Music connects us to the divine origin of life because sound is Life.
Have you heard it?
The hum. The pulse. The vibration in every being—the rock, the tree, the river. Your heart.
Our sense of belonging in and kinship with the world, to ourselves, and to the Holy increases when we play and make music.
Belonging gives us roots. Roots help us reach.
Our reach becomes our own unique offering that will bear fruit, drop seeds, and cultivate a culture worth passing on.
Do you long to weave your soul’s melody into the great fabric of sound and song that infuses all things and makes everything jump up and live again and again and again?
Have you always wanted to play piano? Or wished for a more satisfying and fulfilling musical practice?
A better ear for improvising or a better eye for sight reading?
Greater mastery of your left hand?
The chance to play your favorite Celtic reel or Bach prelude?
The ability to compose a piece of music to gift your child, your mother, your lover?
It is never too late to learn to play piano or to go deeper in your relationship with this beautiful instrument.
You are right on time.
Welcome.
WHY PLAY THE PIANO?
Piano practice nurtures and expands our imagination and intuition.
Practice cultivates focus and attention, allowing us to drop into our breath with deep presence, easing anxieties and expanding awareness and connection to our body. Attention is magical and sorely hard to develop at the speed of modernity. Piano practice can return this gift to us.
Playing piano fosters self-discovery. You learn many things about yourself—your patience, courage, dedication, frustrations, and creativity. You build fortitude as you meet with obstacles in practice and overcome them.
I believe playing piano to be a practice in living a life of intention and ritual. It teaches us to listen deeply to the music within us and within others. It can serve as a way to channel energy and inspiration from sources outside of ourselves as well, our ancestors, plant or animal guides, etc.
I believe music opens us to our higher selves, or our more resonant selves, while making us aware of our default mode network. It provides us with the opportunity to change neural pathways through creative exploration on the keys, helping our brains tell new stories about the emotions we are experiencing.
And oh my goodness, it’s just so fun!
HOW WILL WE GET THERE?
Technical Accuracy
Technical accuracy brings sheer freedom and delight. It opens the way for real expression of emotion as music is all feeling. But we need the technical aspect to unlock and unleash the emotions. This is where, you might say, the real work comes in, and one’s commitment to daily practice.
We will cover all the foundations of musical fluency from scale and chord work to theory, sight reading, and ear training. As learning progresses, we will dive into the art of composition and improvisation. You will learn technique and train your fingers to be agile, swift, and flexible so they are ready for you when your soul wants to take flight!
Ritual and Intuition
We will also work together to create rituals for practice including grounding and clearing your space and channeling or welcoming inspiration. I will suggest music, books, excursions, writing prompts, and other playful and innovative assignments to help you align with yourself and attune with the infinite.
We will consider how natural cycles affect piano learning and playing, such as seasonal cycles and circadian/infradian rhythms. You will learn to develop a personal approach to practice that is supported by the rhythms of nature and your body.
Fellowship and Sharing
A musical journey need not be a solitary or lonely one! I will offer one group session a month for students to gather, learn, and share together. We may participate in some theater/clowning improv techniques adapted for piano, we may share pieces we are working on and offer feedback and to gain comfort in performing, we might do a meditation practice to meet with soul guides or nature spirits to retrieve information.
For example, what does it feel like to meet with and be water? If we are working on composing a watery song, this is useful knowledge to hold in your body and not just in your head.
And of course, there will be tea, coffee, and lovely food included.
I also foresee musical excursions together where we might caravan to Madison or Rochester to take in a piano concert (and some delicious food!).
A recital will be held at least once, perhaps twice a year, so students have the opportunity to share what they have been working on with friends and family and the chance to develop confidence in performance.
WHAT MIGHT LIFE LOOK LIKE IN 1, 2, 5 YEARS FROM NOW?
You might master a piece by Bach or Debussy that you always loved and never thought you could play.
You might write songs of praise and gratitude to the humans and the more-than-humans who share this land with you.
You may find that your writing and poetry can now fly on wings of song as piano compositions.
You might play at midnight, all alone, caressing the keys for your own soul’s pleasure and delight.
You just might feel a whole lot more imaginative, creative, and playful in other areas of your life.
Maybe you will play for those in threshold moments and for those in need of healing.
You could know the joy and personal fulfillment of sight reading, of being able to play almost anything you lay your eyes on.
You might channel songs from your ancestors.
You might wake up and realize that once upon a time... you had a dream that seemed so far off and intangible and would take so much effort that it could never be so. And then you remember that ounce of courage you gathered just a few short years ago to take the first step, and now…wow. Here you are, playing piano as if it has always been a natural, normal part of your life and you cannot believe that you almost never set out for one reason or another. You take a deep, intoxicating breath of satisfaction and joy. It feels good to have chosen the path of being an active participant in your life and in the fulfillment of your dreams, no matter how indulgent it might have seemed…once upon a time.
INSTRUCTOR EXPERIENCE
I have been playing piano for over twenty-five years and teaching piano for over ten. I studied for a decade with internationally known composer Calvin Jones and I hold a certificate in Piano Pedagogy and Performance from Colorado Contemporary Music College.
I have a B.S in Human Development and Family Studies and was a transition facilitator and program director for at-risk adolescents for many years at a nonprofit where I was trained in motivational interviewing, dialectical behavioral therapy, and trauma-informed care. My experience in social work has strengthened and informed my mentoring and teaching abilities.
I completed a year-long course from 2022-23 called “Initiation: Living a Life of Ritual” with Ancestral Medicine taught by Dr. Daniel Foor, which now also informs my approach to piano instruction. I am also a practitioner-in-training with the network and look forward to guiding ancestral lineage repair in the future and blending it with musical instruction.
MY WISH FOR MY STUDENTS
For the piano to see you through the darkest and the brightest moments of your life.
For the piano to capture the voice of your soul and reflect back your inner landscape all while transforming complex emotions and nurturing empathy and intuition.
For piano to become the friend who stays up all night to talk with you and the medium through which you commune most intimately with the Divine.
For your practice to be a vehicle for greater somatic awareness and mindful presence.
For piano to be a fount of boundless joy in your life.
I wish a wholehearted, transformative, intimate, and soul expanding relationship for you.
LESSONS & TUITION
I offer weekly piano lessons in my home in Viroqua, Wisconsin where students have the opportunity to play on a beautifully restored 100+ year old Schomacker grand piano.
To accommodate people from various economic backgrounds, I offer a sliding scale tuition rate of $40-80 per hour.
Tuition is due at the beginning of the month in cash to secure your lesson slots. We will meet weekly for a one-hour lesson.
Lesson slots are available Tues, Wed, and Thurs between 9AM and 2PM.
Lessons are non-refundable.
If the teacher cancels lessons for any reason, the lesson will be credited to a future month or reimbursed.
Please reach out through the form below for more information and to get in touch with me!
Thank you for inquiring about piano lessons! I'll be in touch very soon.