Never played piano before? Keen to learn? Piano for Beginners Level 1 is a group class designed for the absolute beginner. By the end of the course you will be able to find your way around the keyboard, play simple tunes and accompaniments and understand the basics of good piano technique.

Over 8 weeks, students will be taken through an intensive course of note reading, finger training and exploration of basic piano literature, as well as basic ensemble playing.

Level 1 will cover aspects of learning the piano, including:
• Note naming/recognition of all 88 keys of the piano
• The musical alphabet
• Note recognition on a music stave
• Piano technique
• Note values and basic rhythmic understanding
• Understanding keys and accompanying 1-octave scales of keys up to 2 sharps and 1 flat
• Piano solo and ensemble playing within fixed 5 finger hand positions.

Our two tutors for Piano for Beginners, Peter Walsh and Cathy Kerr will guide you through Levels 1-4 of the course providing expertise in group teaching and piano technique and care for each student's musical development in the group.

ENTRY LEVEL: an ability to recognise the notes on the stave is helpful but not essential. Access to a keyboard or piano to practice would be beneficial and we recommend about 20 minutes of daily practice throughout the duration of the course.

WHAT STUDENTS SAY ABOUT THIS CLASS

Peter is very informative and a lot of knowledge gained in a short time. Catered for different levels.

I have really enjoyed Peter's class and have learnt more than in my previous attempts to learn piano. It is a relaxed environment with a great mix of technical education, practice and performing.

Cathy is a first class teacher. Warm and encouraging; clear with her guidance; full of enthusiasm for music, the piano, for our learning journeys and her role as our guide.. and a lot of fun too!

I have completed three of the Piano for Beginners with Peter, and have found them immensely rewarding and enriching. Peter is a great teacher, incredibly kind and patient for us beginners but with a depth of musical knowledge that meant I left every class with a new perspective on the material. I'm so grateful to Peter and Open Academy that these courses are run - they're perfect for someone like me who loved playing the piano but had no technical knowledge. Thank you!

The pace of the learning seemed just right: challenging but also achievable. And a great mix of the practical and
the theoretical.

Great environment, the fact that the classes are held in the building just adds value to the experience.

Peter put everything in large contexts, and explained clearly what he was teaching us, and why he was teaching us that.

Cathy was a seriously excellent tutor. Very structured, patient and supportive of each student.

Cathy is a sublime teacher. The journey she leads her class through, the engaging repertoire she puts in front of us, and her blend of challenge and charm make for wonderfully productive and enjoyable lessons.

Peter’s an excellent teacher, and particularly in the group context maintaining progress and accommodating different student competence levels.

Cathy Kerr is a student's dream with unending encouragement and enthusiastic delivery of a well-structured program.

I left the final class feeling exhilarated and satisfied with the progress I had made over the term.

Cathy was wonderful. She accommodated all the different student capabilities, made herself available to contact out of class, provided a variety of beautiful music and was inspiring.

Cathy Kerr was absolutely phenomenal. She taught each class with enthusiasm, patience, encouragement. Her lessons were well prepared and catered for individual differences within the class. Her ability to guide us step by step through more difficult exercises, scales and pieces gave me the confidence to practise each day without feeling frustrated.

Peter is a great teacher and I learned a lot from him. I enjoy the way he makes us understand what we are learning and the stories from his experience.

Peter is a world class music educator.