Saturday, December 29, 2012

Piano Lesson Resources in Portland, Oregon, USA!




Hooray for piano lessons, my group classes at the Community Music Center are mostly full, some with waiting lists!!!  I spoke with Kelly Bechtell, Registrar Czar yesterday, and he informed me that I have room for 2 or 3 more students in a few group classes at CMC.  The students in these classes have all had at least 3 months of lessons.  Call CMC for the schedule.


Scheduling can be an issue in a busy family's life and you may not be able to find a class that fits your schedule. And while CMC is an amazing place, but I have been doing some research and there are many amazing teachers and music schools in Portland!

Here is what I discovered:  

Within the Portland Parks and Recreation system, many community centers offer private piano instruction.  If you live in S.E. Portland, Woodstock, Sellwood and East Portland Community Center are nice facilities with private piano lessons.  Go to: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/39839
or call: 503.823.PLAY (7529)  for more information. 
  
I spoke to Joanna at Harmony Road in Clackamas.  She told me they do have openings for winter term. Harmony Road offer a comprehensive music program using the European fixed "do" method.  They teach in a classroom, small group setting.  You can find out more information about their program at: http://www.harmonyroadoregon.com/  
or call:  503.557.5151 for more information.

I spoke with Danielle at Ethos Music Center in North Portland. She told me they have openings for winter term.  Ethos offers group piano lessons and private lessons.  And if you qualify for reduced or free lunch, you can bring your award letter into Ethos and they will give you discounted lessons.   For more information about Ethos, please visit their site at: http://ethos.org/about/general-info/
or call:  503.283.8467 for more information


Winter term at the Community Music Center begins 01/07/2013.  If you would like to take a class at CMC, but the class you desire is full, you are welcome to call and sign up for the waiting list.  Sometimes students drop out, especially as we head into spring sport season.  Their phone number is: 503.823.3177.
For more information about CMC, or to look into other music classes, you can also go to their website: http://communitymusiccenter.org/ 




 Let's keep the music going! :)

Peace,

Teacher Zita




Friday, December 28, 2012

WINTER TERM 2013







WINTER TERM!!

Hello Parents, Students and Friends of the Piano!

I hope you all are having a fabulous winter break and an enjoyable holiday season of whatever holiday you celebrate!

I am organizing the piles of music in  my piano studio, reading a pile of books, practicing and enjoying some down time. But with winter term just around the corner, I am starting to get excited to start teaching again! :)

I generally do not hold a recital at the end of Winter Term. Winter is a good time to stay cozy inside, practice, and brush up on music theory! :) Don't worry, I promise to make it fun with musical games, but I think music theory is interesting and fun without the games. I hope you will too!

My next big student piano recitals will be in June.  So after we spend some time on theory, scales, sight-reading, etc., you may want to consider searching for a stellar recital piece.  With several months time to practice, you can work up something marvelous!

Winter term at the Community Music Center begins 01/07/2013.  I spoke with Kelly Bechtell, the Registrar Extraordinaire at CMC yesterday.  At this point, all of my classes are full.  You are welcome to call and sign up for the waiting list.  Sometimes students drop out, especially as we head into spring sport season.  Their phone number is: 503.823.3177.
For more information about CMC, or to look into other music classes, you can also go to their website: http://communitymusiccenter.org/ .


I have made a slight change in my schedule, and now have a few openings on Wednesday evenings.  I have 6:30 and 7:00 p.m. available.  After those are filled, I am officially full for winter term in my private studio as well! If you are a new student, please contact me and I will put you on my waiting list.  

I am typing up a separate post about group piano. Look for it on my blog shortly! :)


I hope to see you soon. Keep the music going! 

Below is my financial policy:  


My rate for piano lessons is $20/half hour.

There are several payment methods you can choose from, but I would encourage you to consider paying at the beginning of the term for the entire 12 week term. I prefer not to have to think or talk about payment - Just want to think about music!

However, if that is not an option for you, you can choose what works best.

In hardship cases, I will always slide your fee. My students have always been more important to me than my pocketbook!


FINANCIAL POLICY
Option 1:  Prepay for the entire 12 week term at the beginning of the term (Winter term for private students begins Monday, January 7 and goes through March 31, 2013)
1 student:  $200
2 students: $400
Option 2:  Prepay for the month in advance. (Due on the first lesson of the month)
1 student:  $75
2 students:  $150
Option 3:  Pay as you go – $20 per half hour for each student

I take cash, check or Paypal

Enjoy the rest of winter break and let's keep the music going! :)

Peace,

Teacher Zita :)

Saturday, November 24, 2012

End of Term Piano Recitals - Important Stuff! :)

End of Term Piano Recitals

Dear Students and Parents:

Here we are nearing the end of Fall term already - time flies when you’re having fun and making music! Most of you have already signed up for a spot on one of my recitals.  If not, please see me!


Recital dates and times:

Sunday, December 9; 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 16; 5:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Place:
Community Music Center Auditorium (Main Floor)

I usually suggest that students arrive about 15 minutes early. If you are able, please bring something to share at the reception.  Cookies, crackers, cheese, fruit, veggies, juice, paper cups, plates and napkins are all welcome. Pianists do work up an appetite!  Students may dress in whatever they are comfortable wearing on stage.

I like the students to sit in the front two rows and family in the rest of the auditorium. You may bring family members, but keep in mind the auditorium only holds about 100 people comfortably.

Students may use sheet music. I sit on stage at the piano in case they need help. And please do not worry about making a mistake! Above all, do your best and enjoy - music is meant to be shared - performance is fun! But, if you are a bit nervous, that’s ok too. Just remember all the goodies after the recital! :)

Email me if you have any questions! :)  

Teacher Zita  
(pianoteacherpdx@yahoo.com)

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Looking for a piano?

I posted some information a few weeks ago about where to go and what to look for in a piano. In the meantime, Peggy from Classic Pianos called.  She told me if any of my students come in looking for a piano, and mention my name, she will give them a discount! 

Just wanted to pass that on to you.  Classic Pianos is at 3003 SE Milwaukie Ave (off of 12th and Powell.  Next door to Classic Pianos is Portland Music Company, which is a fun place to go and browse for sheet music.  They are very helpful and there is even a little piano in the back room if you want to try your music before you buy! :)

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Openings for Private Lessons

Beginning in December, I will have a few openings for private students.  You can take a few private lessons to supplement your group classes at CMC over winter break, or you can sign up for weekly private lessons for winter term.

Or, you could try a different style.  I teach beginning blues piano!  Or try your hand at composing, or chording while you sing! Lots of fun possibilities.....

Wednesday after 5 p.m. will be available.

See me with questions. ;)

Peace and Joy through Music!


Teacher Zita

Piano Recitals!

Hi Piano Students, Parents, Family and Friends!

Recital season is upon us! I LOVE recitals!  I have at least two big recitals a year.   I have over 100 students, so I divide the recitals into two days with two times available each day.  So, you can choose one of four recitals to perform in that will fit your schedule.

When I was a young student, I had a lot of stage fright.  I overcame it eventually, with a kind piano teacher as a teenager and a lot of practice.  But I told myself, that if I ever became a piano teacher, I would ease the tension and make piano recitals fun and as pain free as possible.

If you are a little anxious about being on stage, talk to me! It is not mandatory to perform in a recital if you are my student, but I encourage it. Music is to be shared! We are all in this together! And the more you perform, the easier it gets!

And, to support my students even further, I sit by their side at the piano while they perform. Beginning students go up on stage as a group and sit in a semi-circle on stage (Just like "circle time" in class at CMC!)

I encourage the audience to applaud while you walk on stage (on of my memories as a child, was that long walk up the aisle to the stage, IN DEAD SILENCE - aack!). But hearing applause as you walk up, before you even play is empowering, in my humble opinion.

Then of course, afterwards there will be thunderous applause and many yummy goodies to eat at the reception!

And, as I always tell my students, there is no "Mistake Bear" hiding behind the piano to come out and bite you if you make a mistake. Who cares if you make a mistake? We all make mistakes. Of course, you should try to do your best. But if you make a mistake, it is ok! Keep going, stop and correct it, or start over. Just don't run out of the auditorium screaming! lol.  I teach at the Community Music Center where I hold my recitals. It is an environment of learning.  Mistakes are not a big deal. :)

So, here are the dates and times of the December recitals.  Put them on your calendars and then let me know in the next few weeks which date and time you prefer. 

Students can have family and friends come, but the auditorium only comfortably holds about 100, so don't invite the whole neighborhood.  And please bring treats for everyone to share afterwards! Healthy goodies are always preferred, but sweets are nice too!


RECITAL DATES AND TIMES

Sunday, December 9, 2012:  5:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, December 16, 2012: 5:00 p.m. or 6:30 p.m.


Peace and Joy through Music!


Teacher Zita :)

Buying A Piano - Some Suggestions

Hello Piano Students!

Fall has finally arrived with our wonderful Portland rain and lovely colors of the changing leaves.

And new piano students have arrived with their enthusiasm and unique personalities.

This is my favorite time of year! :)

If you are looking for beginning piano to practice on, and you have a limited budget, I would suggest you look at this page from GuitarCenter.com:

Usedkeyboards

I recommend the Yamaha NP11 61-Key Piaggero Digital Piano for brand new beginners on a budget. Guitar Center has them new at $159.  Ask them for a comparable used keyboard if you'd like a cheaper price.

If you are willing to travel to Vancouver, WA, my high school friend Gayle Beacock of Beacock Music, will give any of my students a discount off of this keyboard.  If you are interested, email me and I will put you touch with her keyboard guy.

If price is not so much of an issue, I would always suggest a studio acoustic upright. I am partial to Yamahas, but there are lots of great pianos out there.  
Classic Pianos at 3003 SE Milwaukie Ave (off of 12th and Powell) is a wonderful store to browse.  Ask for Peggy, and tell her Teacher Zita from the Community Music Center sent you and she'll give you the grand tour, and a great deal if you choose to purchase your piano there. I believe they even offer rent to own deals.

My piano is a 1910 Wagner upright I purchased from Day Music about 20 years ago. It is a beautiful, tall, heavy upright with a very nice action and stays in tune quite nicely.  If you like the older, did I say HEAVY?!, uprights, "The Immortal Piano" on Belmont and 40th is a wonderful store.  

If you are limited on space, but budget is not such an issue, I would recommend:

Yamaha YDP-C71PE Arius Polished Ebony Digital Piano with Bench

Item # 107618779. This is similar to the digital pianos we have at CMC. They have them listed for $1,800 currently at Guitar Center. They carry this same piano at Classic Pianos, but I am not sure of their current price.


It is important for you to have a piano to practice on.  A full piano keyboard as 88 keys.  A "real" piano action allows you to increase or decrease volume with the weight of your fingers.  If you purchase an electric keyboard, please consider a full keyboard with weighted keys for a better learning and musical experience.

If you have any questions, please email me or ask me at your lesson!
 

Peace and Joy through Music!
 

Teacher Zita :)
My Piano!









Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Registration for Fall Term at CMC

Registration for fall term began Monday, August 13 at the Community Music Center (CMC).  If you are interested in enrolling in a group piano class, please call CMC at 503.823.3177.  I teach Thursday, Friday and Saturday. :)

 Fall Term runs September 24 to December 15, 2012. :)

Teacher Zita

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Update - remaining openings for Fall Term

Flying like hotcakes!
These are my openings for fall term private lessons:

Mon: 3:00 and 3:30
Tue: 3:00
Wed: 3:00

I could possibly do earlier in the afternoon, but other than that, this is it!! Teacher Zita

Wednesday, August 8, 2012






FALL TERM!!

Time flies! Back to school is just around the corner!

I actually really love the Fall. I was always excited to return to school - all the supplies and books and friends. :)  I also enjoy cooler weather.

I am in the process of planning my shedule for the school year. I have decided to add more performance work to my schedule, so I will not have as many private lesson spots.  Please reserve a spot soon if you would like to study privately with me.

I will still be teaching group classes at the Community Music Center. I have heard rumors that the fall catalog is online. The hard copies should be available in a few days. You can call 503.823.3177 and find out more!


The following are my remaining openings for private lessons this Fall:
Mondays - 3:00, 3:30,  4:30
Tuesdays - 3:00, 3:30, 4:00, 5:00
Wednesdays - 3:00 

Please call or email me now to reserve a spot! :)

 Just to review my financial policy (for my memory as well as yours!):

My rate for piano lessons is $20/half hour.

There are several payment methods you can choose from, but I would encourage you to consider paying at the beginning of the term for the entire 12 week term. I prefer not to have to think or talk about payment - Just want to think about music!

However, if that is not an option for you, you can choose what works best.

In hardship cases, I will always slide your fee. My students have always been more important to me than my pocketbook!


FINANCIAL POLICY
Option 1:  Prepay for the entire 12 week term at the beginning of the term (Spring term for private students begins Monday, April 2, 2012)
1 student:  $200
2 students: $400
Option 2:  Prepay for the month in advance. (Due on the first lesson of the month)
1 student:  $75
2 students:  $140
Option 3:  Pay as you go – $20 per half hour for each student

I take cash, check or Paypal

Enjoy the rest of your summer and enhance your life with music! :)

Peace,

Teacher Zita :)

Monday, June 25, 2012

Summer Tuition

I am at home today, Monday, June 25, 2012.  It is my first real day off in many many moons!  I am finally working out my schedule for summer!

I have heard from several parents that they would like to pay for summer term in advance and have their kids continue lessons through the summer. Cool!

So I figured out the weeks of summer term and a price structure. Here goes:

Per Lesson

30 minute lesson:  Paid each lesson: $20.

1 hour lesson (or two students): Paid each lesson: $40

Per Month

30 minute lesson, once a week:  Prepaid: $75.

1 hour lesson (or two students): Prepaid:  $150.

Summer Term (8 weeks)

30 minute lesson, once a week: Prepaid:  $140.

1 hour lesson (or two students): Prepaid: $300.

Fall/Winter/Spring Term (12 weeks)

30 minute lesson, once a week: Prepaid:  $200

1 hour lesson (or two students): Prepaid: $400

I also have mini lessons (good for toddlers): 20 minutes: $10; 10 minutes $5

Happy Summer!  I think it really is here! :)

Teacher Zita :)


Sunday, June 24, 2012

Summer Private Lessons

Hi Students!

Summer is officially here (someone might want to notify the weather! Lol!)

My beginning piano blues camp was a raging success!  However, my continuing blues camp was cancelled due to low enrollment.

So, I am ready to teach private summer lessons if you are, beginning Monday, June 25th!

I still have openings in my schedule if you would like a regular time. OR you can just email or call me to come in for a lesson here and there to perhaps get help on a special piece, get some questions answered, or get started with notereading.

:)

Happy Summer!

Teacher Zita
pianoteacherpdx@yahoo.com

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

End of School Year Announcements!

Can you believe it? Summer is just around the corner! :)

Here are some upcoming events and dates to keep in mind:

June 4 - June 10: last week of Spring Term.

June 11 - June 17: Make up week.

Sunday, June 17th; Student Piano Recital; 5 pm and 6:30 pm - CMC

June 18 - 22: Beginning Piano Blues Camp

June 24: 8th grade piano concert featuring Steve Mare, Daniel Hammel, Julia Hammel: 5:30 pm. Free!


Jun3 25: Summer Private lessons begin- reserve your time now! :)

July 10: Summer term group piano lessons begin at CMC- class space still available!

Happy end of the school year, students. Here comes the sun!

:)

Teacher Zita

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Summer Piano Lessons

Can you believe it? SUMMER? :)  It's just around the corner!!

Please let me know if you plan on studying piano with me this summer. My private lesson schedule will change,so you will need to reserve a spot.  I will be teaching privately Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday this summer beginning the week of July 2nd.  I will be teaching group piano at CMC Monday, Wednesday and Friday beginning the week of July 9th.

Spring term ends the week of June 4th for private students.If I owe you a lesson, I will be offering makeups the week of June 11th.

I will be teaching Blues Piano Camp from 06/18 to 06/29 at CMC. I will be able to teach a few private lessons these two weeks, primarily in the early evenings.

Spring term at CMC ends June 16. 

The final spring piano recitals are June 17th at 5:00 and 6:30.

Please email, call, or talk to me in person if you have questions!

Teacher Zita :)

Blues Piano Summer Camp

Summer Blues Piano Camp

Summer is just around the corner! Kids, spare your parents the "I have nothing to, so bored" blues! Come to piano blues camp!

If you've had just one year of piano, you can enroll in Beginning Blues Piano: June 18th through June 22nd. 7 to 9 year olds from 10 a.m. to 12 noon; 10 to 13 year olds from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

If you've taken blues camp before, or know the 12-bar blues in C, you can enroll in my Continuing Blues Piano camp: June 25th to June 29th from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Contact the Community Music Center to sign up! :)
503.823.3177.

Runners Up!

I have chosen several runners up in the Grand Staff Poster Contest.

I wrote "runner up" in the comment beneath the picture of your poster.  You are entitled to
a special runner up prize! Be sure and let me know if I don't mention it. I didn't have
names for all of the posters (to be anonymous for voting), so I don't recall who belongs
to each and every poster!

Good job everyone! Please display your poster proudly near your piano to help you
remember your musical notes! :)

Teacher Zita

Grand Prize Winner!

Congratulations, Elisa Garcia-Mead! You are the grand prize winner of a $10 gift certificate to Portland Music Company.

While I had many fantastic grand staff posters, Elisa's stood out
from the rest with her clever idea of writing the note names off to the side
and then covering them with a decorative piece of cardboard. This way,
she could try to name the notes while they were covered and then check
her answer by lifting the cardboard.

Thank you Elisa and everyone who participated in the contest!! :)

Teacher Zita

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Voting

Hi students! A number if you have told me you can't make comments in this blog. I need to look into that! In the meantime, please email me at: pianoteacherpdx@yahoo.com and tell me the number of the poster on my blog you wish to vote for.

I am so proud of all of you! Please put your poster near your piano - it will help you remember your note names and be a better pianist!

More to come!

:) Teacher Zita

Friday, May 11, 2012

32.

31.

30.

29.

28.

27.

Let the Voting Begin!!

The Grand Staff Posters have been submitted! Please take a look at all of them and vote for the one which you think is most outstanding! Look for creativity, accuracy (correct notes) and uniqueness. You can vote by commenting "I choose this one!" underneath the poster you like. Grand prize goes to the poster with the most votes. There will be runners-up too! And all grand staff poster artists get a small prize for just making one! :) Teacher Zita

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Grand Staff Poster Contest

I'm still receiving posters, so I'm extending the deadline to May 11th. So far I have 14 incredible posters. I've taken pictures and posted them on my blog - check them out, they are amazing! (pianoteacherpdx.blogspot.com)

Everyone who creates a poster receives a prize. Grand prize goes to the student with the most votes. The real prize, of course is your poster! Already I am noticing students using their grand staffs to help them find
notes. This will greatly improve your note reading - you will thank me later!! ;) Teacher Zita

14.