Why do you only offer lab lesson style for lower levels?
Our goal for every student is to not only be a confident player, but to ENJOY making music. We've found that students need more time to practice songs DURING the lesson under teacher guidance, and believe that students should never be sent home with a song with skills they've never tried in lesson first. We also want to see our students build persistence, problem solving, and emotional intelligence skills that lead to greater independence and confidence in every stage of the learning process...because it's not just about the final result - it's about the journey getting there, one song at a time!
We've discovered that Foragers (lab lessons) is the most efficient, effective format for students to achieve this goal, and actually faster than in traditional lesson formats (there are now studies that have been done on this in other US studios!). Foragers allows for this necessary practice time to try, fail, and learn the fundamentals of piano playing and life skills to prepare them for the challenges of higher levels.
We've discovered that Foragers (lab lessons) is the most efficient, effective format for students to achieve this goal, and actually faster than in traditional lesson formats (there are now studies that have been done on this in other US studios!). Foragers allows for this necessary practice time to try, fail, and learn the fundamentals of piano playing and life skills to prepare them for the challenges of higher levels.
HOw much is my student supposed to practice?
We don't require or expect our students to practice at home until they reach Trailblazers private lessons for intermediate - advanced levels. In addition, no particular amount of practice guarantees results. We do give Foragers students (Levels 1-6) 1-2 songs per week of optional practice homework (usually in their lesson books) as a guide for if they DO choose to practice at any point. So if your student wants to practice, great! If they don't want to practice, great!
what if my student misses a lesson?
We have a policy on that, but it's pretty relaxed! Cancel for non-emergency absences (like vacations, sports practices, etc.) at least 24 hours in advance to get a makeup credit. Cancel up until your class time starts for last-minute illnesses and family emergencies and get a makeup credit. Makeup credits can be used in any open lesson slot, and don't expire.
Do i need a piano to enroll in lessons at evergreen? If so, what are your recommendations?
It is strongly recommended that students have at least a 61-key touch sensitive keyboard at home so they have the opportunity to practice, or just play around and create music on it! Our favorite touch-sensitive keyboards are the Yamaha Piaggero series. For lower budget digital pianos, we love Williams Allegro series. For mid-higher budget, we love Yamaha's P- series or Arius series.
No matter what keyboard or digital piano you purchase, always check the reviews, always check to see if it comes with an AC adapter or not, and don't forget to buy a keyboard stand!
If you have an acoustic ("real") piano at home in good working condition, awesome! Just make sure it's properly tuned by a professional 1-2 times a year before practicing on it, even if it sounds like it's in tune.
No matter what keyboard or digital piano you purchase, always check the reviews, always check to see if it comes with an AC adapter or not, and don't forget to buy a keyboard stand!
If you have an acoustic ("real") piano at home in good working condition, awesome! Just make sure it's properly tuned by a professional 1-2 times a year before practicing on it, even if it sounds like it's in tune.
My child has trouble focusing and gets bored easily. is this a good program for them?
The simplest answer is, you won't know unless you try it, as every kid is different! But in 98% of cases, the answer is usually YES, it is a good program for them!
We've designed Foragers lessons to be inclusive of as many kids as possible. These students all have two main things in common: 1) they love music and 2) are eager to work toward becoming confident music makers. We have students who barely ever talk, students who could talk the whole lesson if we let them, and students who bridge that gap.
Also, 27.5% of our Foragers students are neurodivergent, have a mental health diagnosis, have physical and motor disabilities, and/or are gifted. Niki is neurodivergent and gifted herself, and is a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist (BCCS) with training and certification to help students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, and similar diagnoses. We're more than happy to make reasonable accommodations throughout your child's musical journey, whether or not there's a diagnosis present.
We've designed Foragers lessons to be inclusive of as many kids as possible. These students all have two main things in common: 1) they love music and 2) are eager to work toward becoming confident music makers. We have students who barely ever talk, students who could talk the whole lesson if we let them, and students who bridge that gap.
Also, 27.5% of our Foragers students are neurodivergent, have a mental health diagnosis, have physical and motor disabilities, and/or are gifted. Niki is neurodivergent and gifted herself, and is a Board Certified Cognitive Specialist (BCCS) with training and certification to help students with ADHD, autism, anxiety, dyslexia, and similar diagnoses. We're more than happy to make reasonable accommodations throughout your child's musical journey, whether or not there's a diagnosis present.
How many teachers are at evergreen?
Despite us being called a school, it's just me, Niki! You'll also sometimes see a Teaching Assistant or two helping out in classes...they're current Evergreen students in middle or high school; and my mom, Cheri, who helps out with special events and cleaning!
are you student-centered, or teacher-centered like most studios?
We are a student-centered music studio. We want every student to go at their pace and to be happy, successful, and challenged. We want students to learn and practice self-awareness, how and when to ask for help, and develop persistence and discipline even when things get hard...the same core things needed to be successful in school and career!
Their personal growing process and mental health is most important to us, and we consider all music and non-music aspects of your child while involving them in decisions like: when to move up a piano level, what songs to take on next, and what performances to participate in, if any. We also want students to follow their interests through our quest badges and our large sheet music library.
It's ultimately their music journey and they're the ones putting in the work...so after they finish their core badge lesson work, they should have most of the say in what they learn, shouldn't they? We think so!
Their personal growing process and mental health is most important to us, and we consider all music and non-music aspects of your child while involving them in decisions like: when to move up a piano level, what songs to take on next, and what performances to participate in, if any. We also want students to follow their interests through our quest badges and our large sheet music library.
It's ultimately their music journey and they're the ones putting in the work...so after they finish their core badge lesson work, they should have most of the say in what they learn, shouldn't they? We think so!
Is foragers a "try it out" piano lesson program?
No way, this is the real deal of lessons, and we now have studies showing how it's more effective and beneficial to students than other lesson formats, curricula, or approaches! Your child will learn and experience real piano, music, and life skills at their pace within our tight-knit, 55-student community, as well as our quest badge program to dive deeper into their musical interests.
Why second grade as the minimum age?
I care about students getting full value out of their lessons experience, which means ensuring they progress steadily, build confidence in their playing, and enjoy learning every week.
What I mean....we have significant evidence within our studio over the years that the majority of students aren't ready for formal music lesson learning, and this accelerated lab lesson program for that matter, until 2nd grade, or around 7-8 years old.
Previously, we've had numerous students younger than this, but the majority would either 1) keep remediating old materials until suddenly they reached 2nd grade and it clicked (because they weren't ready for 2-handed playing, eye tracking and finger independence with all fingers, or a wider note reading range), or 2) they only spend a couple minutes on piano, then want to play. While we laugh together, make mistakes, and do our very best to make lessons engaging and fun, playtime is not what we're here for.
We believe that in general, students age 6 and under need to play and sing with music in developmentally appropriate ways and just enjoy the new sounds they're experiencing! For students not in general music classes at school yet, we have recommendations for other local programs that do just that, and go into some piano exploration to prepare them for our Evergreen piano programs!
What I mean....we have significant evidence within our studio over the years that the majority of students aren't ready for formal music lesson learning, and this accelerated lab lesson program for that matter, until 2nd grade, or around 7-8 years old.
Previously, we've had numerous students younger than this, but the majority would either 1) keep remediating old materials until suddenly they reached 2nd grade and it clicked (because they weren't ready for 2-handed playing, eye tracking and finger independence with all fingers, or a wider note reading range), or 2) they only spend a couple minutes on piano, then want to play. While we laugh together, make mistakes, and do our very best to make lessons engaging and fun, playtime is not what we're here for.
We believe that in general, students age 6 and under need to play and sing with music in developmentally appropriate ways and just enjoy the new sounds they're experiencing! For students not in general music classes at school yet, we have recommendations for other local programs that do just that, and go into some piano exploration to prepare them for our Evergreen piano programs!