3:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
Private lessons
Porsha Fambro
Piano academy
Piano lessons where someone explains why
A first lesson here looks like this: a teacher beside you, one clear thing to try and the reason for it. Four teachers, for school-age beginners and for adults who want to understand what they play.
Stages
From first notes to advanced study
Every student moves at their own pace. You and your teacher decide together when the next stage is ready.
- 01
First notes
Ages 5 and upSkillsFinding middle C and the keys around it
Sitting at the bench and shaping the hand
Reading the first five notes
Keeping a steady beat
Moving upWhen you can play a short piece slowly and evenly, and your teacher agrees it is ready to leave.
- 02
Reading and pulse
SkillsReading in the treble and bass clefs
Counting rhythms aloud
Playing hands apart, then together
A few scales and what they are for
Moving upWhen reading a new line is easier than naming each note one at a time.
- 03
Simple pieces
SkillsShort pieces from several styles
Phrasing and soft and loud playing
The pedal, and when not to use it
A practice note that names the hard bar
Moving upWhen you can play a piece through without stopping, and you can say what you would change.
- 04
Growing repertoire
SkillsLonger pieces learned over several weeks
Hands together at a steady tempo
Reading a bar ahead of your hands
Playing a duet with another student
Moving upWhen your pieces ask for more than the last one did, and you have started choosing some yourself.
- 05
Style and expression
SkillsDeciding how a piece should sound
Chords and lead sheets beside written music
Playing from memory when you want to
Listening to a recording of your own playing
Moving upWhen you and your teacher plan your next pieces together.
- 06
Advanced study
SkillsLarge works learned in sections
Sight-reading music you have not seen
Preparing a program of your own
Accompanying other players
Moving upThere is no top step. Students at this stage choose their own direction with their teacher.
Where to startBook a placement visit
Sample levels.
If you are working toward an exam board's grades, your teacher maps them to these stages with you.
Lessons by teacher and day
Four teachers, six days a week. Open times take new students, and a waitlist spot holds your place for the next opening.
Fall session
Monday
4:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Private lessons
Yanling Wen
Tuesday
3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Shared lessons, two students
Porsha Fambro
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Theory and ear class
Group class · Burdette Crawley
5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Private lessons
Burdette Crawley
Friday
3:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Private lessons
Boon Ngai
Sample classes.
Times change a little each session. New students start at a placement visit.
Four teachers, one instrument
Each teaches on three days, so your weekly time stays with the same person.
Yanling Wen
Director, piano
Yanling opened Prelude to teach piano the way she wished she had been taught, with the reason given for every fingering and every habit. She teaches school-age beginners and adults, in English or in Mandarin. Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Burdette Crawley
Piano, music theory
Burdette teaches adults and teens who want to know why the music works as well as how to play it. He leads the Tuesday theory and ear class. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.
Porsha Fambro
Piano, first notes
Porsha teaches the youngest beginners, and plays the accompaniments at the winter and spring recitals. Her lessons move in small steps, with one thing to practice and a reason for it. Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Boon Ngai
Piano, keyboard
Boon teaches teens and adults who want to read music, play by ear, or do both. He teaches classical pieces beside songs students already know. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
The year
Recitals, an open evening and the start of each session
Playing in a recital is each student's choice. Families are always welcome to listen.
This school year
Fall session begins
Early September · Weekly lessons start for returning and new students.
Open evening
October · An informal evening in the studio. Students play a short piece for each other, and families listen.
Winter recital
December · Students who choose to play do so in a small hall, with their teacher nearby.
Winter break
Late December · The studio is closed for the holidays.
Spring session begins
Early January · A new session, and a good month to start.
Spring recital
May · The year's second recital, in the same hall.
Sample dates.
What families say
“Every week ends with a note on what to practice and why. My daughter knows what she is doing at the bench, and I can follow along.”
Rosalind B.Parent of a nine-year-old
“I stopped playing at fourteen. My teacher started with what I remembered instead of page one, and I have not wanted to quit since.”
Gordon H.Adult student
“The door is open, so I can listen from the hall. I like hearing what the teacher says before we leave.”
Meredith L.Parent of a seven-year-old
Sample reviews.
Before the first visit
What age can a child start?
Students start at five. If you are not sure whether piano or a first group class fits right now, the placement visit shows us both.
How long is a lesson?
Thirty, forty-five or sixty minutes. Your teacher suggests a length at the placement visit, and it can change as a student grows into longer pieces.
Do we need our own piano?
Ask your teacher before you buy or rent. Most students start on a keyboard with full-size weighted keys, then move to an upright when a piece asks for one.
How are teachers matched?
After the placement visit we match by age, by what the student wants to play and by the days that fit your week. If it is not the right fit, tell us and we will try another teacher.
Can a parent sit in?
Yes. A parent is welcome at any lesson, and the hall outside the rooms has a bench for waiting.
What is a placement visit?
A short visit where you meet a teacher, play or listen, and say what you want from lessons. Children and adults both start this way, so no one begins at page one by default.
Start with a placement visit
Come for a short visit, meet a teacher and say what you want from lessons. We will offer you a weekly time.