Piano Orchestra
Have your moment to shine along with the entire cast of The Little Mermaid Jr! Play funny, beautiful, and dance music along with the live cast as they perform it on stage while you play with them!
Top 5 questions answered below:
Can anyone join the piano orchestra?
No - the piano orchestra is an invitation-only ensemble. We internally meet as teachers and invite students that have consistent practice habits, are teachable, have good sight-reading ability, a strong rhythmic center, and supportive and cooperative parents.
How much is it?
For all the rehearsals and performances (2 performances in April/Early May 2024) it is $175/month with rehearsals beginning in September 2024. For The Little Mermaid Beast JR we will have 8 months of rehearsals as we are attempting to do the entire score live! The complexity of the score that we have had to reduce is substantial - but worth it! (yes the orchestral scores are hand-written by we teaqchers for the students in the piano orchestra)
Where else is this done?
Currently we are the only studio in the United States creating and producing a piano orchestra to play with a musical - we hope to inspire copy-cats in the future!
Why should we do the Piano Orchestra?
See the video on this page “Piano Orchestra Info Video” which addresses many of the reasons why this has such a dramatic positive impact on budding piano students. Also, Kylie’s video on this page is also educational about the impact that the piano orchestra has on students.
What is the schedule?
If you’re ready to challenge yourself in ways that you have never been challenged on the piano - then the piano orchestra is for you! Each Musical that our studio puts on is accompanied by student musicians playing the orchestral score in 6-10 part harmonies on the piano! Of course, with all the instrument engineering that takes place - you won’t actually hear too much “piano” as students will be Harpsichords, Clarinets, Flutes, Piccolos and many more instrument parts on the piano. This is a challenging yet extremely rewarding class and performance experience for students that have good consistent practice habits at home.
Answers to frequently asked questions about playing in the Piano Orchestra
The playing ability needed to play this music tends to be best for students who are in piano Level 3 - 6. More advanced students (6+) can also assume larger roles and tend to have more solos as they accompany the cast on their own.
