Piano Lessons
Lessons are also offered for adult students. Please scroll down for details.
About the Lessons:
Lesson times are a weekly repeating 30-minute session jam- packed to promote piano skills intentionally directed toward your child’s learning needs and style. The studio will be closed for all legal holidays, regular breaks, and snow days.
I use Faber & Faber’s Piano Adventures with children, beginning as young as age 5. This curriculum is superior in supporting solid pedagogy, creativity, and musicianship (and it is fun) .In addition, I usually provide a pocket folder/binder for student assignments and other pages as relevant. If your child would rather bring something of their own personal liking, that is fine. Please have these handy during practice times and always bring them to lessons.
If your child is having a problem with the lesson, please feel free to contact me -- or let him/her do so! Furthermore, I have been known to contact the parent if the child seems overly anxious, sad, or disrespectful.
Tuition is $120 monthly plus materials, paid in advance to Barbara Williams, at the beginning of each month. If you want longer sessions, your monthly fee will rise to $170. In addition, hourly “buddy” lessons can be arranged for $220 monthly. These fees are based on the average number of sessions for the school year. They will remain the same regardless of the number of weeks in the month. December and summer lessons will be negotiated individually. I accept personal checks, cash, or Venmo.
Lessons missed by your child will not be made up. We assume that over the year, the 5-week months will make this equitable for you.
Please DO let me know if your child is going to miss a lesson, so that the time allotted can be spent on other studio tasks.
First lesson is a free introductory session.
Please use the form at the bottom of the page for any questions. I will get back to you as soon as possible.
Teacher and Parent:
As an educator, I make every effort to tailor the lesson time to individual learning styles and needs. Motivation and progress are directly tied to the tone of the lesson and techniques used to expedite learning. Please feel free to contact me and discuss any difficulty your child may be experiencing.
The Parents’ Responsibility
Parental encouragement is paramount to effective practice and progress. Help your child establish a daily habit of practice that is not too hard to keep and is sensitive to his or her temperament and personality. Long practice periods are seldom productive, even for older students. I highly recommend short, frequent sessions. Often, children excel when the practice time is broken into segments built around their other activities in each day. Actually, the frequency is SO much more important than duration!
On the other hand, if the student likes to spend extra time experimenting with sounds, please don’t discourage him/her, but do avoid letting this time REPLACE the lesson practice. Additional time at the keyboard discovering sounds is good for musical development. Both of these habits should be viewed as a privilege to explore and grow, and not a chore. It is a responsibility to be undertaken with its own rewards down the line. In the meantime, help them to ENJOY the piano! Feel free to comment and ask questions.Ask them to play for you. Be quick to praise your child for a job well done, reward him/her appropriately, and please stay in contact with me about their progress.
Adult Students:
Adult students are welcomed. Age is not a barrier to enjoying music at the piano. I welcome beginners through intermediate level. 30-minute lesson’s tuition is the same as the children’s, $120 monthly plus books. Prefer more time? 45-minute will be $160 monthly. Single lessons are $35 and $45, respectively.
I focus on YOU and your GOALS, preferences, and learning style.
You may contact me through my email (barbaralisterwilliams@gmail.com, or you may text me at (615)579-2164.
About Myself:
I am a songwriter and lifetime music professional who began formal music training at the age of seven.. My developmental years included piano, orchestra, and choral singing. In high school I played guitar and sang in a successful duo with my sister. My subsequent degree work was in English literature and music education (piano) at the University of South Florida in Tampa and Fort Myers.
I have served as church pianist/keyboardist/bassist at several churches in Florida as well as the Nashville area, and served as accompanist in countless school and community theater settings.
My teaching caeer began in Tampa while still a student (at the encouragement of my teacher). I grew, eventually hosting a studio of over fifty students. After moving to Naples, Florida, I entered a 20-year period of classroom teaching including band classes for students grades four through twelve. After-school hours were devoted to writing music and teaching piano, where I enjoyed guiding students through competitions and other performances.
Upon our relocation to Norfolk, I am currently offering lessons in my Larchmont home.
I believe that music is good for every facet of life. It enriches the soul, nourishes the mind, and fosters a discipline that is both enjoyable and edifying to the spirit. Science has proven a correlation between music study and success in other areas of reason and art. Through music we laugh, cry, play, and create. In its language, we praise God, with and without words. It is a lifelong pleasure for those who choose it.