Piano Lessons With Scott Coletta

What To Expect

I believe being a good teacher means teaching students how to teach themselves, by helping them understand how to apply their own personal learning style at the piano and by spending a lot of time developing practicing strategies. For all students, regardless of age or ability, our primary focus is on listening and feeling first, because that’s where we learn to understand what to practice. Everyone hears music differently, and that’s exactly the point. What we hear in our imagination directs how we play. So our first goal is to develop and understand what’s in the musical imagination. From there, we can begin to work on how to bring that imagination to the keyboard through the processes of thought, technique, theory, reading, and a multitude of other strategies for focus and memory.

This may sound a bit unconventional… and it is! But it’s exactly why my students enjoy working with me and why both students and parents have consistently preferred the results over more conventional approaches that I’ve tried or that they’ve experienced with other teachers.

I recommend learning familiar music… songs you’ve heard a lot before or can sing. With the right guidance in selecting music to learn and how to understand that music, there is as much or more opportunity to learn what is intended in any method book you will find. It’s all about laying the right foundations for feeling an effortless connection to what we play. There will be a struggle whenever learning something new, but the most important goal is to learn how to work through that struggle. As I often say to my students… “It’s called ‘playing’ the piano, not ‘struggling’ the piano!”

For Kids

Kids are generally ready to learn piano with me when they’re around 5-7 years old, depending on their interest level and willingness to cooperate. There are a number of indicators that kids might have aptitude for the piano. Some of the most likely are that they enjoy singing and listening to music, they like dancing, they’re good at drawing, or one or both parents are musical. Although many kids, while they may benefit from learning piano, may not seem to have the interest or discipline for it. But that’s ok… it’s still a good idea to try it. I’m often complimented on my infinite patience with “unruly” kids :-) … and I’m very easy going when it comes to distractions and such. I think that for kids who are more easily distracted, the piano is a great way to develop more focus. As long as there is mutual respect, things will go smoothly. When kids aren’t particularly interested in music, it may take quite a while for them to feel a positive connection to the process and for there to be a desirable outcome, but with persistence and encouragement, most kids eventually find a love for music.

For kids who already have experience with music lessons, either on piano or another instrument, they often come to me because either they want to learn more or their previous experience didn’t work out. Sometimes, we’ll just continue with learning new music and concepts, but often students appreciate the opportunity to understand foundations that might not have been clear, but without having to start over. By gaining new perspectives on previously learned concepts, students build greater confidence and feeling in their playing. Generally, we’re able to pick up wherever the student left off and start a new learning path together that is guided by the student’s interest… the music and concepts they want to learn.

For Adults

You can start learning piano at any age. While some things may come easier as a kid, adults have a lot of advantages when learning piano. Having the skills to think through things carefully and being able to patiently direct attention towards solving problems goes a long way in overcoming any setbacks from starting later in life. Some of the skills that often develop more quickly for kids, such as hearing skills and timing skills, can still be acquired just the same or better. It just may take more time and persistence. If you’re a beginner or only have a little experience, one of the most difficult things to overcome at first is being able to find music that’s easy enough to play well, but also is enjoyable to play. My adult students appreciate learning the process of developing a greater understanding of listening and the relationship between what we hear and what we play. Through that process, and learning to develop strategies for practicing and problem solving, they’re able to learn music that they enjoy and play it well. Often this ends up being much simpler music than expected but an appreciation for that simplicity unfolds with greater depth of understanding.

If you’re already experienced at the piano, or another instrument… perhaps you’re wanting to improve your playing, or you’re coming back to music after some time away… we’ll focus on whatever your goals are. I’m comfortable and enjoy working with all styles of music and I’ve had students with backgrounds ranging from ‘I played a little as a kid’ to ‘I played guitar in a cover band’ to ‘I have a Ph.D. in classical piano and I want to learn jazz’.

Check out the reviews on the About Me page for comments from some of my students.