LandFlash Music

We spend more time at the first lesson at no extra charge.  This gives us time to understand your skill level, goals and musical interests.  We then determine the appropriate materials that will be needed for follow on lessons.  We provide all of the materials to you so you don't have to search and find them.  (This is an extra investment you will have to make prior to the lessons beginning)  If you currently have some materials from previous teachers, we will make every attempt to use them to save you money.  We want to develop a partnership and relationship with you individually so we can develop a program that will allow you to progress as quickly as possible. 

Unfortunately, there is no magic in becoming proficient at any instrument.  It takes constant practice on a weekly basis.  We will spend time with you showing you the best way to utilize your time and get the most out of your practice sessions. 

We are both graduates from the University of Wisconsin.  Vicky specializes in teaching new students and has built  compreshensive programs for pre-schoolers to adults.  She recently taught sessions at multiple pre-shcools in the Ormond Beach and Flagler areas which were very highly regarded. 

David focuses on Intermediate to Advanced students but also teaches some new sudents as well.  He is proficient in Classial Music but is also teaches the "Blues" and Jazz Improvisation.  He teaches around the "Circle of Fifths".   He also plays woodwind instruments and is an expert in Computer based Digital Workstation technologies. (DAWS)

Full Bios are available on our website at www.landflashmusic.com

We currently charge $30 per lesson each week along with a monthly travel charge of $20.00 per month.  This travel charge is the same no matter how many students are taught in each home or how many lessons there are in a month.  

We also have a limited number of slots availalbe for you to travel to us, in which case there would be no travel charge.   

We receive payment at the first lesson of each month and provide and invoice to you the week prior to the starting month.  We have a full set of studio policies on our website at www.landflashmusic.com 

We both have been teaching for the last 35+ years.  Vicky has taught full time for many years and David taught part time while working as an various technology companies.  He is now teaching full time and is developing Computer based music instruction programs for kids K-12. These programs have never existed for K-12 children before.

David has been a concert pianist and performer in many classical, rock and jazz bands.  He has been highly involved in computer music production since it's inception. 

Dave studied under Max Balzer and Stanley Degorski, who were famous German and Polish Concernt Pianists and composers. 

Dave has also been a key-note speaker at IBM and the Mayo Clinic's Sigma Xi Lecture series. 

We teach a broad range of students.  For instance, Vicky regularly teaches preschool children.  She has a 15 minute weekly lesson which prepares young children for regular lessons.  This give the child an opportunity to explore their interest in continuing with piano.  We usually find out within a year if the child has the interet in continuing.

We also teach many students who have taken lessons previously but have been frustrated with their progress with previous teachers.  We find out the skill level each student is at and fill in the gaps that were not taught properly. 

We also have experience teaching learning disabled children and have learned approaches which are effective with them.  This requires a great deal of patience and experience.  We can give you references of parents of learning disabled children. 

We specialize in teaching adults that are interested in learning Piano.  Many older adults now have more time and want to invest in learning to play.  Anyone can learn to play the piano no matter their age. 

David also works with students who are interested in incorporating Computer Music Composition into their regular piano training.  He is proficient in many different software applications that run on both Apple and IBM platforms. 

If you are interested in learning about Computer based music, there are articles on our website at: www.landflashmusic.com 

We recently provided group lessons for pre-school children at multiple different schools in the area.  This was very well received by both the children and parents. 

We are planning yearly recitals for all of our students in order to show off their progress.  This also gives them something to work towards each year.  (This is of course, optional if a student wishes not to participate)

David has composed computer basied music for weddings and is a regualr presentor of Comuter Music Education.  Along with being a key-note speaker on computer music, David has also worked with the Mayo clinic on repetitive hand injury patients utilizing Musical Instrument Digital Interface or (MIDI).

Don't look for the lowest cost teacher out there.  There are many unqualified teachers out there. 

Make sure they utilize Classical Music as a foundation for learning.  Ask them if they incorporate Music theory as part of their ciriculum from the start.  Find out if they are proficient in all types of music from Classical to Blues to Popular Music. Do they work on proper physical techniques?  Do they utilize tools such as Hanon and incorporate Scale theory into their teaching? 

Find out if they have a College Degree.  Who were they taught by?  How long have they been teaching?

Do they offer regular yearly recitals?  Do they have references you can talk to? 

Are they willing to come to your home to teach? 

There is an Artilce on our website (under the "articles tab) which goes into more detail on what to look for in a good piano teacher. 

www.landflashmusic.com 

Really think about whether you are willing to put the time and effort into practice.  Many people are in love with the idea of learning the piano but really aren't willing to put the time in that is necessary to progress. 

We ask each student to put aside at least 1/2 hour each day for regular practice.  We believe that you never stay at the same skill level when learning an instrument.  You either progress through regular practice or your go backwards when not practicing. 

As much as everyone wants to learn how to play "Pop" music, (and we do teach and work with "Pop" music), it has been our experience that it is not the best way to teach the fundamentals of piano.  Quite honestly, there is not that much well written "Pop" piano music.  We teach the foundations of Music Theory, Technique, and site reading with Classical Music first and then incorporate other music as part of that foundation.

You will also need a weighted action digital keyboard or a regular Acoustic piano with 88 keys.  It's best to have a regular Acoustic piano, however, we can get started with a weighted action digital keyboard. Unfortunately, there is no way you can learn to play the piano with a non-weighted action keyboard. 

We can assist you in finding a good instrument at no extra charge if you don't already have one.  There is also an article on our website that goes into more details on what to look for in your first instrument. 

It is located at www.landflashmusic.com under the "Articles tab.