Lessons

I kept hearing the same thing. “I took lessons as a kid but I can’t play now,” or “My daughter had four years of piano lessons but she’s forgotten everything.” It bothered me that so many parents had invested time and money into something so valuable but ended up with almost nothing. 

Surely, I thought, there had to be a better way. What if all children who took lessons could sound really good? What if students could sight read after their first lesson? What if they learned 25 songs their first six weeks instead of only 1 song per week? What if when Mom said, you can stop lessons, they said, “No way! I love piano!” 

What would happen if the learning process felt so easy that they didn’t even know they were getting advanced and doing hard things? What if learning to play the piano was like riding a bike, once they learned they never forgot it?

The Accelerated Piano Program is a weekly program designed specifically for children ages 6 and older who want to learn the piano.

Students in the program learn to read music and keep a steady tempo at their very first lesson, so they sound good and don’t spend a lot of time fixing mistakes.

They finish their first book in just 3 months, which is twice as fast as regular studios. They see their hard work pay off because they’re progressing fast and passing off songs every week.  

Advanced students who complete the entire program can sit down at the piano and sight read any piece of music. They play complex repertoire by Debussy, Beethoven and Chopin. They will never forget how to play the piano. 

Program graduates sound professional because they learned phrasing, balance, voicing and other high-level musical skills taught in music conservatories like Juilliard. Most regular programs don’t teach these high level skills.

Students come to the accelerated class for one hour each week. Because they get twice as much time with the instructor as regular studios they progress a lot faster. Students are so engaged and working the entire time that usually at the end of the class I hear, “It’s already time to go?”

No more boring piano recitals where students stumble through music and grandparents offer polite applause. Because of our unique program, students actually sound good at recitals. They enjoy playing! Plus all students perform at 3 recitals every year!

Students can add any music they like to their core repertoire, at any level. They can choose from classical, jazz, Disney, popular, or hymns. If a student has a favorite piece we want them to be able to play it! When students have a say in what they play they stick with piano lessons longer.

After just one year students participate in their first assessment program. They demonstrate skills in ear training, sight reading, theory, performance and technique. Because of the high standard, only 10% of piano students in Utah participate. Our students average 95% on their exams.

Every summer students are matched with a partner and learn 2-4 duets together. Students say this is their favorite part of the year. They love playing fast, fun songs together. After our last duet recital one grandparent said, “That was the best recital I ever attended!”

Intermediate students learn to read lead sheets, play chords in a pop style, improvise and arrange. Students can relax by sitting down and playing music they make up themselves. Students learn “composer secrets”– how to make their own songs using concepts they’ve already learned.

Little Mozart students learn advanced concepts through movement, singing and playing. Piano lessons are fun game of exploration and creativity. 

Studies have shown that students who start piano between ages 4-6 develop faster neural pathways enabling high- level piano technical ability.

This means they can play fast and execute large leaps, but it feels easy.