Bach The First Lessons For The Piano
Michele Firmasyah
Myfanwy lived only a few doors away from the house where I spent my first six years, in a suburb of Schenectady, New York. Doubtless her house had been built when all the other split-level houses in the suburban subdivision were built, and its rooms were laid out almost exactly as they were in ours, but it was a very different sort of home. Inside, it was quiet, there were thick curtains on the windows, and the light passing through the sheers was gentle and tinged with color.
Her house was full of things, Old World things, ceramic figurines on the shelves, dried flowers in cut-glass vases, and on the walls, reproductions of Old Master paintings, which she borrowed from the local library. She was a Welshwoman, in her seventies at least, and a beloved local figure who taught piano to children in the neighborhood.
I studied with Myfanwy for three years, playing little pieces from colored lesson books on her ornately carved upright piano while she sang along in her lilting Welsh burr. She was plump, kind, and laughed easily. She loved children without ever making them feel like children. When I came into her house she would ask me questions about the little things a boy of four or five might care about. Then she would send me to the bathroom to wash my hands before she picked me off the floor with an exaggerated groan and a low, rolling laugh, like she was lifting a sack of flour, and set me on the round top of her piano stool.
Unlike our piano, a Japanese-made box of polished wood with plastic keys and a bright metallic twang, hers had ivory keys and made a dark, mellow sound. It towered over both of us, me with my legs not able to reach the pedals, and Myfanwy in her plush armchair beside me, expanding in every direction but up.
So my sister Lisa and I needed to find a new teacher, and because Lisa was older and I was making progress on the instrument, we looked for a teacher who was more than a musical babysitter, someone who taught professionally and would help us advance to the next level. Charlotte was a German woman who lived in one of the better suburbs and ran a bustling piano studio in a room off her kitchen. Unlike Myfanwy, who would appear for lessons as if she had just finished kneading a loaf of bread or stirring a pot of soup, Charlotte ran her studio with brisk efficiency.
From these and other works, among them arias from various sources, including opera (a musical form Bach never pursued), one gets the sense of a pragmatic, unpretentious household, curious about the larger world, and not embarrassed to cherish music that was easy on the ears and rather trifling when compared to that composed by the patriarch in his professional capacity.
Myfanwy had said I had talent, and Charlotte doted on me. It was not the same for my sister Lisa, who had talent but who was treated by Charlotte as the stepchild. Although Lisa had at first enjoyed her lessons with Charlotte, she soon came to dread them, and there were conferences with my mother behind closed doors and conversations in low voices. One January, the tension became critical.
Piano 101 is the perfect entry point for new piano and keyboard players! Our beginner piano lessons teach foundational skills over the course of 10 weeks, including basic piano technique and music theory.
In Piano 101, students work with classically trained and professional musicians in small, group classes. This gives every student the attention and instruction they need to build core piano and keyboard skills!
The social setting of our group classes makes learning to play the piano more fun and less intimidating for first-time students. This program is available to students both in-person and online. Class duration is 45 minutes.
These beginner piano and keyboard lessons are a perfect entry point to private piano lessons at Bach to Rock. After learning core skills in Piano 101, students can take their skills to the next level with one-on-one instruction!
At Bach to Rock, we know that learning to play the piano or keyboard can be intimidating. Our Piano 101 classes make this process fun and easy for new piano students, helping them build confidence early.
In these beginner piano lessons, students learn core skills. These include proper posture, the basic five-finger position, and fundamental techniques. At the same time, we introduce students to music theory and note reading, creating a strong foundation for young musicians.
Piano 101 lessons are taught using digital keyboards. These beginner-friendly instruments are perfect for new piano players and can be easily adjusted for different genres, sounds, and styles. We also introduce students to recording software, such as Reason and ProTools.
Kids n Keys introduces young musicians to the piano and keyboard. In classes of up to 6 students, kids learn posture, finger position, and basic playing techniques. At the same time, kids learn how to play the piano by ear and sight read note music.
Ready to enroll in our beginner piano lessons? You can sign up for Piano 101 online or contact Bach to Rock to enroll over the phone. Our small class sizes mean these lessons fill up fast, so act quickly to reserve your space!
At Bach to Rock, we offer music lessons and group classes for kids and adults, plus camps and birthday parties! With our fun and beginner-friendly approach, it's never too early or too late to get started with music!
Our camps are a perfect choice for students who love music! We offer full-day and half-day summer camps, spring camps, and winter camps for kids, plus camps on school holidays. Our camps are great for students who want to start learning music and see what it's like to perform!
Birthday parties at Bach to Rock give kids a chance to be rock stars for a day! With themes like Karaoke Birthday and Rock Birthday, partygoers get to perform and record songs by their favorite artists. We also offer birthday party packages for younger children and corporate teams!
Pricing for Bach to Rock music lessons depends on the type and duration of lesson. You can find up-to-date pricing and schedules for all of our programs through our online sign up system. Pricing may vary by location.
As students advance, they may feel more comfortable using their own instruments for lessons at Bach to Rock. Students are encouraged to bring their own instruments to school for lessons when possible.
It's never too early to get kids started with music! At Bach to Rock, we encourage parents to start music classes early in childhood, so that kids can enjoy the developmental benefits of music education.
Parents and students can sign up for Bach to Rock music lessons, camps, and parties at the click of a button! Our online sign up system makes it easy to enroll, and includes up-to-date information for pricing, availability, and scheduling. We also accept registrations over the phone or in-person!
The seed for playing cello was planted a few years later when my mother-in-law treated my wife, Judith, and me to a live concert to see Mstislav Rostropovich in Washington, D.C., in the 1970s. Over the years that followed we became lovers of chamber music and the intimacy that came with it. In the process I came to know some of the chamber musicians up close and eventually decided to play too. The cello was the instrument that most resonated with me. So at age 52, I bought a cello and started taking lessons.
Adams describes his journey learning to play piano through a series of live teachers and automated teaching alternatives. He was frustrated by instructors working with adults in much the same way they do children. He tried both classical and jazz piano teaching resources. In the end, he settled on a hybrid approach, taking what he could from each of several sources of piano pedagogy.
Thanks to her guidance, I was playing cello with the American University Orchestra (where I taught public policy) after three years. And for several years each semester, on the day my students presented their final projects at AU, I opened the session playing the Bach G major Prelude.
Founder of 'The Bach Store' and host of 'The WTF Bach Podcast,' Evan Shinners began his musical studies at age 9 and made his orchestral debut at age 12. Mr. Shinners grew up in the tradition of European sacred music, receiving lessons in singing and choral conducting from a young age. He attended The Juilliard School in New York where he studied piano with Jerome Lowenthal. Mr. Shinners holds two degrees from the institution (BM '08, MM '10.)
Since 2010, Evan has devoted himself almost exclusively to the study and performance of the works of J.S. Bach. In 2011 he began studying the clavichord, and in 2018 began his ongoing harpsichord studies with harpsichordist Batrice Martin.
Mr. Shinners joined the Yamaha artist's roster in 2015. Using the Disklavier, he was able to record Bach's "organ sonatas" on piano- the first of its kind. He also commenced on a massive recording project of Bach's complete solo keyboard music on Bsendorfer instruments. In 2018 Mr. Shinners founded a non-profit organization with the goal of "bringing Bach to the masses in non-typical venues". Awarded the 'Alumni Enterprise Award' by the Music Academy of the West, in November of 2018 Evan opened "The Bach Store" in a 5,000 sq. ft. former bank on 56th and Broadway in Manhattan. There, he performed Bach for five hours, every day, for 37 consecutive days. In the evenings, Mr. Shinners hosted different guest artists every night, seeing nearly 70 different musicians perform Bach in the space during the run. His efforts landed him on the front page of the New York Times Arts and the Wall Street Journal. He was interviewed by German Public Radio and other international news sources.
In 2019, Mr. Shinners launched a second Bach Store around the corner from the New York Stock Exchange. Between the two installations, the repertoire that was covered - in free nightly concerts - was impressive: the complete works for solo keyboard, violin, cello and flute, complete cycles of violin and harpsichord works, the flute and harpsichord works, motets for a cappella chorus, three of the Brandenburg Concertos, and more. Both installations were visited by some 10,000 people. The Thringer Bachwochen in Bach's home state of Thuringia hosted the third Bach Store 2022 and is scheduled to reopen in 2024. Mr. Shinners plans for more stores to open more in London, Switzerland and beyond.
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