Why We Are Better

It does not require ten years to reach an advanced level of piano playing.
Most people can reach an advanced level of playing in under five years.

 Why does it take other teachers so long?

• Because they approach piano lessons conceptually and mechanically rather than musically. They put the cart before the horse, and confusion, frustration, and slow progress are the result – often for a long time.

• Because they use teaching strategies developed in the 18th and 19th centuries, rather than for today’s students in today’s world.

• Because they over-emphasis note reading at the expense of music-making in the beginning. As a result, students take longer to learn, experience tedium, boredom, and frustration, lose their joy for music, lose self-confidence, and do not develop strong musicianship skills. Playing on a piano keyboard for many students is like the labored “hunt and peck” on a typewriter keyboard. Or worse, they are required to hold their hand in one position and never move. This labored teaching style and learning experience is neither fun nor rewarding. It is stressful and anxiety-producing. Children learn to hate piano lessons and refuse to practice. Every day is a battle at home. And then later, teachers and students work for years to undo damage, fix bad habits, heal wounds, calm anxieties, fears, and nerves, and (hopefully) release the anger and tension. For some the negative feelings toward music and piano lasts a lifetime. For many who try to continue, often they are still striving to learn basic note reading a dozen or more years later. (I read these stories every day in the piano teacher forums on social media.)

• Because they blame the students for “slow learning.” At Laguna Niguel School of Music, Dennis Frayne Music Studios, we teach students of all abilities, and never experience “slow learners.” This concept and labeling is incorrect and an inappropriate way of thinking that our present education systems have invented and encouraged, and many teachers have subscribed to, and some parents have become convinced of, but is untrue. All learners learn at the pace of their choosing, and all can learn at a good clip and reach advanced levels in a very reasonable timeframe. When teaching is done right.

• Because they expect it to take that long. When we expect something to be difficult and to take a long time to learn, it will be difficult, and it will take a long time to learn.

• Because they offer 30-minute lessons. These lessons are too short to make progress at anything but a very slow rate. In addition to slow progress, 30-minute lessons are stressful and anxiety-producing for students and teachers because there is an underlying sense of rushing everything and skimping on things to squeeze lessons into such a brief time slot.

Why do piano students at Laguna Niguel School of Music, Dennis Frayne Music Studios, advance so much faster?

• Because we approach piano lessons musically from the very beginning. Students learn real music from the very first lessons, they play with both hands, chords and melodies, they learn to sing while playing, and they develop a strong internal sense of both rhythm and harmony.

• Because we use teaching strategies developed for today’s students in today’s world. We know how to interact with and communicate with today’s children and youth. We are not locked into 18th and 19th century thinking.

• Because students learn to play with increased facility while learning to read. We do not allow note reading to hinder playing ability. Yet our students learn to read music faster than other students because we time things appropriately and sequence things right. We do not start too early or too late, but follow a natural flow that is painless and feels easy.

• Because we know students can learn faster! When we believe that students can achieve, we help them to achieve, and they achieve! We don’t slow them down with low teacher expectations. We have high expectations even as we teach at just the right pace for each student.

• Because we require 60-minute lessons!

  30-minute lessons are too short and result in learning at a very slow pace for so many students! 60-minute lessons provide time for deep learning rather than just skimming the surface of everything. Students have time for guided practice so they know very well what and how to practice at home. (Students who do not practice at home have time to practice during lessons and so still make progress.)

  Students are not given assignments and told to “go figure out how to do it on your own at home and come back next week with it learned.” Students participate in their learning, they are not “taught at.” Learning is not offloaded from the teacher to the student. At Dennis Frayne Music Studio, teachers work with their students on a deeper level than other music schools.

  Students have time to develop as well-rounded musicians and not just technical/mechanical tinkerers. Whether students are thinking about careers in music or hobbyists, reaching intermediate and advanced levels of piano playing sooner is more rewarding, develops creative and critical thinking skills sooner, and offers far greater enjoyment.