New Lakewood Ranch music school spreads musician's passion

Ryan Langley grew up surrounded by music.

He started playing accordion at 4 years old because his parents, Rick and Glenda Langley, and his grandparents, Russ and Millie Nyberg, played it.

His parents owned a music store in Bradenton, and his grandparents owned a music store in Minneapolis.

Langley went on to learn how to play guitar, piano, ukulele and more.

So when it came to knowing what he wanted to be when he grew up, Langley’s answer was simple: a musician.

Langley took it a step further by following in his parents’ and grandparents’ footsteps by opening Ryan Langley Music School on April 1, at 7324 Delainey Court in Lakewood Ranch across from State College of Florida.

“It’s a long time coming,” Langley said. “Finally all the stars lined up.”

Langley planned to open his music school before the COVID-19 pandemic, but as he said, “Being a musician, timing is everything.”

His dreams were postponed until April 1 when Langley, along with his staff and some students, officially opened Ryan Langley Music School.

Photo by Liz Ramos

When the school opened, Langley said, not all of the carpet was installed, so for the first two weeks, students had the opportunity to sign the floor, which has since been removed and put on the wall.

“They love it,” Langley said of his students having their mark on his school. “I love it. It’s unique. People of all ages were down on their knees just signing away. They were just as happy as we are.”

The school is 3,000 square feet with seven lesson rooms. The six instructors offer a range of lessons including guitar, bass, piano, drums, accordion and ukulele.

“I know Lakewood Ranch is a great place to be,” said Ken Settlemyer, the studio manager. “We chose a facility with the idea that it allows us to grow to a good number of students here. We will eventually need more instructors. We’re actually reaching capacity with a couple of instructors already.”

Settlemyer and Langley estimate the school will be able to have between 400 and 500 students. The music school offers lessons to people of all ages.

Langley wanted to open the music school to share his passion with others and help develop a passion for music within his students.

Langley said the instruction is catered to the individual. He said whether it’s a student wanting to learn a particular song or another student wanting to become a rock star or a student wanting to learn a specific genre of music, he and the school’s instructors will work with the students to achieve their goals.

“(Being a musician) makes you special,” Langley said. “You get people moving, tapping their feet and singing along all from my fingertips. You get to move people, you get to touch them or have them remember an old memory by learning a song. That’s something special. I want to give students that feeling, so they can make themselves even more special.”