Private Piano Lessons
Our teaching philosophy is that music should be learned in a fun and approachable way while giving students a solid foundation in their playing skills and theory. In our lessons, we emphasize fast and accurate note reading, musicianship, theory and firm technique to build those finger muscles.
Curriculum
We offer one-on-one piano lessons tailored to the individual student who may want to learn piano for fun or to those who are more serious and want to do competitions and exams.
We teach all the way from earliest beginner levels to the advanced levels of piano. Students are typically children age 6 to adults. For children who are younger than the age of 6, we recommend our MYC program. We use a variety of method books at the beginner level such as Piano Adventures and Celebrate Piano. For those who wish to have a more formal training in piano, we offer Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) or Conservatory Canada (CC) certificate programs, which go from Preparatory level to Level 10. We also have a huge library of books and scores from classical to pop genres and everything in between so students will always have new pieces they can be excited to learn.
Theory
Learning theory helps us better to understand and appreciate music. Since theory is the language of music, we teach our students theory as soon as they begin music lessons. At the earlier levels theory is incorporated into the lessons. As students approach exam levels in theory (Level 5 and beyond) we schedule a separate slot for the theory portion. We offer these upper level theory courses as private or semi-private (2 students) lessons as well as group classes (3 or more students).
Festivals and Performances
We offer opportunities for students to gain experience in performance by participating in festivals and recitals. We are involved with festivals such as the Calgary Performing Arts (CPA) festival and the Alberta Piano Teachers' Association (APTA) festival. We also hold two recitals per year - our Winter Recital and our Year End Recital. These recitals are more formal and students can invite their family and friends to watch them perform on stage.
Examinations and Prep Classes
Taking exams teaches students about goal-setting and overcoming challenges. After all the hard work in preparing for their exams, students can take pride in their achievements and skills. As a bonus, students can gain high school credits after the completion of their Levels 6, 7 and 8 piano and theory exams (equivalent to Grades 10, 11 and 12 Music).
We prepare our students extensively for both written and practical exams. We offer mock exams and "prep classes" which are informal play-outs of their festival or exam pieces in front of other exam students, their parents, and other studio teachers. At these classes the students can "test out" their newly memorized pieces, work on taming their performance anxiety, as well as gain valuable feedback from fellow students and teachers. Students learn to be critical listeners by offering constructive feedback to our performers. Other teachers will offer various insights and suggestions to further enhance the performance. These prep classes are given out of our own time as we do not charge for them.
Star Chart System/Incentives
In our studio we have a rewards program that runs throughout the music year. Each student's name will be on our chart and they will gain "stars" for practicing well and having good lessons. When they gain enough stars they can redeem them for fantastic prizes. Prizes are an added way for students to be motivated and have fun in music! Furthermore, we recognize all our students who achieve first class honors on their piano or theory exams by presenting them with gift certificates at our recitals. We want to celebrate their accomplishments and hard work!