About Us

Potomac Falls Music is owned and operated by Washington area award-winning musicians - husband and wife team, Jim and Ashley Cash. The couple launched Potomac Falls Music shortly after their marriage in 2005. Potomac Falls Music is also staffed by dedicated professional musicians with a broad range of knowledge and experience in the theoretical, technical, and artistic aspects of music.

Whether you are interested in playing music as a lifelong discipline or simply as a casual hobby, we offer instruction in such varied musical styles as classical, blues, jazz, rock, pop and folk. We focus on technique and artistry but also encourage personal composing and songwriting.

Teaching Styles and Philosophies

Our teaching philosophy is to maintain a sympathetic, encouraging and friendly student-teacher relationship based on mutual respect.

We work to modify our teaching styles to best suit our students' individual needs and talents. Additionally, every effort is made to pair a student's skill level and music interest to an instructor who best matches these criteria.

While we believe in challenging our students, we are neither intimidating nor condescending. It is important for our students to find creativity and enjoyment through their efforts.

Lessons are offered in the convenience of your home or in our home studio in Sterling, VA, providing a comfortable learning environment.

A typical lesson consists of exercise review, theory instruction, technique development, and repertoire.

Beginning and Young Students

For beginning students, it is important to note that a certain amount of patience is needed for the development of new skills (examples include hand-eye coordination and breathing techniques).

For young students, this stage can be particularly challenging, especially when expectations are not immediately satisfied.

We encourage parents to be sensitive and support their children through the various phases of learning by providing practice reinforcement.

If your child is experiencing particular difficulty, please keep us informed so that we may work together on a creative solution.

Practice

Consistent practice is essential to continued improvement. We recommend regular practice throughout the week plus one weekend day.

We find that students make greater progress practicing a little each day, as opposed to practicing for an extended length of time on one day only.