The Wilder Deitz School for Creative Music is found on the north side of Madison, Wisconsin. It was started by Ruben Arndt and Wilder Deitz in January of 2021, in a single rented room. It has since grown to more than nine teaching spaces and over a dozen instructors. The school was founded upon three entwining values- creativity, community, and excellence- which it works to keep in creative tension with one another.

The school offers lessons, classes, and ensembles to students of all ages and skill levels. Its pedagogy is drawn from three major traditions- jazz, folk, and classical. This braid is enriched by the diversity of our instructors, each of whom brings their own special mastery, both in terms of instrumentation and style.

The school teaches according to a seasonal rhythm, dividing the year into four sessions- winter, spring, summer, and fall. There is an institutional celebration of each session's work at the end of each season (a school-wide showcase in fall and spring, a filmed performance competition in the winter, and a skills test [The Gauntlet] in the summer), followed by a week or two of break. Every lesson studio, class, and ensemble follows this schedule, creating a communal sense of pace throughout the year.

Prospective students are asked to submit an inquiry which includes their musical experience and interests. Once accepted, students will often begin with private instruction; we then strongly encourage students toward our classes and ensembles. The most productive enrollments, in terms of a student's musical growth, tend to be a combination of a private lesson with a class or ensemble.

Practice expectations vary from instructor to instructor, but a good rule of thumb is that students should expect to practice two hours per week for each credit they take at the school.

Payment at the school does not work on a lesson-by-lesson basis. Instead, we charge an all-inclusive tuition fee, which depends on the number of credits taken per session. One credit per session is called a "solo" tuition, two credits a "duo" tuition, three credits a "trio" tuition, and four credits a "quartet" tuition. Each of those credit levels bears a different monthly cost, paid consistently during the session regardless of how many of the session's weeks happen to fall in that month.

Credits are measured thusly: a half-hour weekly lesson is one credit; likewise, one class or ensemble is one credit. Possible combinations include: hour lessons (2 credits), half-hour lesson plus an ensemble (2 credits), hour lesson plus a class (3 credits), two hour lessons on different instruments (four credits), and so on. Students decide on their own credit load and design their own curriculum. For enrollment purposes, student credit loads roll over from session to session- unless the student contacts us ahead of time to make a change. All enrollments are registered in consultation with either our manager or our enrollment counselor.

The primary form of tuition assistance at the school is our Creative Music Fellowship program, which offers four credits per session free, for a full year. The program is oriented toward musicians aged 18 to 30, and is highly competitive. Otherwise, we offer select and very limited tuition assistance for long-time students who run into financial difficulty.

In return for their tuition, students gain access to their enrolled courses, the end-of-session showcase (when happening), and a host of other included opportunities like jam sessions, open mic performances, and limited access to rehearsal space. They of course also enjoy the camaraderie of peer musicians, the instruments and resources of the space itself, and the insight of our master instructors.

The school is open during its teaching sessions except for weather emergencies (following the school district for closures when applicable) and major holidays. Our calendar is listed on our website. All students and instructors agree to abide by our stated policies while at the school or representing us out in the community.

Students do not "graduate" from study with us. We offer only three resume-building certificates- 1) a winner's certificate in our winter filmed performance competition, 2) a Creative Music Fellow certificate, and 3) a certificate of participation in the Gauntlet Skills Test, bearing your score. Progress is largely measured in the esteem of other musicians, a sense of satisfaction in one's own musicianship, and greater engagement with music in the world outside the school. The repetition of the school's annual cycle gives improving students a clear sense of their own advancement.