Music Education
What kind of piano lessons?
Lessons with West blend traditional and modern methods of piano tutelage for an effective, well-rounded piano education.
West strives to find the balance between teaching students what they need to know, and encouraging them to take charge of their own musical direction.
In addition to learning to play and read music from music notation, students will have the opportunity to learn about different styles of piano playing, about chords and reading chord symbols, and about composition and improvisation.
Composition, you say?
In addition to piano, West also teaches music theory and composition, and can tutor students in the use of musical apps like DAWs (digital audio workstations) and notation programs.
What levels of experience?
West teaches at all levels of experience from complete beginner to early advanced.
What ages?
West has experience teaching a wide array of age ranges, from young children to elder adults. The preferred minimum age for younger learners is 7. Students younger than 7 may apply, but must be evaluated by the teacher.
Where do lessons happen?
Lessons may happen either remotely (Zoom is the preferred app) or in-person at the teacher's home studio (located in Gresham, OR, near the intersection of Powell and 182nd).
In-person lessons are fantastic, and much better in terms of teacher/student interaction, but remote lessons allow for much more flexibility of scheduling.
Currently, in-person lesson slots are limited. Students wishing to take in-person lessons can take remote lessons until a suitable time slot opens up.
*For would-be in-person learners: West does have two cats (Ash & Maple 🐈⬛🐈⬛). Students with allergy issues may want to prepare accordingly, or to choose remote learning.
When do lessons happen?
Current lesson times are Mon through Thu: 3pm - 7pm
Lesson time-slots may be increased due to demand or conducive circumstances.
What materials?
Students will work from a variety of traditional repertoire books and custom materials. West has composed teaching music for years, and regularly produces music for students.
Students must also have a pen/pencil, and remote students must have access to a highlighter 🖍️💛 for marking their music.
What kind of practicing instrument?
Practicing is the heart and soul of learning an instrument; students must have regular access to an instrument for practicing.
It is recommended that this instrument be an 88-key, full-sized digital piano or keyboard. Students may learn with a lesser quality instrument for the first 6 months–1 year of study, but after that a full-sized instrument (with a pedal) will be necessary.
Practicing Policy
While not as demanding as conservatory prep or competition prep lessons, West does require that his students manage a consistent level of progress.
At minimum, students will be required to complete one piece a week, and have another in the "polishing" phase.
Additionally, more experienced students will be asked to complete a technical exercise each week in addition to their practicing repertoire.
*Students interested in hour-long lessons must demonstrate that they can maintain the workload and learning interest to justify them.
Payment and Cancellation
Payment methods may include cash, check, or payment service apps such as Venmo, PayPal, or Zelle (Zelle is the current preferred method). Payment may be per-lesson or monthly. West does allow for by-request lessons if regular lessons are not desired, but regularly scheduled lessons must be weekly (no bi-monthly scheduling).
When at all possible, West prefers to reschedule lessons instead of cancel them (this helps to keep consistency and avoid payment snafus); however, sometimes this is not possible. As a general rule, same-day cancellations by the student will be compensated for unless they can be rescheduled within the same week. Any lesson canceled by West will not require compensation, and will either be made-up or reimbursed.
Regarding tardiness: Being a couple minutes late every so often is to be expected; however, lessons will only happen within their designated time slot, so time lost due to lateness is not recoverable. In the extreme case that a student does not show for their lesson without any warning, West will wait for 2/3rds of the lesson time, after which the lesson is forfeit with full compensation.
What about recitals?
"We practice to perform."
Whether it's for a large audience, a small group of friends, or just for personal relaxation, performance is an important part of learning to play any instrument. Periodic recitals help students monitor progress, and can help provide an important motivational factor to their learning. That said, recitals can be tricky to organize, requiring an adequate venue and schedule.
Currently, recitals are scheduled and organized on-demand. This will be revisited as interest grows.
