Gallery

Take a look at our students in action during lessons, on the stage and learning together.

piano lessons online

With the threat of COVID-19 and state-wide safer-at-home orders, the Studio switched to piano lessons online. The students were remarkably adaptable and made the transition with very little fuss. Admittedly, the change to online lessons was a struggle for me as teacher, but in time, I learned ways to leverage the good parts of this format. We were invited to participate (twice!) in the Stuck Inside Challenge by Stacy Millican and her studio in Canada. Students from around the world accepted the week-long challenge. The result was student engagement and a sense of community between studios. Within our studio, we had group classes where we used online games like Jeopardy and BINGO to reinforce music terms and concepts.

Russian Composers

Our 2019 Composer of the Month studies took us to RUSSIA! At the end of the unit, students and their families gathered for a workshop where they played pieces by Russian composers and sampled Russian food (homemade by the families!) This kind of focus gives us a chance to take a deeper dive into the history and culture of the composers we study.

performance

Performance experience is critical for student growth. Students in our studio have the opportunity to play in both formal and informal settings. From the Steinway Model-D concert grand at the Steinway Gallery in Pasadena to the “all comers” piano at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles, students learn to adapt to a variety of performance situations.  We even found ways to work with quarantine restrictions with our first ever Virtual Recital and social distanced ensemble playing.

field trip

The Studio visited the GRAMMY Museum at LA LIVE in DTLA in January 2019. The museum is filled with interactive exhibits that trace the diverse history of American music today. They also provided the students with a guide that helped the students make their way through the displays.

goal setting

Learning to set attainable goals and following through is an important part of the learning process. We strive to hold students accountable for their progress without taking the fun out of playing music. This looks a little different for each student.  To that end, our Studio participates in the National Piano Guild Auditions that are held annually at various testing sites around the country. The Guild offers sufficient flexibility in their requirements to allow for a wide variety of abilities while encouraging instrument mastery. While Guild is our primary means of external evaluation, occasionally students will participate in other competitions and contests.

variety in the learning experience

Not everyone has the same learning style. Guidolin Piano incorporates a number of different techniques to accommodate the wide variety of learning styles.