PIANO LESSONS

In our piano lessons you will learn to improvise, move with rhythm, and sing and play with freedom and confidence, to enjoy and participate in music for a lifetime.

Playing music is a creative and dynamic act.

It takes imagination, curiosity, and fluency in the language of music.

You can see that some musicians seem to be able to sing, play and improvise as naturally and easily as having a conversation.

We know that you would love your child to develop this musical freedom and joy.

You want to pass on to your child the love of music, and you want to find a teacher who understands the ways that children learn music best.

Music comes from inside, not outside.

It is about much more than simply playing the right notes in the right order.

Audiation is the Musical Imagination

It is the ability to “audiate” – to “think music” – that brings music to life. The instrument produces the sound, but, like notation, it only “makes music” when we bring our understanding and meaning to it.

A performer who is reading the notes without “audiating” is like an actor reading from a script without knowing who their character is, or who they are supposed to be speaking to.

Music Moves for Piano

At Music Alley we use the unique and wonderful audiation-based Music Moves for Piano series by Marilyn Lowe.

Harrison started with the Music Together program and began learning piano from Emma when he turned 5 years old. "Music Moves for Piano" is a perfect extension of Music Together. Unlike traditional piano teaching methods, "Music Moves" encourages students to use the voice and body movement a lot, as well as piano playing activities.

June

Did you take music lessons as a child?
Did you love the experience?
Do you still play now?
Can you play “Happy Birthday” without written music?
Can you transpose a familiar piece?
Can you improvise or add chords to a melody?

Do you wish you could?

Your child can learn to do all these things, to “speak” music. The first step is to learn to “think music” – to audiate.

Can I come to Piano Lessons every day?     Ethan

At Music Alley, your child’s lessons will look and feel quite different from a “traditional” music lesson. Rather than simply presenting them with a book of notation to decode, we want them to develop a rich musical vocabulary, which will allow them to enjoy and participate in music for a lifetime.

We want to produce lifelong musicians who can jam with other musicians, who can understand and enjoy a symphony or a jazz performance, who can improvise, move with rhythm, and sing and play with freedom and confidence.

Your child will

  • laugh, improvise, experiment and try new things
  • sing and move with expression
  • play with rhythm, freedom, a healthy technique and joy
  • read and write music that they can already hear and imagine because they have learned to audiate
  • create their own music and arrangements of pieces
  • explore the sounds of the entire instrument
  • develop lasting friendships
  • build a foundation of musical understanding to achieve amazing things
  • pursue the unique technical and artistic challenges of learning a musical instrument
  • perform at recitals, busking and other settings
  • attend professional performances and social events
  • fall in love with music for life

 

Within the first few minutes of his first lesson I knew this was exactly what I wanted for my son. We couldn't have asked for a better teacher.

Kathy

Small Group Piano Classes at Music Alley

$500 - $600 per 10 week term plus materials
  • Piano lessons are held in our sunny studio in Marion.
  • We like to meet all our prospective piano students to find out more about you and find the perfect class for you.
  • Overlapping and individual lessons by arrangement @ $93 per hour.
  • Students will need to have an acoustic piano for home practice.

Emma, I just wanted to let you know that I spent Thursday listening to the last 4 lessons and I really think that you are a phenomenal teacher!

Vicky