Saturday Sessions · Grades 6–12 · Pittsburgh · Fall 2026

Learn your instrument. Play in a band. Lead worship.

Eight Saturday mornings. Four real worship songs. Zero experience required. By week 8 you're on the platform playing a full set with a band, and you'll know why you're up there, not just how.

Enroll now → See a Saturday
8Saturdays, 8 AM – 12 PM
4songs, stage-ready
0experience needed
1showcase, full band, live
The setlist
Goodness of GodWeeks 1–2
ReasonsWeeks 3–4
Holy ForeverWeeks 5–6
Song 4: the band picksWeeks 7–8

Here's the deal

You don't learn scales for a year. You learn a song in two weeks.

Every class on a Saturday is built around the same song. Instrument class teaches you to play it. Theory class shows you why the chords work. Ensemble puts you in the room with the band. Week one you learn the parts and the chart; week two you get it tight enough to play in front of people.

Along the way you pick up a seven-step method for learning any song on your own, so when Sessions ends, you don't stop.

  1. Active listeningHear the song like a musician: sections, feel, who plays what.
  2. Find the keyLocate "home", the one note everything resolves to.
  3. Hear the chord patternPick out the 1, the 4, the 5 by ear before you touch the instrument.
  4. Chart itWrite the song down in numbers so it works in any key.
  5. Isolate & loopFind the hardest 4–8 bars. Slow them down. Repeat until boring.
  6. Practice with a clickLock in with a metronome so you can lock in with a drummer.
  7. Bring it to the bandPlay your part in the room with everyone else's.

A Saturday at Sessions

Four classes, one morning, one song.

Doors open at 7:45 on the South Side (157 S 26th Street). Grab your instrument, then move through the four blocks with your cohort. Same run of show every Saturday, so you always know what's next.

Instrument

Technique on your instrument, applied straight to this week's song. Placement test on Saturday 1.

Theory

Chords and chart-reading for that same song. Never theory in the abstract.

Doctrine

One theme a week on what worship actually is and why musicians matter in it.

Break

Snacks. Thirty minutes. Bring your own if you've got allergies.

Ensemble

15 minutes of audio & production, then full-band rehearsal until noon.

Pick your instrument GuitarBassDrumsKeysVocals Don't own one? Borrow ours.

The method

Chords by number, not by letter.

Nashville session players invented this in the 1950s so they could chart four songs a day. Every chord gets a number for its place in the key: the home chord is 1, the fourth is 4, the fifth is 5. Because the numbers are relative, one chart works in every key. If the singer needs it higher, the whole band moves at once without rewriting a thing.

You'll read your first number chart on Saturday 1 and write your own by Saturday 7.

Try it: pick a key
1
C
home
4
F
lift
5
G
tension
6m
Am
minor

Beyond the instrument

Run your own soundcheck.

Every Ensemble block opens with 15 minutes on the stuff nobody teaches musicians: cables, signal, gain, EQ. One topic a week, building to a real skill.

  1. WK 1
    Cables & connectorsXLR, TRS, TS. Plug in anything on the platform correctly.
  2. WK 2
    Signal flowTrace your instrument from the stage box to the speakers.
  3. WK 3
    Gain stagingSet your own channel without clipping.
  4. WK 4
    EQ fundamentalsFind and fix a muddy or harsh frequency on your instrument.
  5. WK 5
    Compression basicsHear what threshold, ratio, attack and release do to you.
  6. WK 6
    Monitor mixesAsk for and dial in your own mix during soundcheck.
  7. WK 7
    Live mixingSit with the engineer and see what they're adjusting, and why.
  8. WK 8
    Run your own soundcheckStart to finish, for the showcase.

Doctrine track

Know why you're up there.

Music can be learned in a lot of places. What you won't get most places is the "why." Eight weeks, eight themes, built from Scripture and the Assemblies of God paper Worship in the Bible: from what worship is, to what it asks of the person holding the instrument.

"A clean heart matters more to Him than a clean mix."
  1. 1What is worship?
  2. 2Worship as a lifestyle
  3. 3In Spirit and truth
  4. 4The heart of the worshiper
  5. 5God's design for musicians
  6. 6Worship as a team
  7. 7Excellence as an offering
  8. 8The everyday worship leader

Built to land by Showcase week: when you walk onto the platform you'll know that character offstage is what makes worship onstage credible, and that every believer, not just the one with the mic, is called to lead a life of worship.

Not a believer, or not sure? You're still welcome. Nobody gets pressured. See the FAQ.

Week 8. Full set. Whole church.

The Final Showcase is a four-song worship set you play as a band for a full church, the people who've been praying for you since Saturday 1. It's not a recital. It's your first Sunday.

Save my seat →
1–2Goodness of God. Placement test. First number chart.
3–4Reasons. Slash chords. Dynamics: soft verse, full chorus.
5–6Holy Forever. Key change. Bridge, tag, D.S. al Coda.
7–8Song 4. Your own chart. Showcase.

For parents

The details you'll want before you say yes.

When and where
Saturdays only, 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM, for 8 consecutive Saturdays at LifeStone Church, 157 S 26th Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. No classes on Sundays. That's when we gather for worship at 9:15 and 11:15 AM, and your family is welcome.
Who it's for
Middle and high school students in grades 6–12. No prior experience on the instrument is needed; the curriculum builds technique from zero and leans on the rhythm and note reading students already have from school music.
Who's teaching
The host church's worship team and screened volunteers. Every adult completes Pennsylvania's required child-protection clearances and training, and we keep a two-adult rule at all times.
What it costs
Saturday Sessions is a ministry of LifeStone Church, a non-profit. Program fee: $400 per student, covering materials and a T-shirt. No student is turned away because a family can't pay. Just ask us privately.
Instruments
Bring your own, or borrow one of ours for the eight weeks. Hearing protection is provided in the ensemble room.

Read the full Program Policy

Attendance, drop-off and pick-up, health and emergencies, photo consent, privacy, and refunds. Everything in one place, in English and Spanish.

Program Policy →
Política del programa (español) →

Then enroll in five minutes

A parent or guardian completes the form. We confirm placement by email or phone. Seats are limited by instruments and instructors, so earlier is better.

Enroll my student →

Questions people ask.

I've never touched this instrument. Am I going to be lost?

No. That's the assumption the whole track is built on. Saturday 1 starts with how to hold it and how it makes sound, and "stage-ready" means confident and accurate at a comfortable tempo, not the recorded-track speed.

I already play a little. Is this too basic?

The placement test on Saturday 1 tells us where you are, and instructors stretch you inside the same song: harder voicings, the actual recorded parts, leading a section. If you're well past beginner, talk to us; a future track is coming.

What if I miss a Saturday?

Each Saturday is a full curriculum week, so one absence is manageable and two puts you behind the band. Let the coordinator know by Friday night and we'll help you catch up.

Do I have to go to the church, or be a Christian, to enroll?

No. Everyone is welcome, and no one will pressure you about faith. The Doctrine block is part of every Saturday and we ask that you take part in it respectfully, because the program is designed as a whole.

Can I sing instead of playing?

Yes. Vocals is one of the five tracks, and vocalists are in the ensemble every week like everyone else.

¿Hay información en español?

Sí. El formulario de inscripción y la Política del Programa están disponibles en español; usa el botón "Español" en cada página.