Students will learn:

-Proper posture at the piano - how to sit on the bench, hold the fingers, etc.
-Finger numbers 
-The difference between black keys and white keys and how we use them
-Reading music on the treble and bass clef
-Theory concepts including key signatures, time signatures, whole, half, quarter and eighth notes
-Dynamics and musicality

Alexandra Rhoads - Alexandra has been teaching music lessons for over 15 years. She earned her Master’s in Education from George Mason University in 2012 and has taught full-time as a special education teacher for Fairfax County Public Schools at the elementary and high school levels. Alexandra has been a performing musician and songwriter in the Northern Virginia area both with a band (Spectra) and as a solo artist for over 15 years. She has released two studio albums entitled “Room to Breathe” (2007) and “All This Time” (2016) in which she performed all vocal, guitar, and piano tracks, and received a Silver award in the Rock category of the Mid-Atlantic Song Contest in 2016. Additionally, she has been nominated for 3 Washington Area Music Awards. She has a background in classical, rock, pop, and blues styles on both piano and guitar.  Alexandra’s goals in teaching are to broaden her students’ knowledge of music, help them reach their full potential, and allow them to learn music that they are excited about. She is passionate about sharing her love of music with her students!

Alexandra Stoetzel - Alexandra has taught piano for 15 years. She loves to introduce students of all ages to music and it’s powerful ability to lift their spirits, help them to grow, and have fun. As a teacher, she focuses on balancing inspiration, explanation, and consistent technique practice. Alexandra began studying piano at age 5, after tagging along to her mother’s classical piano lessons. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a BA in Music Performance from Berklee College of Music and continues her education through apprenticeships, private lessons, and real-world experience. Beyond the piano, she has studied mandolin, guitar, and voice. She also led or served as a musical director in several contemporary ensembles, including blues, pop/rock, country, and jazz.

Olena Willits  - Olena has more than 20 years of progressive experience in the piano and keyboard performance and teaching. Her professional history includes such positions as teaching at Kyiv School of Music, playing at the Kyiv Musical Theater Orchestra, as well as working as a concertmaster at the Kyiv Children Choir, and a worship leader at local churches.  She grew up and studied music in Kiev, Ukraine but now lives and teaches in the Atlanta, GA area. 
Olena finds great pleasure in teaching and feels that she learns as much from her students as they do from her. Each one is a unique individual and she strives to find the right approach to help them learn and discover new things.  Her teaching approach helps students develop a love for music and a desire to learn!

Carlehr Swanson (vocalist, pianist, speaker) is a 2nd year Ph.D. student in Music at the University of Virginia. She is a graduate of George Mason University and the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami with degrees in Jazz Vocal Performance. Before college, Carlehr accompanied and directed multiple church choirs. She credits this experience as significantly influencing her musicality. Upon entering college, she realized the absence of gospel music in higher education. Consequently, she co-founded and directed the Frost Gospel Ensemble. Giving back to her community and connecting with others has been an important theme in Carlehr's life, as she brings people together to serve the greater good. She is the founder and director of the organization "Music is Unity," where she takes music performances to people who may not experience them otherwise. Throughout this year, she has
planned and performed more than a dozen virtual events for the community. In 2017 and 2022, Carlehr was 3rd Runner-Up (2017, 2022) in the Miss Virginia Organization and was named the People's Choice (2017). She continues sharing her social impact initiative, "Music is Unity.” Carlehr's career highlights include performances with Shelia Jordan, The Manhattan Transfer, and The New York Voices. Carlehr's greatest dream is to leave every place better than she found it.

Levi Carpman - Levi Carpman is a Northern Colorado based musician, educator, and producer. He attended the University of Northern Colorado where he received a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Studies. Levi has been teaching since 2019 in a variety of settings ranging from private lessons to directing a state finalist marching band percussion section. He has experience with a variety of genres, allowing lessons to be tailored around the interests of the student, and his main goal is always to help students find the joy in music. 



Jennifer Chong - Jennifer has lived and breathed music all of her life. She started taking piano lessons at the age of 6 and enrolled in the Royal Conservatory of Music where she  eventually graduated and obtained her ARCT (Associate of the Royal Conservatory) diploma in Piano Performance with Honors and Advanced Theory Certificate. As well as Piano, she is proficient in and teaches voice, guitar, and ukulele and also has completed a Bachelors Degree in Psychology. 

Teaching is Jennifer’s joy in life and she has been teaching for 12+ years. She has experience teaching students of all ages and in many different countries such as the US, different provinces in Canada and Asia where she obtained a TESOL certificate and taught English to young children online. Students have many musical styles that they connect with and she loves facilitating that connection to happen, and is very open to teaching all musical styles with a great musical foundation in note reading, rhythm, and technique.

1 - 2 hours per week outside of class
Homework
Frequency: included
Feedback: included
Details: Learners are expected to practice 20-30 minutes a day, five days a week in order to be successful in this class.
Assessment
Frequency: included
Details: Ongoing feedback from instructor during the class.

Book recommended by instructor on or prior to first lesson. Method books we use are as follows:
Faber Piano Adventures (primer level for beginners)
Alfred Piano Series (Book 1A lesson and recital for beginners)
John Thompson Piano Series