Small Group Piano Classes in Las Vegas

Some people learn best one-on-one. Others learn faster, practise more and enjoy it more when they sit at the piano next to two or three other people who are working on the same thing. That is why I teach small group piano classes in Las Vegas with no more than four students. Four is the limit on purpose. In a group of eight, a teacher can only lecture. With four, I hear every student play every class, I correct every hand position, and nobody hides in the back row.

I am Dr. Maria Pisarenko, D.M.A., a concert pianist trained at the Moscow Central Music School and the Gnessin Academy. I teach piano at the College of Southern Nevada and Southern Utah University, and I founded Las Vegas Piano School. A group class with me is not a cheaper, watered-down private lesson. It is a different way to learn, with its own strengths.

Why a small group works

• You hear what "good" sounds like. When the student next to you plays a phrase beautifully, your ear learns faster than from any explanation.
• You practise because people expect you. Adults who drop private lessons often stay in a group. Nobody wants to be the one who did not practise.
• You learn to play with other people. Duets, rhythm games and ensemble pieces teach timing and listening that solo lessons rarely reach.
• You perform early. Playing for three classmates is the gentlest first step toward playing for family, at school or on stage.

Who the groups are for

I place students by age and level, never mixing a beginner with a student who has played for three years.

• Children: a first musical year with friends or siblings. Reading notes, rhythm, ear games and the first real pieces.
• Teens: the songs they actually listen to, chords, playing by ear, and the theory they will need for school music programs.
• Adult beginners: for anyone in their 20s to 70s who always wanted to play and would rather start with company. No childhood drills, real music from the first weeks.
• Returning adults: you played as a child, you stopped, and you want it back.
• Parent and child: learn side by side with your son or daughter. You practise together at home, and the child sees that learning never stops at any age.
• Homeschool families: daytime groups for homeschooled children, during school hours, with reading, theory and ear training built in.
• Friends, couples and families: bring your own group of up to four and I build the class around you.

How a class runs

• Up to four students in my studio in Spring Valley, 9862 W Tompkins Ave, Las Vegas, NV 89147, easy to reach from Summerlin, Enterprise, Henderson and the Southwest.
• Every student plays every class, with individual correction.
• Reading, rhythm, technique, ear training and a piece to take home each week.
• Groups are formed by appointment, by age and level. Tell me who you are and I will place you in a group that fits, or start a new one.

Group or private?

If you are preparing for an exam, an audition or a competition, or you have a specific goal and a date, private lessons will get you there faster. If you want to start, keep going and enjoy it, a small group is often the better choice. Many of my students do both: a group for motivation and a private lesson now and then for detail. Not sure? Ask me and I will tell you honestly which one suits you.

See also: piano lessons for kids, adult piano lessons, piano for seniors, music theory and ear training, lessons and prices.

Who joins a small group

Brothers and sisters who want to learn side by side. A mom or dad with a son or daughter at the same piano. Grandparents and grandchildren. Three or four friends from school or the neighborhood. Homeschool families looking for daytime music. Teens who want to play with other teens, not alone. Adults who always wanted to play: working professionals, people on shift schedules, and retirees from Summerlin to Henderson. Tell me who you are, and I will build the group around you.

Groups are forming now: apply to join

New groups open as soon as there are enough students of the same age and level, so the first people to apply help shape them. Send me a short application with the form below, or text or WhatsApp (702) 809-7576, and tell me:

• who will play: a child, a teen, an adult, a parent with a child, or your own group of friends;
• age, and any piano or music background (none is fine);
• what you want from the class: a first start, songs you love, reading music, an exam, a performance;
• which days and times work for you, including daytime for homeschool families.

I will place you in the group that fits, or start a new one around you.