Michael Bies
pianist, composer, educator

bio          compositions          performance          lessons          teaching philosophy


Lessons

Speaking to children about composing during the Children's Concert at the Lighthouse Center for the Arts in Tequesta

mike teaching

    I offer lessons in piano, music theory and composition throughout Royal Palm Beach, Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens and Boca Raton. I will travel to the students home in those areas and I also accept students in my home studio located in Royal Palm Beach. Lessons can be 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes depending on the age, ability and expectations of the student. I will choose a method series that best fits the student, however, I often incorporate material outside of that specific method to give variety to the lessons. Some outside material may even include composing music to explore the creative side of the student. The rates for lessons decrease slightly as the time increases, so if a family has two students each taking 30 minutes I count that as one 60 minute lesson and divide the 60 minutes in half for the two students. Please contact me for exact rates.

    All lessons in music consist of basically two components, the technical issues of playing a specific instrument and the musical issues as they relate to the instrument. The most basic technical issues with the piano are as simple as pushing the keys to produce different sounds such as loud sounds and soft/quiet sounds. Also, playing one note with each hand at the same time, known as independence of hands as well as more than one note at a time with different fingers of the same hand known as independence of fingers. From there, rhythm takes on an important role.

    Rhythm can be defined in very simple terms as the measure of time between two played notes. It is important to first be able to play notes with an even, steady rhythm. For example, playing more than two notes with the same amount of time between each note. As a student develops technique for the piano, more intricate rhythms will be practiced and executed as well as speed of playing, also known as tempo. When a student is able to play at a fast tempo and with a steady rhythm they are ready to tackle almost any piece of music. However, it may take some time to be able to get to this point depending on the student's age, ability and length of study on the piano. The more serious and hard-working the student is, the faster they will progress. Please take a look at the teaching philosophy page for more on my thoughts about teaching piano and music in general.

Children's Concert at Lighthouse Center for the Arts in Tequesta

mike teaching


Serving Wellington, Palm Beach Gardens
and Boca Raton

phone: (561) 333-0644
email: michaelbies@yahoo.com

bio          compositions          performance          lessons          teaching philosophy