Kris' Keys Piano Academy
About
Premium Online Music Lessons Over Zoom
Hi, my name is Kris and I can help you learn to play the piano, produce your own music, and understand music theory. In a busy world it can be intimidating and challenging to take on a new skill. Remote lessons make it easy and convenient to connect with a skilled instructor who cares - me!
I offer high-quality, one-on-one, personalized piano lessons to students all over the world. It’s natural to wonder if remote lessons can be as effective as in-person classes, but my students enjoy the online environment I have developed:
“I honestly feel like I get a lot more value from his online classes than I would have with a teacher during an in-home class.” -Ting
“I really enjoy my weekly piano lessons. Kris has a great way of tailoring every lesson to my requirements. I especially appreciate the custom recorded videos that help me to improve my skills during the week.” - Deborah
“Literally my favorite human ever. Dude is a mad piano scientist and his passion for all-things-piano is contagious beyond belief. Day one I knew this guy was a musical wizard and that there was no better teacher out there. You think remote lessons might not be your thing? You're wrong (no offense). You'll see.” -Rebecca
[All review quotes come from verified students via Thumbtack.com]
My lessons provide an aerial view of the keyboard alongside a light-up display for additional visual aid. Digital sheet music files can be annotated in real time, exported as pdfs, and attached to your weekly review emails. The remote setting makes it easy to record video clips from your class for you to review in-between our sessions. High quality audio, additional camera angles, and live processing all help channel the power of a full music studio into the classroom, wherever you choose to log on from!
Check out my gallery for some live footage from my classes to see for yourself and for a further look at what I offer. Online lessons aren’t just as good as in-person classes, in many ways they’re even better.
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Individualized Learning
These classes are fully customizable and I welcome your input when shaping our approach. One-on-one classes should not be one size fits all: your goals and interests are important motivators that will be incorporated into our lesson plan. On the other hand, some students feel overwhelmed with the possibilities or are entirely new to music - in those cases I’m happy to chart a course for us, introduce you to a wide variety of music, and to help develop confidence in your musical identity.
“Kris is a great teacher with a deep knowledge of music. This bodes well for anyone under his guidance, he’s patient, thorough and most of all the lessons are tailor-fitted to the student which makes learning so much easier. I would recommend Kris to anyone no matter the experience level.” -Joshua
“Kris has a high level of empathy and is great at encouraging his students. He always makes me feel good about the progress I'm making while still challenging me to be better. I can't recommend Kris enough.”
-Jason
“Within a few weeks I started to improvise on my own (laughable by anyone who understands music, but I was having fun and that’s what’s important to me). I’m very much inspired by Kris and would highly recommend him”
-Sally
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Class Overview:
While classes are custom-tailored to your goals and interests, in general the assignment roster will have these components:
-Finger strength exercises, including scales, arpeggios, and inversion exercises
-Hook/short song
-Long/full Song
-Theory and structured Improvisations
My classes are 50 minutes long but can stretch to an hour - having a 10 minute buffer helps both of us relax when trying to make class on time!
Classes include:
-Customizable lesson plans
-Email recaps with personalized assignment lists and class notes
-Email support between lessons
-Flexible scheduling
-Student song requests
-PDF sheet music files
-Video clip reviews (option to record your full class are available!)
Topics offered include:
-Piano technique
-Reading sheet music
-Classical, jazz, and pop music
-Music theory
-Songwriting and composition
-Playing with others
-Music recording and production
-Playing by ear
-Ear training
Classes are $80 each with tuition for the total number of classes scheduled that month due at the first class of the month.
Specialties
Years experience
Able to read music
Lesson length
Student's age
Student has instrument
Interested musical styles
Photos and videos
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
In our initial messages back and forth, we'll establish what your interests are, and why you're here for lessons. From there we'll schedule a free consultation at my studio, where we can discuss your goals, lesson specifics, and see if it would be a good fit.
Once we've figured out the best plan for you, we'll set up lesson number one, and hit the ground running!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I started on the piano at age 8, and have stuck with it since. While studying music in college, I worked as a choir director and played in a variety of bands and original projects. Later as I moved into music production I learned more about arranging and writing for a larger ensemble, skills which I have put to use in a number of musical projects, bands, and solo releases.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
What types of students have you worked with?
All types - beginners to experts, kids to adults. Students who are looking to master classical works, learn jazz improvisation, and students who are looking to compose and songwrite.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Make sure you have a clear goal in mind, even if it's rather generic for now. "I want to get better at music, playing music that sounds like (fill in the blank)" is totally acceptable (and often what our goals come down to). Ask yourself what kindof music you like - what you might want to see yourself doing in a year, or two. Once you have that in mind, make sure the instructor is on the same page - are they committed to helping you move towards that goal at the same speed you are? Are they ready to be engaged, helping you to leave each lesson energized to continue the pursuit?
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
For younger students, how will the instructor foster a sense of creativity and passion for the topic? How will they break down more complicated topics in a way that helps keep the student engaged? For adults, how will the instructor help you reach your goals the fastest? How will they push you to grow? How will they work to customize to interests, levels, and desires?