"Music is the Universal Language of Mankind...." Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Private piano lessons are offered Monday through Friday after school and on Saturdays. Materials are included.

Private piano lessons can be a rewarding way to channel creativity and learning. Students will be taught proper usage of the pedal, correct posture, effective practicing techniques, patterns in melody and rhythm, sight-reading skills, physical coordination, and auditory and visual skills.

Please contact Joan Peters for times and availability prior to registering.

Register and pay for lessons at City Hall (22710 E. Country Vista) during business hours, 8 - 5 PM, Monday through Friday.

*Registration and payment are required prior to taking lessons.

*There will be no refunds for missed lessons. Missed lessons can be made up at a later time. For more information, take a look at the Refund Policy.

About Me

I have been playing the piano since age seven. I was born with a significant vision problem (severe astigmatism, strabismus) and I also have an auditory processing problem. Music was a blessing in disguise because I strengthened my auditory skills due to my poor visual skills as I learned to play the piano by ear. By age ten, I taught myself to read music. In addition to playing the piano, I taught myself to play the flute and the guitar. Music helped me develop excellent visual and auditory memory skills.

In sixth grade, I auditioned for and played the flute in a community orchestra for gifted and talented students. At age 14, I chose the piano as my main instrument. I was accepted into USC's Community School of Performing Arts, which is a music program for the young and gifted. I studied at the CSPA with master pianist John Weisenfluh until I went to college.

During my high school years, I had my own chamber music group with a cellist and a flautist. I competed in numerous competitions and participated in Baroque Festivals in Southern California. At 16, I was accepted and attended a summer music program in Sewanee, Tennessee. At age 18, I was accepted into USC's School of Music and received a BM in Piano Performance. I had the privilege of working with concert pianists Eduardo Delgado, John Perry, Daniel Pollack, Alicia de Larrocha, and Ilana Vered.

The gift that music has given me is that I have developed a very structured, organized approach to teaching and learning as well as pure enjoyment. Many of the same principles overlap and can be applied to any type of learning. I have developed ways of teaching students to use their visual, auditory, physical, and cognitive skills to organize and learn new information.

Because playing an instrument uses many parts of the brain, it is an excellent choice for helping students develop the parts of their brains needed to learn, think, organize, read, write, and do math. Playing an instrument, based on my own experience and my experience in teaching others, has had a tremendous effect on processing skills, especially auditory skills because music teaches one to listen carefully to themselves and to others while playing individually and in groups.

About Music

As published in Spokane Family Magazine, Jan/Feb 2011:

The Magic of Music - by Joan Peters

Did you know that music is a great way to improve you child's reading, writing, and math skills? Playing an instrument or even just listening to music does wonders for the brain. It activates many areas needed for language, listening, math, and coordination. Not only that, following a sequences such as a melody or a rhythm pattern can improve concentration and memory.

To interest your child in music, make it a part of your lifestyle. Music is something you can do with your children from even the youngest age, prior to even having them learn to play an instrument. The first thing is to create an environment filled with music. This doesn't mean playing classical CDs all day. Any enjoyable music, especially children's songs, that will make your child want to jump up, dance, or sing along will create the right atmosphere. You can use puppets, finger plays, nursery rhymes, and even make instruments with your children. Then they can tap or shake along with their favorite songs.

Once your child shows an interest beyond tapping and shaking, you can introduce the sounds of different instruments and narrow down what they would like to try. Better yet, your child will most likely have a friend who plays an instrument, like the piano. You child may poke around on their friend's piano and decide they want to take lessons. The best way to avoid spending tons of money on an instrument is to rent, borrow, or buy used.

There are important things to look for in a teacher, now that your child is interested in lessons. Personality goes a long way. Make sure the music teacher approaches lessons in a fun, personable way, so that your child doesn't get discouraged because of the experience. The relationship a teacher and student build is the key to your child's success in learning to play an instrument. Structure and good form count too, but you want the whole experience to be a good one. The best way to look for a teacher is word of mouth. Ask other parents at your child's school or church. If you don't have any luck there, call music stores and ask who they'd recommend.

Music is a magical experience that children can partake in. Not only can your child enjoy playing an instrument and learn to appreciate music, but music can make your child smarter without even knowing it.

Another article I have written about the benefits of music:

What Music Can Do for the Brain - by Joan Peters

Music is the perfect tool. It is highly structured by its notation, harmony, rhythm, and texture. Playing an instrument or even listening to music activates many parts of the brain, including the areas needed for listening, language, organization, sequencing, and movement. These are the same parts of the brain needed for reading, writing, math, concentration, and coordination. Music helps us hear, see, think, and move.

Music is good for the brain. It organizes the brain with its timing, coordination of movement, and with its rhythmic and melodic patterns. The brain responds to pitch, key, texture, timbre, tempo, and dynamics. Pitch allows us to recognize melodies. Key, major or minor, can make us feel happy or sad. Texture, the combination of melody, harmony, and rhythm in a song, can be rich with many layers, or it can be thin with just a melody and an accompaniment. Timbre, or tone color of a voice or instrument, allows us to distinguish one instrument from another and can add to the texture and the mood of music. Tempo, how fast or slow music is, can be energizing or calming. Dynamics, the loudness of music, can add to the interpretation of music by accenting notes, or by contrasting and shaping melodies, making music more interesting to listen to.

Music does so much for us. It can help us focus and be more productive. It can help with learning and can improve memory. It can sharpen listening, language and visual skills as we listen to, imagine, read, and interpret scores. Music can be relaxing, as it relieves stress by changing mood and slowing the heart rate. It can also lower blood pressure and boost immunity. It can help with depression, anxiety, and pain. Music is also an outlet, allowing us to express ourselves. It is perfect for the mind, the body, and the soul. Young or old, music should be a part of everyone's lives.