Santa Ana Piano Lessons & Classes Private & Group Piano Lessons for Children & Adults
Call 949.385.2034 to register now!
If you are looking for piano lessons in Santa Ana, you have come to the right place!
Since 2004, the Irvine School of Music has taught piano lessons to hundreds of students from Santa Ana and throughout Orange County. Our piano classes are offered at our school, conveniently located at the intersection of Jeffrey Road and Irvine Center Drive.
We offer every style of piano lessons from classical to jazz and pop. We have students who want to play just for fun and students who excel with exams, competitions, and festivals. As we have multiple piano teachers on staff we are able to match students with a teacher that works best with their particular age, ability and interest. We start piano lessons from age 5 onwards. Before age 5 we recommend our pre-piano/music and movement lessons.
The lessons are all conducted on top of the line acoustic pianos in our individual teaching rooms, or brand new full size, weighted keyboards for group classes. Parents are welcome to sit in on the lessons or observe the classes through our glass doors.
Our private piano lessons are one-on-one instruction and lesson lengths are 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 1 hour. Group Classes are 45-minute, weekly classes. For our advanced piano students we have teachers with Master’s degrees in piano who can prepare them for university entrance, competitions, and other competitive performance opportunities.
Qualified, Caring Faculty
Our faculty is a dedicated group of music professionals who hold degrees from the best conservatories in the US and abroad; most hold Master’s in their area of specialization and some even Doctorates. Each member is carefully selected based on his or her extensive teaching experience and ability to work with the specific needs of our students.
In addition to their extensive teaching experience, our faculty receives ongoing teacher training, from early childhood music education, to effective ways of teaching students with learning disabilities, to effective teaching methods for teenager and adults. There is a sense of community and camaraderie amongst the faculty as they frequently share teaching tips that have been tried and tested. Furthermore, our School Director is in frequent communication with the faculty about student progress and conducts regular evaluations to ensure the highest level of teaching and accountability.
What is the best age to start taking piano lessons?
The earliest age we recommend starting piano lessons for children in Santa Ana and throughout Orange County is 5 years old. Students younger than 5 can have difficulty reaching the distance between keys because of hand size. If a child is younger than 5 and still has an interest in starting music, we recommend taking our preschool group music class for children 9 months to age 4, or pre-piano class for students ages 3.5 to 5. These group classes give children the foundational skills of rhythm, melody and note recognition that will give them future success in private piano lessons. You can learn about our preschool group music classes by clicking here, or pre-piano class by clicking here.
Adults can get started at any age. We have had several beginner students in their 70’s and even a few in their 80’s!
Healthy Keyboard Technique at the Irvine School of Music
In our piano department, special emphasis is placed on teaching the building blocks of a virtuosic technique free of tension and limitations – whether you’re a 4 year old beginner or advanced, college-level pianist! We dispense with dogmatic ideas of curled fingers, placing 5 fingers over five keys, holding “balls” under hands, or putting coins on hands to prevent natural up/down movement; these concepts, from the outset, create tension and rigidity which limit speed and ease, and ultimately make it impossible to develop a virtuosic technique.
In fact, these are misguided attempts at describing what a truly virtuosic pianist does when playing! Instead, our teaching is rooted in the natural anatomy, alignment, and movement of the fingers, hands, and arms.
In lieu of curled fingers or placing fingers over five keys that immediately causes tension-inducing stretching, we help students find their natural hand shape; instead of “balls” held under the hand, we help students develop an awareness of their knuckles and wrist, and where these parts should be for ease, ergo optimal playing; instead of limiting hand movement, we encourage it as proper movement of the hand and arm make it possible for the fingers lift and drop into the key without tension!
Optional Performance Opportunities include:
- Bimonthly Workshops: informal performance opportunities to try out new pieces and get feedback from a master or guest teacher, as well as peer critique
- Local festivals and recitals hosted by the Music Teachers Association of California
- Certificate of Merit Exam
- National Piano-Playing Auditions (Guild)
- Local, Regional, and State-wide Competitions
5 ways to get the most out of piano lessons.
- Take lessons in a professional teaching environment.
- Use nationally recognized teaching materials. We use the widely recognized series including Bastien, Faber, or the Celebration series, depending the age and learning style of the student.
- Choose a school that offers a choice between private one-on-one instruction and group lessons, depending on the interest of the student.
- Take lessons from a qualified, university trained teacher.
- Choose music that is interesting to you or your child.
We are located at 15415 Jeffrey Road, Suite 202, Irvine, CA 92618 – Click here for directions
Call us at 949.385.2034 or visit The Irvine School of Music
and start learning piano today!
We also offer a variety of other programs serving Santa Ana
and greater Orange County area.
Click here for further details.
