Piano Lessons for Adults - Beginner to Bach
Intro textYou may be starting piano for the first time, returning after many years, or looking for a teacher who can help you understand why a piece is not quite working. This is my specialty.
I teach only adults at my studio in Bondi Junction and online across Australia. Some are preparing for an exam or a performance. Others have a particular piece they want to play well. Quite a few just want an hour a week that belongs entirely to them and their music.
All are good reasons to spend time with me at Piano Promise.
Adults Approach the Piano Differently and Ask 'Adult' Questions
Why does this fingering work better than that one? Why don’t I sound like a pianist on YouTube? Why can I play a passage perfectly at home, then lose it completely the moment someone is listening?
I like those questions.
Adult life also has a habit of being busy. Lessons need to take account of the time you genuinely have, while still giving you something worthwhile to work towards.
This is something ordinary lessons don’t take into consideration.
How to Begin with Piano Promise
You do not need to know exactly where piano will lead before taking your first lesson. You only need a sensible place to begin.
Learning piano is not only a matter of repeating something until your fingers eventually cooperate. It involves understanding rhythm, notation, movement, sound and musical structure. If that sounds daunting, my clear, structured approach means you won’t be out of your depth. Simply choose the starting point that suits you: The Taster, The Refresher, The Single-Piece Intensive, or Ongoing Lessons.
We can, of course, help you decide which is ideal.
The Taster
If you have always been curious about piano but are not ready to commit to ongoing lessons, The Taster gives you four sessions to try it properly.
You will begin with the keyboard, rhythm, music notation, basic chords and the movements needed to develop a sound technique. By the end, you will have a clearer idea of what learning piano involves and whether you would like to continue.
The Refresher
Perhaps you played as a child, passed a few exams, or once knew your scales rather better than you do now.
The Refresher is a four-session package for adults returning after time away. We begin by finding out what remains. Usually, more has survived than the student expects. From there, we revisit reading, rhythm, technique and musical expression, then decide what would be useful to work on next.
The Single-Piece Intensive
Sometimes you do not want a new hobby or a long list of scales. You want to play one particular piece.
The Single-Piece Intensive gives us three focused sessions to work on the fingering, rhythm, difficult passages and musical details of a piece you have chosen. It may be for a wedding, a personal occasion, or simply because you have wanted to play it for years.
We will also look honestly at what can be achieved within the available time. Some pieces are less cooperative than others.
If you already know that you would like regular lessons, ongoing adult piano lessons cover everything from AMEB and other exam preparation, through advanced repertoire, to a standing weekly hour with no exam or performance attached.
The Questions That Became a Book
After years of hearing thoughtful questions from adult students, I wrote Do Re Mi To You. It explores how to practise more effectively, understand musical theory, become more confident in your playing and decide whether exams are right for you.
The book also gives my students somewhere to revisit many of the ideas we discuss in lessons without relying on memory alone.
From the Piano Studio to Netflix
If you have watched the Netflix series Pieces of Her, you may already have seen my hands at the piano. I coached actor Jessica Barden for her role as Jane and performed the piano passages shown on screen as her hand double, including Chopin’s Scherzo No. 2.
More Years at the Piano Than Away from It
I have spent more years at the piano than away from it, and I still notice something new nearly every week.
I am Zuzana Lenartova, a classically trained pianist, music educator and musicologist. I came to Sydney from Slovakia in 2000 and have now spent more than 25 years teaching here.
I founded Piano Promise specifically for adults. Adults are there because they want to be. They also want to understand why something works, what to do with their hands and how long it may take. They can be very aware of every wrong note.
I enjoy all of that.
Shall We Talk About What You Would Like to Play?
You do not need to arrive with a five-year plan, or even know what you would like to play yet. Tell me where you are, and we will find a sensible place to start.
Lessons are available at my Bondi Junction studio and online across Australia.