Private classical piano lessons in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village, for beginners and intermediate students who want to learn the repertoire and the technique that goes with it.
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Classical piano lessons here are about real music from the first lesson, Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Debussy, Schubert, alongside the technique and theory that lets you actually play them.
Beginners typically start with simpler repertoire from the canon, early Bach two-part inventions, Schumann’s “Album for the Young,” appropriate Chopin preludes, Beethoven sonatinas, chosen to develop specific technical skills while introducing the historical periods. The technique work runs in parallel: scales, arpeggios, the basic posture and motion patterns that make playing well possible.
Intermediate students typically come in with some background and a clear goal, a specific piece they want to learn well, an audition or performance they’re preparing for, or a desire to round out gaps in repertoire from earlier study. Lessons calibrate to where you actually are, not to where a method book says you should be.
Theory and ear training get woven in throughout. Understanding what a piece is doing harmonically is what separates playing the notes from playing the music.
This isn’t a conservatory pipeline. Students pursuing conservatory-level or competition classical training should seek a specialist in that area. What this is: a serious classical piano education for students who want classical repertoire as a real part of their musical lives, either as a destination in itself or as the technical foundation that lets them branch into other styles.
A lot of students who study classical here also study jazz, pop, or contemporary alongside it. The skills transfer in both directions, classical technique strengthens contemporary playing, and the harmonic vocabulary of jazz and pop opens up classical pieces in new ways.
Classical is offered as one part of a broader piano studio. If your priority is exclusively classical with a competition-track approach, you'd probably be better served by a classical specialist. If you want classical technique alongside the freedom to also play jazz, pop, or learn songs by ear, this is the right place.
Late beginner through early advanced. Late-Beethoven sonatas, mid-Chopin nocturnes, Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier, Debussy preludes are all on the table. Heavy concerto-prep is outside the scope.
Not formally. The studio doesn't prepare students for the Royal Conservatory of Music certificate exams or similar systems. If you want to use the RCM repertoire list as a curriculum guide without taking the exams, that works.
Depends on starting level. Returning students with prior training often have a real piece going within a month. Complete beginners typically have a simple piece (Bach Minuet in G, Burgmüller short pieces) by month three.
Yes, classical music is built around the score in a way other styles aren't. The first few months for beginners are largely about learning to read, and you'll be doing it on real music.
The studio teaches teens (11+) and adults. Younger classical students are better served by teachers who specialize in early instruction.