• electric and acoustic piano

• sound synthesis using programs such as Logic Pro X, GarageBand, and Ableton.

Instruction includes exposure to a comprehensive range of genres:

• Classical, jazz, and contemporary art music

• Pop, rock, hip-hop, EDM

• Country, blues, folk, R&B/soul

• Sub-genres and cross-cultural rhythmic traditions

1. Rhythm & Time

Music begins with rhythm. Students learn to:

• Keep a steady beat

• Count and subdivide rhythms

• Understand time signatures and tempo
  Strong rhythm skills are essential for ensemble playing and solo performance.

2. Pitch Accuracy

Technical development includes:

• Playing or singing in tune

• Understanding high vs. low pitch

• Matching pitch by ear
  This builds confidence and musical control.

3. Reading Music Notation

Students learn to interpret:

• Notes and rests

• Rhythmic values

• Dynamics and articulations

• Musical symbols and markings
  Reading allows students to learn new music independently.

4. Technique & Physical Coordination

Each instrument requires physical skills:

• Proper posture and alignment

• Efficient hand, finger, or breath control

• Coordination between limbs or voice and body
  Good technique prevents injury and improves sound quality.

5. Tone Production

Students learn how sound is created:

• Producing a clear, consistent tone

• Controlling volume and quality

• Understanding how technique affects sound
  Tone is a foundational technical skill on every instrument.

6. Ear Training & Listening Skills

Musicians develop the ability to:

• Hear mistakes and correct them

• Recognize intervals, chords, and rhythms

• Balance their sound with others
  Listening is as important as playing.

7. Dynamics & Expression

Technical control allows musicians to shape music:

• Playing loud and soft

• Accents and articulation

• Musical phrasing and expression
  This transforms notes into music.

8. Coordination & Independence

Students develop:

• Hand-to-hand or voice-to-instrument coordination

• Independence between limbs or musical lines

• Multitasking skills while performing
  This is especially important for piano, drums, and ensemble instruments.

9. Tempo Control & Practice with a Metronome

Musicians learn to:

• Maintain consistent tempo

• Speed up or slow down intentionally

• Practice effectively with a metronome
  Tempo control is essential for professional-level playing.

10. Scales, Patterns & Technical Exercises

Technical fluency is built through:

• Scales and arpeggios

• Pattern recognition

• Repetitive technical exercises
  These improve accuracy, speed, and muscle memory.

11. Practice Technique

Learning music includes learning how to practice:

• Breaking music into sections

• Slow, focused repetition

• Goal-oriented practice sessions
  Good practice habits accelerate progress.

12. Musical Memory

Students develop:

• Muscle memory

• Visual and aural memory

• Confidence performing without relying solely on sheet music

13. Ensemble & Collaboration Skills

Technical musicianship includes:

• Playing in time with others

• Listening and adjusting

• Following a conductor or bandleader
  These skills are critical for bands, orchestras, and groups.

14. Style-Specific Techniques

Different genres require different skills:

• Classical precision

• Jazz swing and harmony

• Rock and pop groove

• Improvisation and feel
  Students learn to adapt technique to style.

Why Technical Skills Matter

Strong technical foundations allow students to:

• Learn music faster

• Avoid bad habits or injury

• Play confidently and musically

• Progress from beginner to advanced levels

• Timekeeping, feel, sound production

• Brush techniques in multiple styles

• Ensemble interaction and musical decision-making

• Practice psychology

• Focus management

• Performance mindset

• Growth-oriented learning strategies

1. Musical Alphabet & Keyboard Layout

Piano is ideal for learning theory because the layout is visual and logical:

• The musical alphabet (A–G)

• White keys vs. black keys

• Repeating patterns across the keyboard
  This helps students quickly understand pitch and spacing.

2. Reading the Grand Staff

Piano students learn to read:

• Treble clef (right hand)

• Bass clef (left hand)

• Notes on lines and spaces

• Ledger lines
  This develops full-range reading skills from the beginning.

3. Rhythm & Note Values

Theory concepts include:

• Whole, half, quarter, and eighth notes

• Rests and rhythmic symbols

• Time signatures

• Counting and subdivision
  Rhythm theory supports accurate timing and steady playing.

4. Scales & Key Signatures

Students learn:

• Major and minor scales

• Key signatures and accidentals

• Half steps and whole steps

• Circle of fifths (introduced gradually)
  This explains why certain notes appear in a piece.

5. Intervals

Interval study teaches:

• Distance between notes

• Identifying steps and skips

• How melody and harmony are constructed
  This strengthens both reading and ear training.

6. Chords & Harmony

Piano students learn harmony early because the keyboard makes it visible:

• Major, minor, diminished, and augmented chords

• Triads and seventh chords

• Chord inversions

• Left-hand accompaniment patterns
  These skills support pop, classical, and jazz playing.

7. Chord Progressions

Students learn how chords function together:

• Common progressions (I–IV–V, ii–V–I)

• Tension and resolution

• Accompaniment and songwriting basics
  This allows students to understand music structure, not just memorize notes.

8. Dynamics & Articulation Symbols

Theory also includes musical symbols such as:

• Dynamics (p, f, crescendos)

• Articulation (staccato, legato, accents)

• Tempo markings
  These guide expression and musical interpretation.

9. Form & Structure

Piano students learn to recognize:

• Musical phrases

• Repeated sections

• Forms such as ABA, verse/chorus, or sonata form
  Understanding form helps with memorization and confidence.

10. Transposition & Key Awareness

As students advance, they learn:

• Playing in different keys

• Transposing melodies and chords

• Recognizing patterns rather than individual notes
  This builds flexibility and deeper musical understanding.

11. Ear Training & Functional Theory

Theory is reinforced through listening:

• Identifying intervals and chords by ear

• Recognizing key centers

• Hearing harmonic movement
  This supports improvisation and sight-reading.

12. Applying Theory at the Piano

Music theory is not taught in isolation:

• It’s applied directly to pieces students are learning

• Used to solve problems and speed up learning

• Supports improvisation, composition, and collaboration

Why Piano Is One of the Best Instruments for Learning Theory

Because the keyboard is linear and visual, piano students naturally develop:

• Strong theory foundations

• Better understanding of harmony

• Skills that transfer easily to other instruments

• Efficient, measurable practice routines

• Sensory-based learning: hearing, seeing, and feeling improvement

• Alternatives to metronome-based practice

Ear training applicable to all musical practices.

What Are Aural Skills?

Aural skills are the ability to hear, recognize, understand, and respond to music by ear. They connect listening to playing, reading, and performing.

1. Pitch Recognition

Students learn to:

• Hear high vs. low sounds

• Match pitch accurately

• Recognize when notes are in or out of tune
  This supports confident and accurate performance.

2. Interval Recognition

Aural training includes:

• Identifying the distance between notes

• Recognizing common intervals by sound

• Connecting intervals to melodies
  This strengthens both melody and harmony awareness.

3. Rhythm & Pulse Awareness

Students develop the ability to:

• Feel and maintain a steady beat

• Recognize rhythmic patterns

• Hear subdivisions and syncopation
  Good rhythm begins with listening.

4. Chord & Harmony Recognition

Students learn to hear:

• Major vs. minor chords

• Common chord progressions

• Tension and resolution
  This skill is essential for ensemble playing and improvisation.

5. Melody Recognition & Memory

Aural skills include:

• Remembering melodic shapes

• Singing or playing melodies by ear

• Recognizing repeated phrases
  This supports memorization and musical confidence.

6. Tonality & Key Awareness

Students learn to:

• Hear a tonal center

• Recognize when music changes key

• Identify scale patterns by sound
  This deepens musical understanding.

7. Articulation, Dynamics & Expression

Listening skills help students recognize:

• Loud vs. soft playing

• Legato vs. staccato

• Accents and phrasing
  These details shape musical expression.

8. Timbre & Tone Quality

Students learn to distinguish:

• Different instruments and voices

• Tone quality and color

• Balance between musical parts
  This is especially important in group playing.

9. Sight-Reading & Anticipation

Strong aural skills support:

• Predicting what music should sound like

• Catching mistakes quickly

• Reading music more fluently
  Students who can hear ahead learn faster.

10. Improvisation & Creativity

Aural skills allow students to:

• Play by ear

• Respond musically in real time

• Create melodies and harmonies naturally
  This is critical in jazz, pop, and contemporary styles.

11. Ensemble & Collaboration Skills

Listening is essential for:

• Playing in time with others

• Adjusting pitch and balance

• Following a conductor or bandleader
  Aural skills make group music possible.

How Aural Skills Are Developed

Aural skills are trained through:

• Singing and clapping

• Call-and-response exercises

• Playing by ear

• Listening to recordings

• Guided repetition and feedback

Why Aural Skills Matter

Strong aural skills help students:

• Learn music faster

• Play more accurately

• Communicate with other musicians

• Become independent, confident performers