Meet Camille Hastings
Musician, teacher, and founder of Leading Note Studios
A Lifelong Love of Music
Camille Hastings opened Leading Note Studios in Encinitas back in 2009 with just five students. By 2020, she added a second location in San Marcos, and the very next year the studio was named National Music School of the Year. Over the years, Leading Note has also been voted Best of Encinitas five years running and won multiple Best Performance awards in the Encinitas Holiday Parade.
Music has always been at the center of Camille’s life. She studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston, taught and performed in Nashville, and even sang with Barry Manilow, Vince Gill, and Amy Grant. Her career has taken her from Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm stages to private home shows for Merv Griffin. Her mom loves to remind her that even as a little girl, everyone noticed her perfect pitch and her constant smile—spotlight or not.
Building a School with Heart
Camille’s vision for Leading Note was shaped by her time working with her mentor, Jan Williams, who ran her own music school in Nashville. Seeing Jan’s passion and leadership gave Camille the confidence to build her own studio back in California.
Her philosophy is simple: music should be for everyone. She believes in creating a place where students of all ages feel celebrated, where recitals are about joy and participation—not perfection—and where mistakes are seen as part of the process.
From those first five students, Leading Note has grown to more than 1,200 students and over 55 professional teachers and staff. Each teacher is carefully chosen not only for their credentials but also for their ability to share the same compassion and love for music that Camille has carried from the very beginning.
Life Beyond the Studio
Camille often says: “We teach music to everybody—all ages, all instruments. Our environment is fun, safe, and friendly, and our methods are innovative and personalized for every student.”
She’s also the author of From Passion to Profit: The Part-Time Music Teacher’s Guide to Six-Figure Success and an active member of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce.
When she isn’t at the studio, Camille loves gardening, baking, decorating cakes, and riding her Indian Scout motorcycle. She and her husband, Christian, have been married for more than 30 years and are the proud parents of three grown children. Her parents live in Indio, and her sister is nearby in Rancho Santa Fe.