Education & Classes in Oakville

Dustin Ballinger knows guitars. With a degree in applied music and jazz guitar, extensive experience recording music with local musicians, and 15 years of performing under his proverbial belt, Ballinger approaches the instrument with ease and familiarity. “I have always believed that music lessons of any kind should be fun and friendly as well as challenging,” he says. He backs up his belief by leading his roster of classes with an encouraging and dedicated approach. Lessons unfold in a cozy, homey studio space complete with couches, rustic wooden accents, and windows that look out onto sparrows trained to sing the guitar parts from “Free Bird."

From May to October, the white sails of keelboats dot the waters along the shore of Lake Erie. There, head instructor Captain Pierre Wallinder leads the ASA-certified staff of Sail Buffalo Sailing School in a handful of courses to demystify the art of wind navigation. Watchful instructors help students earn their basic keelboat certification, explore the nuances of the lake's waters, or learn to properly recite passages from Moby Dick from the bow of a ship. Tender-footed youths can take part in nautical day camps that teach kids both the basics of sailing and fundamental lessons in teamwork and organization.