About the Studio

About the Studio

B Natural Piano Studio is an in-home piano studio in Centennial/southeast Aurora, half a mile from Eaglecrest High School. My teaching room has space for additional guests to sit and a small lending library of sheet music that students are welcome to borrow.

I am in the process of upgrading to a 1920s baby grand piano. This beautiful antique instrument has a warm, resonant sound and a gentle touch, giving growing pianists the chance to experience the sensory richness of playing a full-size instrument each week! 

My Teaching Philosophy

I am a firm believer that every person deserves the experience of feeling and making music, and that the fundamental purpose of music lessons should be joy! My goal is to provide a happy, playful experience at the lesson every week, no matter what skill level or natural ability a student begins with. 

Too often, kids with ADHD, autism, learning disabilities, or other neurodivergences find education to be a frustrating and defeating experience. As a former school teacher focused on reaching these kids, I know that the thrill of mastering something new sometimes just takes a slightly different approach. Lessons at B Natural Piano Studio are individually adapted to the age, attention span, and physical ability of each student via a strengths-based approach and using principles of developmentally appropriate practice. My college training in child development from infancy through young adulthood, combined with two decades of experience teaching and mentoring kids & teens in a variety of settings, gives me a myriad of techniques to meet every student where he or she is at. 

Practice Expectations

Piano lessons should fit around your family's life, not the other way around. More practice will lead to faster skill growth, but I absolutely recognize all the demands on our time that busy families have. I do not have a minimum practice requirement between lessons or any penalties for missed practices.

My hope for each student is that they do their best to fit in five practice sessions each week, no matter where that falls in their week. This may look like practicing after school or work each weekday, or like squeezing in a morning and an evening practice session on a Saturday or Sunday. I have a prize pail in the studio for students to choose from each time they reach at least five practices in per week!

A "practice session" length is going to be different for each student. Elementary age children especially are not going to be successful with a 30-minute session expectation -- that's just too long for a developing brain to work on one task. Aiming for minutes per practice session that is double the child's age (so 20 minutes for a 10-year-old) is a more realistic and developmentally supported expectation.

When it comes to building skills that stick, brain science tells us that frequency of practice means more than length. Kids will grow faster and more effectively in their piano-playing and music-reading skills if they practice more often, not for fewer but longer stretches. 

Scheduling and Missed Lessons

Your weekly lesson slot is held for you on an ongoing basis, except on these weeks that the studio is closed:

• Cherry Creek School District's fall break

• Cherry Creek School District's winter break (closed all 3 weeks)

• Cherry Creek School District's spring break

• Two weeks each summer (check with Ms. Cathryn for exact dates)

I know that life happens: kids get sick, families travel, and sometimes we just forget an appointment! Just like soccer practice or swim lessons, I am not able to give refunds for missed piano lessons. However, students are welcome to use the online Calendly system to self-schedule a makeup lesson when one is missed. Up to two rolling "credits" for missed lessons can be carried at a time. 

Materials

Each student purchases their own leveled lesson books. For kids and preteens, my favorite set by far is Piano Adventures by Faber. But before you purchase books, let's talk! Depending on your student's needs and preferences, we may design a more customized curriculum.

Beginner and early intermediate books often come in sets of 3 or 4 books per level, and each book costs about $10. All students progress at different rates, but you can likely expect to need to purchase a new level of books each year. 

Part of the fun of playing piano is preparing pieces to perform that you recognize or especially enjoy. Performance piece books make great birthday gifts or practice prizes for motivated kids.

Please note that all students are required to have a piano or a full-sized keyboard (88 keys) at home to practice. You wouldn't take trumpet lessons without having a trumpet at home!

Do you offer online lessons or travel lessons? 

For weekly afternoon lesson slots, I am not able to travel to students' homes, because my own children are home from school. Afternoon lesson times will always only be available at my in-home studio.

For daytime (school hours) lessons for homeschoolers or adults, lessons in your home may be a possibility with an additional travel surcharge based on time & distance from the Eaglecrest High School area. Please reach out to me if you are interested in this option.

At this time, I am not planning on adding a virtual/online teaching option. A major component of learning healthy habits for playing an instrument as large and technical as the piano includes instruction on posture and body mechanics, which are extremely difficult to see and teach properly over a video call. However, if there is strong interest, I may try to explore this option in the future; please contact me if this is something you'd like to discuss. 

Do you have recitals?

Yes, absolutely! Preparing to perform is an amazing motivation for most students. We typically have two recitals per year, in the fall and the spring. 

Our "Halloween Wackies" is a silly, fun-focused recital held in October that's designed to take the pressure off of students who are nervous or not used to performing. Students are encouraged to wear a costume, and they play their song twice: first as goofy as they can, and then as well as they can. Using this lighthearted approach helps learners build confidence and grit as they practice managing adrenaline through play and joy.

Our "Spring Formal" is our traditional recital held in May. Students perform their most technical pieces for friends and family to show off all that they have learned. 

Unless otherwise noted, all recitals are held at the Church of Jesus Christ building across the street from Eaglecrest High School (5175 S Picadilly St, Aurora, CO 80015). Recitals are free and anyone is invited to attend. Dates and times will be announced at the beginning of each semester.

For students who are very motivated, service performance opportunities can also be scheduled. These are free, informal, small-group events where students are invited to play the pieces they are currently working on for residents of care facilities or similar locations. These "popup" performances can be truly meaningful ways for students to see the joy that comes from sharing music.