Learning music is one thing. Discovering how much fun it can be to make music with other people is something else entirely.

That's the idea running through Yodelay Music.

Led by Director Michael Di Cecco, Yodelay operates dedicated studios in Bogangar near Cabarita Beach, Murwillumbah's M|Arts Precinct and Mullumbimby. Students of different ages and experience levels can learn guitar, bass, drums, piano, vocals, saxophone, flute, clarinet and other woodwind and brass instruments through individual lessons, small groups and band sessions.

The teachers aren't simply instructors. They're working musicians with backgrounds in performing, touring, recording and songwriting, bringing real-world musical experience into lessons.

Yodelay also takes music directly into local schools. Current programs operate at Bogangar Public, Pottsville Beach Public, Cudgen Public, St Ambrose Catholic Primary and Ocean Shores Public, with programs varying from individual and small-group tuition to broader instrumental and ensemble experiences.

Outside regular lessons are workshops, holiday programs, recordings, masterclasses, rehearsals and performances. The Yodelay Super Band brings teachers together to support local artists at gigs and festivals, reinforcing the connection between learning music and actually making it.

Across three studios and five primary schools, Yodelay now delivers more than 8,000 music tuition sessions each year.

Whether it's someone's first chord or the first time they find themselves playing confidently alongside a band, the goal remains the same, keep music practical, creative, social and genuinely enjoyable.