Piano Lessons

The Foundational Instrument

Things that make Music Pillars Piano Lessons Unique 

1. We use a specialized pedagogical piano that students absolutely love!

We use a very specialized piano that we feel is second to none for educating students. They are about 10 times the cost of a  basic digital piano. We initially did try to use basic acoustic and digital pianos, but after testing them against the model we use now - we returned/sold every other piano we had. So I guess you could say we put our money where our mouth is!

The benefits are as follows:

• Fully weighted keys that replicate the feel of grand pianos

• Hundreds of Instruments to select from to create interesting arrangements

• Engaging Style Tracks to accompany students as they play (see video to the right) - developing rhythm and the feel for ensemble playing

• Its always in tune, and it never has loose strings or damaged hammers

• Recording capabilities to capture a student performing in a lesson that can then be shared with family and friends!

2. We combine learning from traditional books while also using engaging apps

The foundational principles and fundamental elements of piano have not changed for hundred years, and they won't be much different in a hundred years from now either. However, how those principles are learned is becoming more and more efficient through the use of technology. So while technology will never replace a teacher, it can really help both the teacher and the child to learn more quickly, have more fun, and learn the foundational principles on  deeper level and in an engaging way. 

3. We have biannual assessment exams to ascertain student's progress on the 8 Pillars of Music

Music Pillars has 8 core "pillars" that make up Music Pillars. They are:

• Love

• Audiation

• Theory

• Pattern Recognition

• Dexterity

• Improvisation

• Sight-Reading

• Composition

These assessments are taken twice a year at the studio during our assessment weeks and typically take 30-45 minutes for beginners and up to an 1.5hr for more advanced students. The results of each exam are scored and maintained in our system (we have nicknamed Einstein) so that students/parents/teachers can see their overall progress at a quick glance. When students pass a given assessment they advance up the pillar to the next level, and each pillar has 10 levels of mastery. A student that reaches that level on all their pillars will be a well-rounded and impressive musician!

4. We track practice time and Book Progress on a week to week process into an easy to understand visual chart.

As the saying goes, you can only expect what you can inspect. There is no substitute for time spent practicing, and we have built a system that allows students to track their practice time during the week. The teacher can then view the student’s time spent practicing and their progress through their books, and evaluate what the best plan would be to help the student practice more if needed. We also have practice time challenges, and the leaders are invited to a party to reward all their time and commitment to music!

In addition to the regular assessment exams, we also track the following:

• Practice Time spent on each assignment, and

• Progress through their curriculum books

5. Friday Fests - Students perform frequently on stage

Gone are the days when a student learns and works on a few pieces for 5-6 months and then gets up on stage briefly to perform maybe twice a year. At Music Pillars, we have our students performing every 6-10 weeks, and playing 2-4 pieces of music! A more thorough description of our Friday Fests can be found on our webpage here. But in short, students are learning music with a short-term goal in mind - TO PERFORM IT SOON! The performances are low-key and casual so that students can get comfortable being up on stage in front of people. Students get to Play For Others frequently, enriching their communities and deepening their own love for music.

6. Teacher Rotation - Two heads really are better than one

how does it work?

Each student has two teachers. One week they have a lesson with teacher #1, and then the following week they would have a lesson with teacher #2, then back to teacher #1 etc. This Teacher Rotation system only applies to individual one-on-one lessons. Group lessons have the same teacher week over week. 

Why does this method work?

1. Accountability - when a professional teacher is writing assignment sheet instructions for the student, and know that the following week that his/her notes will be reviewed by another peer -they write more clear, concise, and descriptive notes. This teacher to teacher accountability helps ensure the student is receiving high quality instruction and valuable feedback. 

2. Collaboration - Teachers help remove each other's blind spots - Every afternoon before teaching begins, the teachers get together and go over their students jointly. How did things go last week? What ideas did you try with the student to help them learn something? What did you focus on? I will utilize my experience and spend more time in this area today? etc. This collaborative effort helps to take two perspectives and remove the blind spots that all teachers have.

3. Balancing of Strengths and Weaknesses - All of our teachers are competent musicians, but it should come as no surprise that they have different strengths and weaknesses, and also many years of training and experience in different areas of musicianship. For example, some teachers will naturally focus more on technique and knowledge of theory, others will focus more on ear training and improvisation, and when those teachers collaborate the students get the very best from both of them! For additional information on this topic, you can visit this webpage.

7. Small Group at the beginning and Individual Lessons at the Intermediate Level

We have spent years teaching both small group and individual lessons, and FAR AND AWAY the best method/environment for students that are learning the foundational elements of music is for them to attend small group lessons for 45-60 minutes a week until they have established core competencies around the foundational elements of music. Then as they become early-intermediate level musicians we help transition them to appropriate teachers within our studio who can help take your child from intermediate-level to college entrances auditions.

8. Building a well-rounded musician through the Music Pillars framework

The Pillars that make up Music Pillars are:

Each of these play a key role in the musical experience of a child. We want students to play for fun, to play deeply, and to play for others. And ensuring that they progress across each of the Pillars will help to develop them into well-rounded polished musicians.