OCMusicLessons.com
Private Instruction in Piano, Harp, and Flute for all ages and ability levels
Instruments
Piano
Piano is the “springboard” that can launch students into almost any aspect of music, whether that be singing, composing, or learning another wind or string instrument. It is an accessible and enjoyable instrument for anyone to start . I use the Alfred’s Piano series with both adults and children, which incorporates piano skills, ear training, and music theory. These books foster the “entire musician”, and help the student to develop musical abilities beyond just keyboard skills. Pianists can be found performing as sololists or in ensembles, playing almost any style of music, including classial, pop, jazz, folk, and sacred, making it possibly the single most versatile musical instrument in western music.
Harp
The harp is one of the most ancient of all instruments. Artifacts of harps exist that go back to 3000 BCE. There has been a resurgence in harp playing in America in the last 30 years, as people have rediscovered its charm and beauty. Still, harpists are somewhat of a rarity in the musical world, so if you embark on a career as an amateur or professional harpist, you are bound to be met with a lot of attention when you play in public, or even just playing for friends in your home. Harps come in all different sizes. Most children, and many adults, start on smaller “lever harps”, which can only play a diatonic (think “white notes” on the piano) scale, unless a lever is engaged to raise the pitch of the string by a half step (up to a “black note” on the piano). Older children and adults can start on the pedal harp, which is the harp one would find in symphony orchestras. These beautiful instruments have bigger sounds, and are more expensive to purchase than lever harps (between $10,000 to $60,000). However, the pedal mechanism makes them very agile instruments, and pedal harpists can play all styles of music in any key.
Flute
The flute is also an ancient instrument, which developed out of hollow reeds. Flutes were made of wood (hence, they are part of the “woodwind” family of instruments) until the 19th century, when they needed greater carrying power in symphony orchestras, so makers started constructing them out of silver. Developing a good tone quality on the flute takes consistent work, but it can come relatively quickly with diligence. Unlike the harpists or pianists, flutists only need to worry about playing one note at a time! Flutes are capable of playing jazz, pop, classical, or just about any other type of music, and are often part of ensembles like bands and orchestras, making them a good instrument for someone looking to play in groups.