Ursula's Piano Studio

Products And Services

• Private Lessons

  For Ages 5 through Adult Students will have a one on one lesson with Ursula that can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes, or one hour in length. Private Lessons cover the following: Reading Music Technique Music Theory Ear Training Improvising Transposing Students usually have one lesson per week. Some students benefit even more by requesting two lessons per week. Lesson length is determined by the recommendation of the teacher. Younger students require a thirty-minute lesson. Students who are older and more advanced require longer lessons.

• Recreational Adult Group Classes

  No piano required! This class is geared for the beginner adult who has always wanted to play the piano. Adults delay beginning piano for two reasons: 1) They do not have a piano 2) They are afraid of the expense of piano lessons because they are concerned they do not have time to practice. Both of these obstacles are solved with Ursula’s fun and relaxed way to learn the piano. Students will practice and learn during the one hour lessons. Students will be playing tunes they enjoy in the first lesson. Enjoy learning in this relaxed and joyful atmosphere!

• Music for Moppets

  Music for Moppets is a music readiness program designed for 4 and 5 year olds. This class of 4 to 6 students involves learning music concepts, learning steady beat and rhythm patterns, finger coordination, piano orientation, ear training, improvising and composing simple melodies. Ursula makes music fun for little children. Students play games and do activities that is age appropriate to reinforce important musical concepts such as high and low, fast and slow, long and short, loud and soft. Students are able to play short melodies, improvise and recognize musical symbols from the beginning. Most children are able to read and play music in a short period of time.

• Music Journey

  Music Journey is a class designed for students to learn music with their peers. Some students are more motivated to learn piano in a social environment. This class is modeled after the world’s greatest piano teacher Robert Pace who Ursula studied with at Columbia University, NY. The Class: A student is paired with another student that is approximately the same age and playing ability. For one half hour they learn their repertoire for the week. The following half hour the two students are joined with the next pair of students, where all four student are joined in one music class. During this half hour, students work on transposing, playing by ear, composing music, reading key signatures, and more. Concepts are reinforced through imitation, creativity, games, and listening activities. After the group class is finished the next pair of students have their semi private lesson and the first students leave after the group lesson.

• Music Appreciation

  Music Appreciation is a class that develops the ability for students to actively listen to music. Students will cultivate a more fulfilling experience of music by studying the different elements, styles and history of music. Developing a direct listening strategy for hearing music involves listening to small sound bites, studying illustrations and understanding the evolvement of music. Students will be able to recognize different elements of music such as meter, syncopation, polyphony, conduct and disjunct motion to name a few. Organization forms such as sonata, concerto, prelude, minuet, etc. will also be discussed. Harmonic elements such as consonance, dissonance, cadences, major, minor, modes will be expounded on. In addition the history of music will presented in a chronological format from Medieval, Baroque Romantic ending in Contemporary to further fulfill the students experience. The experience from this class will enhance a students ability to enjoy music in a more fulfilling awareness.

• Improvisation

  Would you like to learn to play beautiful and exciting sounds on the piano from the very first lesson? Ursula has the ability to teach students of all ages and levels to create their own melodies from the very first lesson. Students will be able to improvise through the use of modes, major, minor, blues, pentatonic, whole tone scales, basic rhythms and cross rhythms. Benefits of Improvisation Teaches a student to think in motion in a musical manner without the hindrance of note reading Builds a student's self confidence in creating their own musical sounds Helps performers recover in performances when the unexpected happens. Improvisation develops listening skills to create more sensitive performances Develops musicianship in playing together with other performers by creating the highest level of music communication Reinforces theory concepts and technical skills. Students love to improvise because they are creating their own thoughts on the piano

• Piano Ensemble

  Piano Ensemble classes give students the opportunity to create and enjoy music with other students their age and playing ability. Four to six students learn to work together by creating a piece that sounds just like an orchestra is playing. Each student is assigned a different part with their own instrument or voice from the Yamaha Clavinova. Some of the hundreds of sounds available are glockenspiel, marimba, saxophone, flute, drums, guitar, etc. This gives the students a rich experience in learning what other instruments sound like. Students are excited to play pieces that seem to come alive as if they were watching the movies. The incredible orchestration and rhythmical accompaniments from the Yamaha Clavinova gives the players memorable experience by discovering that they are part of the whole to make music come alive. Students are also more motivated to practice because they want to keep up with their peers in the group. What better way to have learners discover and share music than with their friends?