Piano Lessons
At Backbeat, piano lessons are built around you. We make sure everyone has fun learning the piano, whether you have never played a note before, or are looking to make the next step. We have keyboards ranging from grand pianos to analog synthesizers, so you can learn whatever you want – whether that’s solo classical repetoire, jazz piano or music writing & production.
Our teachers all have extensive education and performance history; from prestigious schools like Berklee and performing nationally with people such as B.B. King and the Portland Symphony. Most importantly, they are all dedicated teachers who are trained to give the best education and experience possible.
What Beginner Piano Lessons Look Like
Piano is a great place to start for anyone. It takes a while to be able to get around, so in a patient and inquiry-driven environment, we’ll chip away at the Big 3 Skill Trees:
What To Play: How the keyboard works, where the notes are, how songs and melodies work, reading staff notation, etc.
How To Play: This is physical technique, proper hand position and movement, shaping, playing chords, two hands together, etc.
When To Play: The heart of music is interaction – and learning how your notes affect the others in critical.
What Advanced Piano Lessons Look Like
Being able to play and read faster is only a small part of getting better. Of course, you can work on shredding, but playing piano better really means making better choices. This is where Backbeat’s community of teachers really shines for advanced players, too. Our top-notch piano teachers get the opportunity to study themselves with great drum teachers, voice teachers, violin teachers etc. And so do you. Learning about the drums gives you better insight into why the piano plays what it does – and our teachers are used to teaching drums for advanced pianists. This gives you an advantage in understanding rhythm that you’d never get without that experience. You can expand your soloing by learning about Jazz guitar and how it relates.
Then there are Backbeat’s advanced, award-winning bands and other opportunities to play out. Drop us a line to find out more.
Why Parents Choose Backbeat
It can seem like every music school is the same, especially as venture capital buys out more music schools every year and tunes them up for maximum profit, but there are a few things that Backbeat Music Academy really does differently.
Our philosophy. The main thing that sets us apart is our guided inquiry-driven approach to music lessons; based on the student’s interests and skills. We know there isn’t one path that’s right for everyone, and and that music isn’t about getting the notes right: its about people. Its a relationship and to get the most out of it, you need to take it on your terms.
Flexibility. Lessons aren’t locked into just one instrument. All Backbeat’s teachers are multi-instrumentalists. This allows them to support a student’s inquiry more effectively – but each teacher also has their areas of mastery, so if you’re looking to go deeper, we can support that, too.
Interaction. While most music lesson rooms have room for the teacher, the student, the piano and room to turn around, all of Backbeat’s classrooms have pianos, guitars, basses, drum sets, mics, etc. This is because it lets the teacher interact with the student in realistic ways. They can jam on the drums while the student is on piano, or pick up a bass and work on locking in if the student is on the drums. Of course, the large classrooms also give the student more options to explore themselves. (One classroom is inside an actual bank vault!)
Community. Backbeat’s teachers will jam with their students, but will also try to network their students with their family, friends and other students. We also have a thriving band program, that range from total beginners to multiple award-winning bands that have performed on Beale St. in Memphis and more.
Musical Instrument Museum. Backbeat has hundreds of instruments from all over the world that students get to try and explore. It’s one of the best collections in the NW, and one of the best anywhere that’s curated specifically for (non-University) music students.
Great place for teachers, too. Backbeat is locally owned small business, and designed from the ground up not just for the students, but also a place for teachers to grow. Our teachers enjoy some of the top pay rates for music schools, better benefits from health insurance to free lessons with other teachers. Happy teachers leads to better teaching and a stronger community.
Schedule Flexibility. Our flexible rescheduling puts you in control of the schedule, cancelling and rescheduling lessons easily. (We still have a 24 hour cancellation policy, though)
Simple, Easy Pricing, No Surprises
- No sign-up fees, recital fees, or long-term contracts
- Reschedule lessons anytime, as often as you need
Private Lessons
Includes
- No sign-up fees, recital fees, or long-term contract
- Easy, unlimited rescheduling. Reschedule yourself for any student and any type of lesson
- Mix and match instruments within lessons for the perfect fit
Group Classes
Extras
- Free intro session for all new students
- Low-cost rentals available for all new students (if in stock)
- Option for online lessons whenever you want
In our Piano Lessons, you will learn…
Piano Technique: Playing the piano is fundamentally athletic. Along with the musical notes, we teach students proper posture, movement fundamentals, and techniques required to play the piano.
Musical Insight: Students will learn how music is crafted, what’s happening in music they listen to, and how their instrument works. Understanding how music works will not only help them learn faster, but will also facilitate music creation, improvisation and understanding how to play in a group.
Music Reading: Playing music is easier when you know what to play (shocker). And reading music notation is a key part of that. Reading music is also critical to defusing the confusion and intimidation of learning to play music.
Learning Skills: Great learners make great musicians. Our teaching method includes teaching our students the same teaching techniques that our teachers use. This way, the student begins to learn how to best improve using the techniques themselves.
Social Skills: Music is shared. In order to play effective music, a piano player must know what what they are doing, but also tune in to both fellow band members and the audience.
Performance Skills: Nearly everyone has some level of performance anxiety. We give our students tips and tricks on how to handle performance anxiety and how to direct their attention in ways that aid their performance.