Piano Lessons in Hayward, CA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Synthesizer Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
You will hear this over and over (no pun intended) but repetition, ear breaks and time limits are a key to practicing effectively. When learning a song, usually there are phrases that become challenges and can stop you from learning the song in its entirety. Next time when faced with one of these difficult phrases, try following these steps; 1. play the part as slowly as needed for you to play it without stopping. 2, Play it at the same pace 5 times in a row. 2. After the 5th time, try playing it at a tempo closer to the songs original tempo. 3. If you ever begin to feel overwhelmed from the repetition take a walk, get some water or do something else to give your ears a rest. 4. When you think you're ready, try playing it again in repetition until you can play it with ease!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
I believe the first indicator is when a child is beginning to show interest in instruments or music. This could include your child spending time messing with a piano or showing an interest in hitting a percussion instrument Other signs of knowing could include if your child is beginning to sing along to songs, tap their foot, head or hand to music. Anytime a child begins to show signs that they are registering and following the rhythm or melody of a song can have these musical skills developed!

When will I start to see results?
This depends completely on your learning style, pace of learning and free time! Consistent practicing within a set time frame on a daily basis will guarantee visible results in all facets of your playing. The older we get the more developed our ears get as well. If you're beginning in middle school and are driven, I've seen students improve in as quickly as a month. If you're in high school or are an adult, I've had students learn simple songs in no less than a week! Again, this is all dependent upon your own drive, interest, time spent playing and learning style.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
This teacher would easily by Alison Rainey! Her demeanor was approachable, positive and well organized. She wrote her own lyrics, played piano and sang in a band outside of lessons which heavily inspired me at the time to practice reading sheet music, follow her songwriting & practice strategies and eventually perform live at piano recitals! She also was open to me bringing in songs I was interested in and taught me how to break down the song into learn-able segments. All in all, Alison inspired me by instilling practical strategies that could make my musical dreams a reality!

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
It was the first instrument I ever picked up and is to this day my favorite as well! I practiced piano on my own and with friends fairly often and eventually felt comfortable playing in a variety of settings in high school. I was very shy in high school and playing keyboards & piano with others was how I met new people, made and developed new friendships. Also, there are a huge variety of styles one can play on piano and I use it to compose string, guitar and bass arrangements for neo soul and classical music I've been composing.

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