Welcome

Here at Folsom Piano Academy, we believe that music can have a positive impact on your life. We believe that learning the piano can be a fun and enjoyable experience. Our students learn valuable life skills like perseverance, patience, attention to detail, confidence and a greater ability to communicate.

We have served the greater Folsom area since 1996. We take pride in teaching students how to read music and become proficient piano players. Our staff consists of dedicated teachers with advanced degrees in piano performance and pedagogy. Each teacher is encouraged to collaborate with their co-teachers to provide students with the best experience possible. We tailor our methods so that each student can enjoy a lifetime of music and reach their full potential.

With the advent of group lessons, hundreds of students have been able to experience the joy of learning how to play the piano Folsom Piano Academy. By using a digital piano lab with headphones, students receive individualized instruction in a group setting and develop confidence in playing for others.

Whether the lessons are for an adult or a child, you have the choice between several different options for piano lessons. We invite you to tour our studio and come experience the excitement of music!

Enroll Today!

Jeanette's Corner: Teacher Tips

Measuring Progress

"My student has taken piano lessons for 3 years." Unfortunately, that statement does not help to measure a student's progress. It's not fair to compare student's progress based on the number of years of lessons because it's not the number of lessons or years that makes the difference, but instead the amount of practice that occurs between the lessons. The student that practices consistently following the instructions from the teacher will expectedly "progress" faster than the student who does not. And, of course, some students simply have more natural ability than others which will affect their overall rate of progress, assuming everything else is equal. Therefore, each student is ultimately unique in their own progress.

So how do we measure progress? An easy rule of thumb for students that are in group lessons is how long does it take them to complete one book. The Music Tree was originally designed to be completed at the rate of 1 Unit per week. That is difficult in today's age because students are much busier with multiple activities and greater amounts of homework. For today's students, 2-3 weeks per Unit is ideal giving them enough awareness and satisfaction of their own progress which fuels their continued motivation. When students stagnate and take a year or more to complete a book, their motivation to want to continue piano can diminish dramatically. At the rate of 2-3 weeks per Unit, a student would complete a book in 5-7.5 months. (Time to Begin usually takes 4-6 months.) Keep in mind that a couple times a year, during recital season, students get to learn additional music outside of their regular lesson books. (This along with no school homework is why summer is such a great opportunity for students to advance their progress.)

Since teachers date each song, parents can easily look in their student's book to see when they started and gauge their rate of progress. With this knowledge, you can encourage and praise your student each time they complete a Unit. Create a positive incentive and environment at home for their success and use positive words to celebrate their progress! I remember one parent used to paper clip a $5 bill to the end of each Unit. That's just one idea. There are many ways to reward your student's progress!

Happy Practicing!

-Ms. Jeanette

Director Jeanette Munroe

Director Jeanette Munroe holds a Bachelor Degree in Piano Performance from Santa Clara University and a Masters in Piano Pedagogy from CSU-Northridge.

Each of the private instructors at Folsom Piano Academy are members of the Music Teachers Association of California which maintains high membership standards and enables our teachers to offer the Certificate of Merit program. More information about MTAC can be found at their website www.mtac.org

Our group instructors have at either a Bachelor Degree in piano and/or many years of playing/teaching experience including extensive training with Jeanette.

750 Oak Ave Pkwy Suite 170, Folsom, CA 95630 FolsomPianoAcademy@gmail.com 916-985-9443