Travel News: Airbnb Experiences for Music Lovers
You might sound good singing in the shower or rocking the mic at karaoke, but now you can take your show on the road—no tour dates required. With enthusiastic hosts in destinations near and far, Airbnb Experiences (airbnb.com/experiences) gives travelers the opportunity to dig deep into local cultures with interest-specific adventures, and if you're looking to put your musical chops to the test, there are plenty of options available. Spend time in a Los Angeles recording studio, create your own beats with a DJ in Brooklyn, or try something farther afield—the ancient art of taiko drumming in Tokyo, perhaps, or flamenco guitar lessons in Sevilla? Whether your interest lies in performing, songwriting, or making the instruments themselves, the home-sharing platform is encouraging aspiring entertainers to take center stage.
School of Rock
Dreaming of bringing a stadium of fans to their knees? Channel those air-guitar skills and step into the studio. In Burbank, you can book time with an award-winning producer to write, arrange, and record your own song, and you’ll come away with an MP3 of the finished product, as well as a deeper understanding of how the recording magic happens. To get a feel for the operational side of things, look to Nashville’s fabled Music Row, where you can schedule a songwriting session with a professional or learn the ropes at a working studio. Can’t get enough K-Pop? Head to Korea, where you can train with a vocal coach and record your tune. You’ll walk away with a short music video and your song on CD—a guaranteed chart-topper, naturally.
DJ Dreams
If getting behind the turntables is more your speed, DJs from coast to coast can help. Talk shop with a Grammy-winning producer in L.A. who will lead you through DJing 101 and send you home with a record from his stacks, or go vinyl shopping with a Brooklyn DJ who will show you how to create a sample and produce your own beat. Overseas, you can become a mix-master in Paris or pick up the tricks of the house-DJ trade in Medellín, to say nothing of the scenes you can experience in London, Berlin, and Havana while you're there.
Go Off-Book
To see how the sausage—errr, music—gets made, tour a ukulele factory in Honolulu, where you’ll lay hands on the instruments and watch the craftspeople at work; for a truly immersive experience, check out a three-day itinerary with a historic violin maker in Paris, which includes an introduction to the city's musical heritage, time in the workshop for a peek at the process, and a demonstration of the finished product, plus a concert outing to cap things off. From harp lessons, taiko drumming, and traditional dragon flute in Tokyo to the seven-string guqin in Chengdu to Indian finger drumming in New York, there’s a world of instruments just waiting to be played.