Young beginners at this age have different ways of learning than older students. Children who are younger than 8 years old may have a 30 minute or a 45 minute lesson, depending on their individual attention span.
The lessons are play based with lots of stuffed animals, songs, and games. Children will learn songs by rote (example) before they start to read notes.
Practice at home is light and should be more or less “two minutes of joy, five times a day,” quoted from Sinichi Suzuki.
Lessons are private and once weekly.
Young Beginners
(age 6-7)
Services
Classic Piano Lessons
Classic piano is for students aged 8 through the teen years. Lessons are 45 minutes or 60 minutes. All areas of musicianship will be covered in these sessions. Each lesson is planned individually depending on the student’s own strengths and their personal goals. Lessons are one on one and occur once a week.
Student progress is monitored closely: results are expected! Practicing is more intense at this level and ranges from 30 minutes daily to several hours.
Adult Students
Adult students come with their own unique situations. At times, adult responsibilities interfere with a regular schedule so lesson schedules are flexible and individually crafted.
Transfer Students
Students who have formerly had lessons with a different instructor are considered “transfer students.” There will be a comprehensive assessment (which takes place during regularly scheduled lessons) before we move forward.
Novitiate
The novitiate period is a time at the beginning of our journey where we are learning about each other. It is a three month period where you will receive special attention and instructions about home practice and lesson procedures. Parents/caregivers will be very involved with this process as well as the students. Parents receive complimentary information sessions during this period to set them on the right track. Students are considered novitiates for the first three months of Classic, Adult, and Transfer programs. After the three months, an assessment is done and a meeting occurs to discuss the student’s results, commitment, and future!