Learning Music is a Personal Thing
Learning music is such a personal thing, an important part of life’s journey, it should be inviting, comfortable, fun, challenging, effective.
What’s Different About TIA from Other Local Music Studios?
What’s different about TIA from other local music studios, storefronts with private teachers that teach out of them, and individual private teachers that either travel to your home or teach out of their own? TIA is a 501(c) non-profit academy of music. We are a community. We are a team. We aren’t just a bunch […]
We Love Beginners!
I am a part of a large group of piano teachers online, most of which are seemingly great people who love music and teaching (I mean, let’s be real, its Facebook). But I do see many that gripe or complain about having so many beginner students and asking questions like, why can’t I get I […]
Know Piano, Know Chords
This weekend my family and I attended a jazz festival. There were way too many people there for a Covid-19 jazz festival, but that’s a different post all together and not the purpose of this blog. And of course, I am totally jazzed that so many people would in fact show up for a jazz […]
Affordability and quality do not have to be at odds with each other
Affordability and quality do not have to be at odds with each other. Call us crazy, but we believe that part of being a non-profit with a primary mission of serving the community means making our services affordable and available. You will find our tuition rates to be in fact generally $20-40 less than that of other options in town with qualified (or less than qualified) faculty. And with TIA, you are supporting a local 501(c)(3) non-profit.
Performing Music for Others is Important!
Performing music before others is important! We don’t prefer the word performance, but making music for others and for the community is both an essential part of why we learn and create music and what drives us, and it is literally built into the foundation of everything we do at TIA.
Why are the Modes Important?
Modes have noticeably distinct sounds and feels which make it fun, interesting, sometimes even exotic sounding. This unique nature, sound, and feel alone is enough of a reason to make the modes worthy of study, because without a proper understanding of them musicians that have learned only their foundational 48 will often accidentally play natural minor instead of Dorian, or major when they should be playing Lydian, etc. For piano and guitar players, the modes are also quite useful in that learning them requires the pianist to learn new fingering patterns that will help with more complex melodic lines as they learn more challenging repertoire.
It Will be Worth It
Struggling with an embouchure week after week or even month after month can be a real downer. Of course I do everything I can to encourage students that struggle like that to keep going, that it will get better, that it is going to be worth it! What are your goals? What are you pushing through? What are you doing with this pandemic? Have you considered a musical journey? I can’t promise it will be easy, or that you won’t face similar struggles, but it will be worth it! And we would love to work with you.
The Arts Portfolio
music is so important, and not just for those that will go on to major or even study music in college. Many of the finest universities in the world see musical education, skill, and ability as just one of the many unique personal and character pieces that students bring to the table. Stanford University for example practices what they call “holistic admission” where “Each piece in an application is part of an integrated and comprehensive whole.” Read their explanation here. Nursing music education, creativity, and passion is not only right for your child (and yourself), but it may also provide an important competitive edge in today’s growing competitive world. . If you, your child, or someone you know is considering college or university study and are not yet working with someone—we would love to work with you at TIA. If you haven’t yet, you might check out Stanford’s program.
Always committed to growing. As people. As musicians. As educators.
The TIA team is committed to the journey of music; always learning, always growing, always challenging ourselves in new ways. Always committed to growing. As people. As musicians. As educators. That’s our team.