WHY PLAY?

Here are a few ways that kids experience success at PLAY Piano Academy

We understand how children learn and how to motivate!
Our teachers have a combined 45 years of experience teaching music to children.
We turn learning music into a game!
Our instruction incorporates technology that makes learning songs fun – not a boring exercise, and our curriculum features engaging songs that students like to play.
Students experience learning as a team! Just like in sports, students are able to participate with other kids in learning together… and the result is more engagement, lack of boredom, and the desire to “stick with it”
Powerful at-home practice tools! With most studios, students get limited exposure to the teacher and are sent home to struggle on their own. At PLAY, our students have practice tools to use at home on each song using a computer or tablet that helps them with home practice!
Students learn a wide range of musicianship skills, including improvisation, ear training, theory, and technique

"What kind of instrument do we need?"

All students will need a piano for home practice. Home instruments need to have 88 weighted keys, at least one pedal (sustain pedal), and should be tuned and in good condition. The better your home instrument sounds and the more centrally located it is, the more your child will want to play it! A good quality digital piano is an excellent instrument for beginners and intermediate pianists. This is a much more affordable option than an acoustic piano for most families who are just starting out with piano lessons. Some advantages include the ability to plug in a headset, a smaller footprint, portability, and no need to tune or maintain it. Additionally, digital pianos are typically MIDI-capable, which will allow the use of our technology application, the Piano Express app, at home. This will be an important part of at-home practice success. Models with extra “bells and whistles” are not necessary, but can provide extra incentive for students. Synthesizers and toy keyboards with fewer than 88-keys and without pedals are not suitable instruments for effective learning. An adjustable bench is often a very wise investment as well, but not necessary as long as your child is able to find the proper sitting height in relation to the keyboard. We are happy to advise families looking for an appropriate instrument for their home. Local dealers such as Morgenroth Music and Electronic Sound and Percussion can find a cost-effective solution for you, and Amazon offers good deals as well. A few excellent pianos that can be purchased for around $600-700 are the Casio PX160, the Yamaha P45, and the Roland FP-10. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to ask us!

RULES FOR PLAY

Student Do's and Don’ts for success!

Learning the piano is a wonderful adventure! In order for piano lessons to be fun and rewarding, please DO:

come to your piano class with a respectful, “can do” attitude
work hard and try your best at all times
listen attentively, follow directions, and ask questions
bring your materials to each lesson
commit to practicing on a regular basis throughout the week for measurable progress

Please DON'T:

miss classes
try to cram all of your practice for the week into the night before
“forget” to practice!

Parents are asked to:

help to establish a regular practice schedule and follow through consistently
monitor the quality of practice
check in occasionally on the progress of special assignments
maintain the home instrument and position it in a frequently used area (avoid placing it in the basement or in the busiest room of the house)
listen, encourage, and applaud your child’s progress!
purchase books as requested and ensure all materials are brought to class each week

Most students in elementary school are not able to initiate and effectively monitor their own practice, regardless of their enjoyment of piano. Parents do NOT need to play or even understand the piano to effectively support and supervise.

Home Practice

Piano is different from sports and other extra-curricular activities in that a significant part of a student's musical growth occurs outside of lesson time. For this reason, regular home practice is essential for progress and will be expected. The length of daily practice required is variable and will be discussed with each student and their parents based on their individual needs. A significant part of our weekly lesson will be devoted to showing students how and what to work on at home.

Missed Lesson Policy

Regular attendance at every class meeting is the best way to ensure progress and success. In a group lesson setting, each student is part of the team, and the overall progress of the class can be affected if students are not keeping pace with the rest of the group. Missed lessons will quickly contribute to students falling behind. Please note that no discounts are given for student absences. Instead, because PLAY offers a number of classes at each level per week, students can make arrangements to attend a make-up class provided there is room in the class. In the rare case of teacher cancellation due to illness or unforeseen events, classes will be rescheduled at a later date.

Tuition

Tuition payments are due at the beginning of each month. You can pay by cash, check, or sign up for automatic credit card payments.

Thank you!

Most importantly, thank you for allowing us to be a part of your child's music education! Please feel free to call or email with questions or concerns at any time.