Piano lessons in the convenience of your home (NJ)!
(Hawthorne, Glen Rock, Wykoff, Ridgewood,
Fair Lawn, Haledon, etc.
Whatever age or whatever level the student is at
musically -- whether beginner, intermediate or advanced -- the
lesson plan will be individually tailored to the student's abilities,
learning level and talent. When I meet you at the initial lesson,
an evaluation is made of which piano "method" (the published
book[s] or series) might be most suitable for the student's needs.
As many international academic and scientific studies have shown,
piano study offers, help students in other areas of life, and younger
students are better able to excel at schoolwork, mental ability,
study habits, and creativity. (Studies available on request). A
deeper enjoyment of all kinds of music adds so much to an appreciation
of the arts and culture, and the quality of life.
Younger beginners:
 Since
every student is a unique individual, a personal approach is
taken, based on their apparent abilities and learning. Absolute
beginners are introduced to the very fundamental and easy approach
of the Alfred Method, or Faber. Most modern piano study books initially
use the easier learn-by-finger numbers approach to orient the student
to note values, direction of the musical "phrase" and
basic rhythms. Then, the note names on the staff are gradually introduced.
Each student's needs are evaluated in order to see if other drills
or maybe additional material is required, such as the various Alfred
"NoteSpeller" books, which are highly effective for learning
the treble and bass clef notes. Other students may have problems
with counting beats and rhythms, in which case other ways of learning
and perhaps even a metronome might be recommended. (In fact, a metronome
is really a necessary -and inexpensive - tool for anyone taking
lessons. One’s approach to tempo and rhythm is greatly improved.
Time and time again. If the studenrt is not practicing on an acoustic
piano, some of the consumer keyboards (Casio, Yamaha, etc. for example)
have one built in.
In my teaching, I try to work at the individual student's pace of
learning, yet with the goal of to making progress and creating enthusiasm--
so a modern and proven teaching approach is used, while encouraging
the student's strengths and accomplishments. Every effort is made
to make music enjoyable, and some of the early tunes are easily
recognizable by most students from nursery rhymes and songs in school.
As they grow musically, students acquire a unique discipline that,
as many studies show, has a significant effect on his or her learning
habits and later development. As a concerned music professional,
I also try to meet occasionally with the parent at the lesson time
(as needed or as circumstances permit) to report on the student's
progress or possible problems. Since lessons are often tightly scheduled,
this is done informally and/or as arranged, but if you ever have
questions or concerns, please feel free to call or email me). Your
child's musical progress is important to me, and I am glad to discuss
it at any time we are both available.
Intermediate and Adult Students:
Teaching adults (and teens) has long been an exciting
musical experience for me. Adults want to learn and are more than
willing to put in some effort to attain goals. I structure these
lessons a bit differently, of course, than those for children.
Some older students may want to pursue a more classical
music track; some are more interested in being able to play standards
and popular, jazz and/or rock tunes. The foundations of music itself
never changes -- theory, or the mechanics of music --is essential
for an understanding of chord structure, harmony and melodic framework.
This allows you to more easily get through a set of chords and pop
tunes of any kind. The more you know about what you're doing, the
easier and more enjoyable it is to do it. Simple to more advanced
classical pieces are introduced for technique and background for
almost all students as a basis-- but the emphasis on your own musical
goals is always a basic concern. Below are some examples of some
of the materials used and work we might do, if you have previously
at least a year or so of piano.
Method Books and Songbooks:
Various method series books are used: I have found the Faber and/or
Alfred method series of instruction books to be very effective for
most, but John Thompson, Bastien, the John Brimhall series, David
Carr Glover, are also used, depending.
From time to time, I also print out and provide various pertinent
articles about music and music theory (and theory excerpts and examples)
of specific interest as necessary. Individual classical and pop
pieces are brought in too, (Bach, Mozart, Chopin, Beethoven, Schumann,
Gershwin, Rodgers and Hart, etc.). The “tried and true”
of music never goes out of style!
Theory, Harmony and Technique
 Once
again, so much of understanding music depends on learning the "mechanics
of music" so you can better read and understand sheet music,
find chords and progressions on your own and gain a capacity to
improvise and maybe even compose!. Some material I use I have put
together myself, and I also use various texts such as John Mehegan's
books, Mark Levine's "Jazz Harmony", Alfred’s Theory
series for beginners, Bastien's "Intermediate Theory, I and
II, and others. For technique exercises and dexterity, the well-known
texts by Hanon and the popular "Finger Power” series
are sometimes used, as well as other source material.
JAZZ students – or those curious to study
improvisation (whether jazz or rock or pop) and accompaniment
techniques : Introductory to advanced theory and harmonic structures
and analysis, scales and arpeggios and progressions, a study of
various types of Blues progressions and structures, and (depending
on the student's level): various levels of pop arrangements of the
Great American Songbook, solos and standard tunes by pianist Bill
Evans, various transcriptions and arrangements, (Chick Corea, Duke
Ellington, Oscar Peterson, Bud Powell et al) composer/ pianist Jack
Reilly's "Species Blues" series, Tricia Woods’ "Blues
Keyboard" series, Len Stein's "The Professional Touch",
charts form The Real Book(s), Andy Laverne's "Tons of Runs",
Dominic Alldis’ “Classical Approach to Jazz Piano”
and many others.
About practicing...
Regarding practice time, it really is the key to the student’s
progress and success. I make a habit of advising students HOW TO
practice as well – with specific time –saving ways to
work on specific parts, making theory enjoyable and understandable,
harmony methods and relationships, etc. If a student does not have
a dedication to uninterrupted practice time, no matter how wonderful
their abilities may be, progress is doubtful. It needs to be productive,
so the student feels a sense of accomplishment too. Generally, younger
beginners (ages 7-10) ideally should practice for 15-20 minutes
every other day. Some beginners even prefer to practice everyday
for 15 -20 minutes, and that’s great – so a regular
time should be encouraged, and parents are also asked to see that
the student does his or her best to stick to it. Of course, this
needs to be based on the student’s age, time and schoolwork
concerns, disposition, etc. Intermediate and advanced students will,
of course, need more time to do the work assigned.
After the first year or so of lessons, if all is going well, daily
practice -- or at least a concentrated 45 minutes every other day
is recommended minimally. I give students a very reasonable amount
of work to do -- taking into account, of course, possible extracurricular
activities. Therefore, I would expect students to make every attempt
to practice the pieces assigned and to complete any additional writing
work (theory, notation, etc.) that may be given to help them progress.
There may be certain weeks where this is not possible; perhaps the
student may have mid-term or other exams, a school event, etc. This
is completely understandable. In such cases -- especially if the
student was unable to practice much that week -- it might be better
for you to call and cancel that week's lesson (with as much advance
notice as possible). This is far more preferable than for the student
to show up for the lesson unprepared, as it might be a frustrating
experience for us both.
I encourage parents to monitor the student’s practice time
often, and to support his or her musical journey. The efforts needed
to make music, and the vast enjoyment derived from being creative
through music is something from which they will gain great benefits
for a lifetime!
I appreciate your reading this and feel free to
contact me with your questions and concerns. Thank you!
See also my page on "BENEFITS
OF PLAYING AND STUDYING PIANO" for some sientific
facts on this subject!
Remember:
Your first lesson/evaluation is FREE, so email me today!
Listen here for an MP3 sample of Jan Stevens at
the keyboard...
this brief medley of three tunes runs about 3 minutes.
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PIANO INSTRUCTION or piano/ keyboard / vocals or
bands for your party!
E-mail or call JAN STEVENS
at 973-229-5521 today!
( Lessons in parts of Passaic County
and Bergen County only... )
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