Piano Lessons & Keyboard Lessons
Portland, Oregon
“Wonderful, fun lessons for my child. Patient, experienced teacher. Fun lessons. My daughter has been studying piano here for over two years. She loves the lessons and is fascinated with music. She learns to read music, and does theory, chords, melodies, composing music. Her teacher gives her lots of encouragement. She takes pride in what she has accomplished.
We spent time interviewing potential teachers here in Portland. This teacher had the experience, patience, and relaxed teaching method that was a perfect match for us. Our daughter looks forward to piano lessons every week, and that is just what we wanted.” – W. Houser
“Fabulous teacher. The lessons are excellent and so much fun. I learned really quickly. His method of teaching made me feel at ease, and he is very patient. It’s clear that he loves teaching piano. I am learning a wide variety of music and I feel a sense of accomplishment after each lessons. I am learning to read music and play by ear; something I’ve always wanted to do. I am totally happy with my piano teacher.” – George Greve
“My kids really enjoy these piano lessons here. Their instructor is a very talented educator.The lessons are wonderful and my children are learning so many great things on piano. My 8 year old girl loves the classical and new age pieces. My son, 9 loves to play ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Lion Sleeps’ and is composing music and make recordings of what he is done. The lessons are much more than just piano lessons. They are a complete music education.
They learn about the history of the piano, music in the current world, all about recording studios, how to play music with other kids. This is the one activity outside of school that they truly enjoy, and I want to take advantage of that interest.” – J. Kern
“Our children love playing the piano. They are rapidly acquiring new skill. I am proud of them. My children are 5 and 7, and are learning quickly. They are quite enthusiastic about playing piano and we are very satisfied with our piano teacher. He is very good at inspiring and praising and them. He’s so patient with them. They often get fresh, new, interesting music, and this keeps them moving forward. My piano teacher makes learning easy and fun, and keeps me inspired.
He encourages them and supportive when they get stuck. It’s particularly rewarding to watch them develop a sense of accomplishment with their progress. They read music, play by ear, and do lots of recording projects that they love. Coming over to lessons each week is a family outing and something we love doing together.” – A. Manew
“He’s great with my kids. We are so thrilled at finding this teacher. Our kids really like going to their lessons, and always leave happy and inspired about music. The love playing both the piano and the keyboard. They are quickly gaining skills and confidence. Their progress is excellent. The other day, some of my friends remarked how nicely they play piano.
Both my son and daughter like the music they get, and especially like to record what they have learned. We have recordings and videos of them playing at the studio, and it’s a great thing to email their grandparents who live far away. I looked around for just the right teacher for them, and I’m pleased with my choice.” – P. Stevens
“My son’s piano teacher is the best. My son is making excellent, rapid progress. And my son loves taking lessons and playing his songs. He gets to learn to do all kinds of things, in addition to reading music. The lessons are just plain terrific for him.
I wish Public school could be like this! He is learning to read music and compose his own songs from scratch. In addition to piano, he is getting a complete music education. This is important to me because I think it’s essential to his future. I am completely happy with the piano lessons and am so pleased we found this teacher.”
– J. E. Wheeler
“Super piano lessons. Very patient & supportive teacher. I am very happy with our teacher. My 9 year old son really enjoys his lessons. His teacher is extremely competent and the results we see are excellent. He makes the lessons fun, has a great sense of humor, and gets my son to move forward by challenging him in a supportive way, always making sure he feels supported.
Here, my son gets to learn to read all kinds of fun music, learns how to play by ear, and gets to record music at the studio. He loves making soundtracks with piano, bass, drums, flute, and all sorts of other instruments. He just completed making a CD, which he is so proud of. I am very happy with the piano lessons. He is the best piano teacher.” – Charles Bradley
“My kids really love taking piano and keyboard lessons. Their teacher is just great! My kids, 7 and 9, have lots of fun playing piano at home. We’ve been doing lessons here for almost 3 years. It is so pleasing for the children to have such a positive thing to do. They play duets together, and get to try music from all around the world.
They also are creating their own CS’s and writing their own pieces. Their teacher does a great job encouraging them. I like the new skills that my children are learning, especially being challenged, working hard at something, and not quitting. They are learning skills that will help them with other challenges in life. The piano lessons really inspire them.” – Bette Parker
“We’re very happy with their teacher. My kids are excited about piano lessons. They really love playing. He makes the lessons interesting and fun at the same time. They are learning to read music, play by ear, compose music, make CD recordings. They are having a great time. They do lots of fun stuff to keep them engaged. I’m totally pleased with their progress.
Music education is important to a child’s development. Many studies show that playing piano improves children’s overall performance in school. We can readily see this. I want my kids to have the best education they can.”
– K. Tannes
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Piano Lessons & Keyboard Lessons
Portland, Oregon
Beginning piano lessons is an exciting start to a new world of music. People who can play piano or keyboards attain an entire new outlook about music and their understanding. There are a number of avenues to becoming a well rounded musician. Learning to read music is the most basic skill. It will enable you to play all sorts of interesting and fun pieces. There is an amazing amount of music available from every genre imaginable; Pop, rock, classical, new age, blues, jazz, and folk are just a few. Then there is the ethnic and world music from around the world.
Another skill that students may want to explore, is learning to play by ear. Understanding melodies and chords and how they are formed into a piece of music is fascinating. Being able to hear a song and then play it is magical.
Blues improvisation is so much fun. It’s another skill that is unlike reading or playing by ear. With all the playing ability that’s achieved, it’s natural for students to want to play music with other people. Playing duets and jamming is a blast.
Playing by ear is something that appeals to many students. Studying chords and melodies increases one’s ability to translate the sound we hear to playing the notes. In addition, blues improvisation and theory are a great addition to playing by ear.
Other techniques that can be learning are accompanying vocals, arranging, composing, and song writing. Recording a video to share is a great way to show friends or family members what you are up to.
• Individual Piano & Keyboard Lessons
• Beginners Welcome To Start Anytime
• Patient Teacher, Experienced
• Easy-going No Stress Lessons
• Children and Adults, All Ages
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Piano Lessons & Keyboard Lessons
Portland, Oregon
Students Playing Piano & Keyboards At My Studio
Piano Lessons & Keyboard Lessons
Portland, Oregon
My daughter really loves her piano lessons. Her teacher is great at encouraging her and challenging her. He is great in working with my kid. Her playing has improved surprisingly fast. Her teacher gives her lots of interesting music and guides her well in her music reading.
The lessons are fun, and that is what keeps it interesting to her. It's a pleasure to listen to her play. She plays beautifully. I'm so happy with our teacher.
- Millie Dawson
Playing piano now has become an essential part of my life. I'm an adult beginner. I started out with limited expectations, but after taking lessons for about a year and a half, I am surprised at how much I enjoy it. I look forward to the lessons every week. My teacher is more like a coach, totally supportive of me making progress and gaining skills in playing. I really like the music I am playing, popular, classical, new age, blues, folk. The personal attention I get from one on one lessons can't be beat. I'm so glad I finally started lessons. - Brian W.
“My son is doing great with his teacher. He loves playing his piano music. We looked around for a teacher that we thought would make a good match with our son. He has been doing piano lessons here now for over a year. His teacher makes the lessons interesting and fun. He’s so patient. My son can be a bit difficult at times, but his teacher isn’t even dented by it. He has a unique way of teaching and getting his students to succeed. - Jerry B.
Find The Right Piano Teacher Adults & Kids
Finding the right piano teacher is everything. Take the time to find the teacher that’s right for you. A good piano teacher should know the best way to work with each student. Lessons should challenge and encourage each person to learn at the level they feel most comfortable with. A piano instructor should have a stress free and fun environment for students.
A Supportive, Relaxed Learning Studio
The piano teacher should be very patient and encouraging, and provide a supportive, relaxed learning studio. Students should feel free to be curious, ask questions, and say what is on their mind. For students to be successful, they need to be inspired, have fun, and feel a sense of accomplishment. That will motivate them to success.
I have been teaching for over 25 years and am still learning a lot from my students. I encourage my students to have a great time at the lessons and at home playing the piano.
Learning To Play
Learning to play piano is a unique experience. It’s the perfect union of the and the human spirit. It teaches creative and original thinking, develops physical and visual coordination and helps foster auditory and rhythmic skills. There are a great many things that we can do at the studio. Learning to read music is the foundation of playing piano. Discover terrific classical, popular, blues, jazz, new age, folk more pieces to learn.
We will work on the type of music that interests you. If you like, you can also learn; to play by ear, blues improvisation, theory, composing & songwriting, to record your own pieces, and accompanying voice. Some students will want to stick with learning to read and play songs. Other’s will want to do everything. It’s all up to you. Everyone is different.
Beginners
Many of my students start off as complete beginners. This is a perfect way to get going. Kids as young as 4 can start lessons. Adults can start at any age. I have had beginning students over 80 years old, and they did great. Anyone can learn to play the piano. The important thing is to get started. You will learn everything you need to know to learn to play piano and have a really enjoyable time doing it.
The right piano studio a lot more than its location.The right teacher for you can make your learning experience enjoyable, and speed up your progress. Does the teacher give all his students the same music, or can you choose music that you want to work on? Will you be required to play boring scales and exercises, or spend your time playing new songs.
Are the lessons very structured, or does each student’s unique interests guide the direction of the lessons. Does the studio have at least two acoustic pianos, for demonstrating pieces or playing duets? Is the studio set up to record and print out music? Kids love doing recording projects and making videos and recording. It’s a great way to show them how they can apply the skills they have acquired.
Children
Children require a very different approach to learning piano than adults. They need to have fun and see how the piano connects to their world. Getting kids excited about music is the magic that works.
In addition to reading music that kids like, we work on projects that give them a real sense of accomplishment; learning to play duets, blues improvisation, composing and recording original music, making a video, recording videos and scoring the music, learning rhythms through drumming. These are terrific tools to immerse students in the world of music and help them comprehend its structure.
Children that endure boring piano lesson will not continue, and the chance for them to acquire a solid musical background will be lost. My piano lessons are fun, yet challenging. Kids learn skills about working towards a goal and the rewards it brings. These are lessons that apply to both piano and life.
It is rewarding watching children mature, not only as piano players but as individuals. Additionally, learning to play piano does wonders for the development of children’s physical and mental skills. Often improvements in schoolwork can be seen with kids that are learning piano.
Adults
Adults have enough going on without another thing to worry about. At my studio, lessons for adults are done in the ‘real world’. I’m aware that work, family, logistics, can all upset even the best intentions of students practicing at home. Piano lessons are generally a fairly long endeavor, so its better to view progress over a period of months, rather than by the week.
Relax, enjoy the lessons and have a good time. Your job is to be engaged and inquisitive about learning piano, not worrying about your practicing. Learning to play piano or keyboard is an exciting adventure that can provide a lifetime of enjoyment.
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Should I Get A Piano Or A Keyboard?
Students often wonder if a keyboard will work as a substitution for a piano. Yes, absolutely! A keyboard is similar to a piano and can be fine for practicing. If the keyboard has 88 keys (the same as a piano), that is even better. Whether you own a piano or keyboard, taking lessons is the same,. Either instrument is fine for learning to play. If you don’t have an keyboard or piano yet, I can give you some ideas about what to look for.
Individual Lessons
All my lessons are private, one-on-one individual lessons. Individual lessons insure that you will get the most out of the time spent, and you will progress quickly. It’s the most effective method of learning piano. I never do group lessons.
Some studios in Portland give group lessons to children as well as adults. While this might be useful for very young children (under 4), kids and adults really need the extra personal attention of their own lesson. This will result in a faster and better understanding of material presented. Students often come to me after having done group lessons.
They just are not as far ahead as they could be for the amount of time they have spent. Once they start individual instruction, their progress improves considerably. Personal attention also brings out the creativity and individuality of each student.
Look for a teacher who runs their own studio. I have very few rules about learning piano. Every student is different, and will move ahead at the rate that they are comfortable with. I teach with a modern, effective, and personal approach. The lessons are yours, and I want you to enjoy the experience of learning piano.
The Studio
My piano studio is a great place to learn piano and give you a way to express yourself . I have two acoustic pianos and a keyboard. In just the first few months of lessons, you’ll begin feeling comfortable with the piano.
Call me to discuss lessons for yourself or your children. Lessons are given once a week, and can be 1/2 or 1 hour a week. Parking is plentiful, I have a large waiting room, and there is a large coffee shop next door.
Piano Lessons & Keyboard Lessons
Portland, Oregon