Ken Reynolds
About
Did you take piano lessons as a child and want your kids to share that same experience? Perhaps you didn't get a chance to learn when you were young and you are afraid you are too old. Maybe you are just looking to better yourself.
I have good news! It's not too late! I specialize in helping people of all ages discover the joy that comes from playing the piano.
I have been playing the piano for 30 years and teaching for more than 20 years. I have worked as a professional musician since 1997 after graduating with a degree in music from Wheaton College.
My aim is to help you reach your musical goals and to teach you in a way that you learn best.
Experience what it's like to take piano lessons online. All you need is a laptop or tablet with a webcam.
You will learn how to read music and to play chords so that you can play your favorite songs. I guarantee you will not only become a better piano player but you will become a better musician overall.
If this sounds good to you, feel free to reserve a lesson with me at a time that is convenient for you. I look forward to hearing from you!
Teaching Style
My goal is to help you learn to play the piano in a way that is consistent with your expectations. Some students take piano lessons just for the sake of finding joy in learning something new. Others are looking for a more serious and challenging experience that will equip them for college and beyond. I want to know what goals you have in mind so that I can teach you in the best possible way.
Curriculum
My goal as a piano teacher is to help you become a well-rounded musician.
With this in mind, I have created four tracks to help my students pick the path which best fits them. They are Piano, Chords, Songwriting, and Music Theory. Each track contains a group of modules to help you as a student excel to the next level. All of my students will work through the 8 Piano modules.
It is not mandatory to add an additional track. However, students interested in enhancing their piano studies can choose to add one of the three remaining tracks: Chords, Songwriting or Music Theory.
PIANO TRACK
The Piano track emphasizes reading sheet music, learning scales and key signatures, arpeggios, trills, and other techniques. Students learn pieces from the major composers like Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, and Debussy. They also learn to play music from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras. Classical Piano covers many genres including etudes, preludes, polonaise, nocturnes, mazurkas, waltzes, and ballads.
CHORDS TRACK
The Chords track focuses on teaching students to play pop, rock, and jazz tunes, and the chords and chord progressions associated with each style. Students will learn to read chord symbols, chord charts, lead sheets, and slash charts.
Chord technique such as right and lefthand rhythmic patterns, incorporating the melody, utilizing chord inversions, chord abbreviations, chord coloring, and learning to play accompaniment are also taught.
Students who take the Chords track will learn how to transpose songs using the Nashville Numbering System (NNS).
SONGWRITING TRACK
In the Songwriting track, students will learn many of the essential ingredients of a great song including song structure, using technology to capture and harness ideas, the fundamentals of lyric writing, writing great melodies, instrumentation, how to write for specific instruments, modulation, and countermelodies.
Songwriting is close to my heart as I have been writing music since I was a kid. This past summer I recorded an original solo piano album. I have also written more than 100 worship songs. In this track, I share with you everything you need to know about songwriting based on my personal journey with writing.
THEORY TRACK
Just as a spoken language has rules that govern it, so does the language of music. This language helps us understand how music works, and it gives us the terminology to communicate with other musicians. Show me a musician that knows music theory, and I will show you someone who can quickly make sense of the music they read or hear. The
The Theory track goes beyond the typical music theory that a person gets when learning to play the piano. In this track, students learn about the make-up of chords and their functions, ear training exercises, modal scales and harmony, the hierarchy of 3rds and 7ths, and dominant function. It’s everything you would ever need to know about how music works.
I'm looking forward to meeting you and I would love an opportunity to teach you.