Keyboard/Piano Lessons

Piano is a wonderful instrument! If you're unsure about what instrument to start with, there are many reasons why the piano is an excellent choice. Here are just a few:

• Gives a solid foundation

​The piano has a very wide range of notes, more than any other single instrument. The layout of notes is very intuitive; low notes to the left and higher notes to the right. It is easy to distinguish sharp and flat keys. Sheet music written in both bass and treble clef translates very easily to the keyboard helping students develop their ability to read music. It is easy to visualize whole steps and half steps at the keyboard. ​Piano was the first instrument I learned to play. My piano studies helped me gain an understanding of the basic music theory needed to play any instrument. Even if piano doesn't end up being your primary instrument, studying the piano will help you see the "big picture" of music language and is never a wasted effort. 
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• Sounds good right away

When playing the piano, it's easy to sound good even for beginners. The instrument does not require frequent tuning like a guitar or ukulele. Inexperienced players can create crisp clear notes simply by pressing a key. Even young students can quickly learn to tap out the melody to basic well-known tunes. This early success can motivate students to keep practicing and playing.

• Improves Coordination 

Piano allows both left and right hand to play equally. Both hands working together to create melody and accompaniment is what makes the piano such a good stand-alone instrument. Students can experience first-hand how notes and chords come together to form a cohesive piece of music. This type of coordination; playing two sets of notes at the same time strengthens the hands and the mind. It serves to improve abilities in many areas of life, even academic test scores.
It's hard to go wrong with the piano as your first instrument. Students enjoy the easy early success of creating music that sounds good while developing a strong "ear" and a solid foundation for their music education. Most students who begin with piano can easily go on to play any instrument they desire already knowing how to read music and understand both bass and treble clefs and important concepts of music theory.   


If you choose to study piano with me, this is where we will start:

1. Discuss your goals. Why do you want to play? What should we aim your practice towards?
   examples: 
   -playing in a church music team
   -playing classical music
   -learning to jam with chords and pop songs
   -learning your favorite song
   -etc, etc
   
   
2. Create a plan. Based on your goal(s), I will work to find the most effective method to help you move toward that goal.
   
   Having worked with various students of all ages, I am not a believer in a one size fits all approach. There are certain fundamental skills common to any method that will need to be developed. Specifically how we develop those fundamental skills is where we can be flexible.
   For the traditional style approach, I currently use the "Piano Safari" method with most beginner students. I have also used Faber's "My First Piano Adventures" with young beginners. I am familiar with other standard methods including "Alfred", "Bastien", "Suzuki", and "John Thompson" and am willing to work with transfer students coming from those methods. I do enjoy mixing various supplemental repertoire with "core" method book material and will allow the student to choose supplemental songs at their appropriate level.
   If students are interested in a chord-based (non-traditional approach), I will focus on teaching them scales, keys, the number system and chord theory. They will learn how to read lead sheets and chord charts and be expected to practice along with audio tracks or online music videos of the music they are learning.