Piano

Piano is currently our most popular instrument by student roster, and for good reason. The piano makes music theory visible. Intervals, chords, scales, and key relationships are laid out spatially in a way no other instrument achieves. Students who study piano develop a fluency in musical structure which transfers to every other instrument and to composition.

We teach piano from first-time beginners through advanced repertoire in both classical and contemporary styles. Our beginner curriculum emphasizes proper hand position and posture, note reading in both clefs simultaneously, rhythmic accuracy, and the development of independent hand coordination from the earliest stages. We do not use simplified notation systems or color-coded keys. Students read standard notation from lesson one because we believe in building the right habits from the start.

Intermediate students expand their repertoire across classical periods, develop sight-reading fluency, begin studying music theory as a separate discipline, and explore styles outside the classical canon including jazz, pop, and musical theater. Advanced students prepare audition and recital programs, study advanced harmony and counterpoint at the keyboard, and develop their interpretive and performance skills.

For adult beginners and returning students, piano offers particular advantages. The instrument provides immediate gratification with relatively simple technique at the beginner level, while offering essentially unlimited depth for lifelong study. Many of our adult students come to piano after years of wanting to learn, and we design their study to be rigorous without being discouraging.