The Play-a-Story®
Piano Method
You don't teach calculus in preschool, right?
Age-Appropriate Piano Training
Young children are endlessly creative, full of boundless energy, and bubbling over with sometimes unstoppable enthusiasm. Traditional wisdom teaches that it is impossible to pin such a young student down long enough to teach piano in any useful form. Well that's just not true! Young students simply need to be taught age-appropriate materials using methods designed to meet the needs of their growing minds. Play a Story® teaches children how to improvise music at the piano- in other words, how to compose and play their own songs- using music as a language to express ideas and feelings.
From founder Lyndel Kennedy:
"What would the music sound like if it was the wind in the forest, or a shell tossed around the ocean? In the world of Play a Story®, every imaginative thought, every emotion is an opportunity for us to express ourselves in the language of music – a language that can be deeply profound. Piano lessons have never been this fun!
Our innovative approach to improvisation uses simple motifs - short musical ideas - creating a natural ease at the piano, whilst building key theoretical concepts... Play a Story® helps you discover your ‘inner musician’, empowering you to play the piano freely and in the moment.We have a vision - not to make musicians - but to reveal the musician that already lives inside, especially for those who haven’t had the chance to get acquainted yet!"
Young children who begin with Play a Story® naturally transition to Simply Music® when they develop the attention and maturity to focus on more structured lessons and practice assignments. Older students can also add Play a Story® improvisation techniques to their existing lesson plan. As every student and situation is unique, let's talk about how Play a Story® can be right for you!