Houston, Texas

Where Music Education
Meets Your Doorstep

A collective of master instructors from Houston's finest music schools, bringing white-glove, 1-on-1 strings and piano education directly to your home.

Rice Shepherd School
UH Moores School
Eastman · Yale · Cleveland

Why We Started This

We're a group of working musicians who trained at Houston's top programs and decided to stay. Here is our vision:

Our instructors come from Rice's Shepherd School of Music, UH's Moores School of Music, and other top programs nationally. After finishing our degrees, we all made the same choice: stay in Houston and teach here. We love this city and want to give back to the families in it.

We think music education does more than teach an instrument. It sharpens how kids think, builds real confidence, and gives them something that's entirely their own. That's what drives us.

Our Values

1
Cognitive Development Through Fun
Kids learn better when they're actually having a good time. We keep lessons challenging but never boring. Research consistently shows that music training strengthens memory, attention, and problem-solving skills in children. Our instructors design each lesson to engage the whole mind, not just the fingers. When students enjoy what they're doing, they practice more, retain more, and grow faster.
2
Music Literacy
We teach students to read music, really read it. Not just memorize pieces, but open any score and know what they're looking at. Sight-reading is a skill that gives students independence. They stop relying on a teacher to show them every note and start exploring repertoire on their own. We build this from day one so it becomes second nature, not something they struggle with later.
3
Creativity Through Discipline
You can't improvise if you don't know the rules. We build strong technique first, and creativity follows naturally from there. Scales, etudes, and fundamentals aren't busywork. They're the vocabulary that lets a student eventually make the music their own. Once a student has solid command of their instrument, they can take risks, interpret freely, and develop a voice that's genuinely theirs.

Lessons at Your Home

We believe comfortable learning starts with logistics. No driving across town, no waiting rooms. Your instructor shows up at your door, and lessons happen where your kid is already comfortable.

Black-Tie Recitals

When it's time to perform, we do it right. Our recitals are black-tie events: real stage, real audience, real stakes. Students learn what it means to show up prepared.

White-Glove, Full Service

Scheduling, repertoire, recital prep, practice plans: we take care of all of it. You don't have to manage a thing. That's what we mean by white-glove.

Who's Teaching

Our instructors hold advanced degrees and perform professionally. They also happen to be great with kids.

Lexi Pelton

Lexi Pelton

Founder & Senior Instructor
English, Hebrew, Arabic

Lexi is the founder of Owl Conservatory and has been teaching strings in the Houston area since 2022, including at River Oaks Elementary and as a Young Ensemble Mentor at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival. She previously founded the ROE Violin Program, which laid the groundwork for what the conservatory is today. Lexi holds a Master's degree in Viola Performance from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music on a full-tuition scholarship, and earned her Bachelor's degree from the Jerusalem Academy of Music and Dance, where she studied under renowned violist Zvi Carmeli. She currently performs with the Fort Worth Symphony and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and has been a fellow at both Kneisel Hall and the Aspen Music Festival.

Viola Rice Shepherd ROE Founder
Rebecca Villalta

Rebecca Villalta

Lead Instructor, Violin & Piano
English, Spanish

Rebecca is a Costa Rican-American violinist with over 10 years of teaching experience. She earned her Master's degree in Violin Performance from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music and her Bachelor's degree from the Eastman School of Music in New York. Rebecca has performed with the Houston Symphony, the San Antonio Philharmonic, and the New World Symphony. She has taught for the PALS and Little PALS programs at the Aspen Music Festival and School, and will return to Aspen again in the summer of 2026. She works with students of all ages and levels.

Violin Piano Rice Shepherd Eastman Aspen Faculty
Rebecca Benjamin

Rebecca Benjamin

Instructor, Violin & Viola
English

Rebecca is a violinist and violist who has been praised for her "captivating and warm sound" by The Strad. She is a prizewinner of the 2025 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and served as Principal Violist of the Richmond Symphony. Rebecca is a member of the Abeo Quartet and has performed at the Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, La Jolla SummerFest, and the Banff International String Quartet Competition. She teaches violin on the faculty of the Kneisel Hall Maine Students Program. Rebecca holds degrees from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Yale School of Music, where she received the Broadus Erle Prize in Violin. She is currently pursuing her Doctorate at Rice University's Shepherd School of Music.

Violin Viola Rice Shepherd Yale Cleveland
Suzie Chiang

Suzie Chiang

Instructor, Violin & Viola
English, Korean

Suzie is a violist from Dallas, Texas, who holds a Master's degree in Viola Performance from Rice University's Shepherd School of Music, where she studied under James Dunham. She earned her Bachelor's degree in Viola Performance from Rice as well. Suzie won the grand prize at the 2018 JDR Viola Competition and made her orchestral debut with the Odysseus Chamber Orchestra. She has performed with the National Repertory Orchestra in Breckenridge, Colorado, and is a recipient of the Dr. Joseph A. and Ida Kirkland Mullen Scholarship for Advanced Study at the Shepherd School.

Violin Viola Rice Shepherd NRO

What It Costs

Average of 4 sessions per month, based on the HISD school calendar. Every plan includes private 1-on-1 lessons, recital fees, practice planning, and teacher travel to your home.

Check if you're in our service area

45-Minute Lesson

1 student, in-home
$360 /month
Avg. 4 sessions / month
  • Private, 1-on-1 instruction
  • Teacher travels to your home
  • Recital fees included
  • Personalized practice planning
Get Started

Sibling Plan

2 students, same home, 45 min each
$570 /month
Avg. 4 sessions / month per student
  • Two 45-min private lessons per visit
  • Teacher travels to your home
  • Recital fees included for both
  • Personalized practice planning
Get Started

How to Get Started

Four steps. We'll walk you through the whole thing.

1
Submit Your Application
Tell us a bit about your student: age, experience, what they're interested in. Takes about two minutes.
2
Free Consultation with Our Founder
Lexi will call you to learn about your family, answer questions, and figure out if we're the right fit.
3
Get Matched with an Instructor
We pair your student with the instructor who's the best fit, based on level, personality, and what they want to work on.
4
Begin Lessons at Home
Your instructor comes to your house. You pick the day and time that works. That's it. You're in.

Apply / Book a Consultation

Are We in Your Area?

Our instructors travel to your home for every lesson. Enter your zip code to check if you're within our service area.

Inner Loop service area
Greater Houston

Our standard service area covers Houston's Inner Loop. If you're just outside the boundary, reach out anyway. Exceptions can be made on a case-by-case basis.

Follow us on Instagram @owlconservatory