner Banjo Lessons
• Non-Traditional Voice Lessons
• Reading Notation and/or Tablature Lessons
• Beginner Music Theory Lessons
• Songwriting Lessons
• Songwriting Workshops (For Mature Songwriters)
• Songwriting Demo Sessions
• Full Song Production

Sound House is owned and operated by Maddi Mae Martin, a career songwriter, musician, vocalist, and performer who has been coaching musicians for about fifteen years now.

Maddi as Music Artist

Maddi has been walking the path of musicianship for twenty-seven years now. Beginning at age five, she studied guitar privately with musician Eric Hedrick for eight years before launching into an independent journey of learning by doing. She has since performed 550+ shows, both solo and as a member of Americana and psychedelic bands, including performances for Watermelon Pickers’ Fest, The Barns of Rose Hill, Songbyrd Music House, Pearl Street Warehouse, Jammin’ Java, The Purple Fiddle, Bright Box Theater, Bourbon & Branch, Clementine, The Golden Pony, and countless smaller venues and festivals proximal to her home in Virginia.

On September 2, 2020, she released a six-song record called Quiet Corners that has now amassed over 105k+ streams in 70+ countries on Spotify. Quiet Corners’ most popular single “Here Right Now” has been streamed 56k+ times and added to over 1,000 playlists including Listen Local DC’s seasonal playlist, The New Guard, The Ditty Dozen / New Americana, The Needle / USA – Emerging, and Spotify’s curated Discover Weekly playlist.

She recorded Quiet Corners at Lore Audio Provisions in Flagstaff, AZ. Kyle Miller, the lead singer of successful folk rock band Tow’rs, invited Maddi out to his studio to record after she opened for his band in Philadelphia and D.C. She sings and plays all parts on the album with the exception of the drums, which were performed by Ben Lippard.

Maddi has since released two singles that she self-produced entirely at Sound House: “die today” (released August 2023) and “Two of a Kind” (released May 2024). While Maddi is currently in a season of limited live performances, she occasionally makes exceptions including 2024 performances at the River House, Ferleman Gallery, Purple Fiddle, and the Remington Fall Festival.

Maddi as Music Coach

When she was only nineteen years old, Maddi started teaching music in private schools. Read through her full teaching history (from present to past) to learn more about the varied experiences that have shaped and sharpened her as a gifted music coach.

Owner and Operated of Sound House, 2021-Present

• After 10 years of teaching and directing arts programs as an independent contractor for private schools and studios, Maddi opened her own brick-and-mortar studio at 107 East Main Street in Remington, VA.
• She offers a space that is comfortable, clean, functional, and safe for students of all ages and identities – serving local neighbors in-person and serving global neighbors online.
• She customizes flexible curriculum for each individual, rigorously tracking all lessons and sessions via shared Google documents and folders.
• Maddi fluently reads and writes both notation and tablature. She arranges and composes sheet music as needed.
• Understanding the importance of community and real life experience, Maddi organizes extracurricular educational opportunities. Past opportunities have included:
  1. Recitals, showcases, and open mics
  2. Peer-networking events
  3. Guided band meetings and rehearsals
  4. Songwriting and recording sessions
  5. Field trips to concerts and shows

Resident Musician at River Farm Forest School, 2021-2023

• Maddi produced six albums of songs written and performed by her students. You can listen to all of them, including the most recent two albums – Collaboration Station and Professor Turtle – by visiting this link.
• To create these albums, Maddi guided multi-week collaborative songwriting projects that combined lyrics, singing, and percussive elements from a dozen individual students. Maddi and her students conducted field recordings outdoors and studio-style recordings in the classroom.

Freelance Music Coach Offering In-Home Lessons, 2018-2020

• Maddi drove home-to-home teaching private music lessons to students of all ages in Culpeper, Fauquier, and Clarke Counties.
• During quarantine, Maddi shifted to teaching online.

Music Instructor for Belle Meade Montessori School, 2016-2018 and 2020-2021

• Teaching at Belle Meade required Maddi to craft Montessori-style curriculum centered upon the realities of building a music career.
• She helped her students form an indie rock cover band each year, guiding them through the process of choosing and learning songs, branding and promoting themselves, and performing at least three concerts per school year.
• She directed the 2021 spring musical production of Mary Poppins and helped produce ​music​ ​for​ previous​ ​spring​ ​theatrical​ ​productions​: Footloose, 2017 and Skitstory of the World, 2018.

Music Instructor for Hearthstone School, 2017-2018

• At this alternative Waldorf-style school, Maddi developed a rigorous middle school music curriculum comprised of the following: music theory and notation, composition, independent instrumental study, ear-training and listening, repertoire expansion and music appreciation, and performance.
• She also composed and performed original music for Hearthstone’s original play A Flood of Kindness, adapted from the book of the same title and written in collaboration with the author De’Ante Webster and illustrator Laurie Marshall.

Contracted Music Instructor, 2015-2018

Maddi instructed guitar, voice, songwriting, and performance at another local lessons studio. While she learned a lot from this experience, she mostly learned how not to handle private music education. While there, she also:

• Welcome​d ​and​ ​instructed​ ​students​ ​of​ ​all​ ​ages – ​children​ and​ ​adults.
• Specialize​d ​in​ ​the​ ​instruction​ ​and​ ​mentorship​ ​of​ ​singer-songwriters.
• Went above and beyond management’s expectations for teachers by organizing ​extra-curricular​ ​opportunities​ ​such​ ​as​ annual student recitals, a teacher showcase, ​the Girls​ ​Rock​ ​Slumber​ ​Party,​ ​and the Summer Library​ ​Tour.

Fine Arts Instructor for St. Luke’s School, 2011-2014

As Fine Arts Instructor of St. Luke’s School, Maddi was responsible​ ​for​ ​all​ ​of​ ​the​ ​music,​ ​drama,​ ​and art classes​ ​for​ ​students enrolled in preschool​ ​through tenth​ ​grade. While there, she:

• Organized​ ​a​ ​mobile​ ​art​ cart ​program​ ​for​ ​the​ ​preschool​ ​division.
• Organized​ ​fall,​ ​winter,​ ​and​ ​spring​ ​program​ ​performances.
• Directed​ ​annual​ ​theatrical​ ​productions:
  • Seussical, 2012 (assistant director)
  • Into the Woods, 2013
  • Rinse the Blood Off My Toga, 2014
• Directed​ ​handbell​ ​choirs​ ​for​ ​the​ ​middle​ ​and​ ​high​ ​school​ ​students.
• Developed and implemented​ ​a​ ​guitar​ ​program​ ​for​ ​elementary​ ​students.
• Managed​ ​the​ ​library​ ​during​ the 2013-2014 school year,​ ​including​ ​the​ ​fall​ ​and​ ​spring​ ​Scholastic Book​ ​Fairs.

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