John Fraley Piano Lessons

This page is divided into four sections:
1. My Philosophy
2. Methods and Rewards
3. Typical Lesson Plans
4. Expectations

As always, if the information raises more questions than it answers, please contact me! Thanks. Click here to send me an e-mail.

1. My Philosophy

Let me distill my teaching philosophy into one sentence, just in case you don't have time to read a dozen paragraphs' worth. I am committed, through frequent use of collaboration, encouragement and rewards, to making piano lessons exciting, fun and worthwhile.

How do I accomplish this? My lessons are filled with positive reinforcement alongside honest feedback. If you sit in on any one of my lessons, you're quite likely to hear me say something just like this: "That section sounded good. Well done. You've worked hard for the last two weeks on your left hand in that part. Now we need to make the right hand sound just as good, because we're not quite there yet. Let's do it!"

I am quick with positive remarks but I abstain from sugarcoating my assessment of a student's performance. Generally, they know how well, or not well, they've played. They know when they've absolutely got it nailed, or when they've practiced insufficiently. It does me no good to repeatedly gloss it over, as some have, to say something like: "Well, that'll have to do for now, let's consider it good enough." That kind of attitude, when used day in and day out, is a waste of their effort, my time and your money. As far as private piano instructors go, I charge a very reasonable rate. But at roughly a dollar a minute for my services, everybody deserves my complete dedication to excellence.

So on the other side of the coin, I understand that not all my students will turn into concert pianists. Some are gifted. Others will struggle mightily in their quest to play with two hands simultaneously. I meet my students at their skill level, and then we do everything in our power to maximize what skills they have. I'll expect different things from different students along their musical journey.

Students are partners with me on this adventure. They have the power to select some of the pieces they will be working on. Not ALL the pieces, mind you, but certainly some. In this way, it is not uncommon at all for one of my students to learn "Fur Elise" alongside a theme from "Harry Potter." My students help me identify their strengths, their weaknesses, their desires, their successes. This gives them an ownership of their learning.

2. Methods and Rewards

One crucial ingredient I mix in at lesson time is energy. I'm a laid-back sort of guy in many respects, but get me going on some quality music, and I gain a considerable amount of pep. Kids respond well to high-energy encouragement (some might call it cheerleading), so this is an essential component of my teaching strategy. A good dose of goofiness keeps things fun and loose, too. I am proud to be that stereotypical goofy dad who will make the nerdy pun or the funny face when the time is right. And I DO know when to rein that part of my personality in.

By now, you've probably figured out that I do NOT teach "by the book." I use books, but they are tools, not goals. My first teacher didn't line up the lesson books by levels and march her pupils through them, one page at a time. For this I am eternally grateful, because I would have quickly tired of that routine. She DID push me to learn harder and harder pieces, always stretching my skills, while giving me a solid foundation in music theory. She DID use the pieces we studied to illustrate important concepts, so the emphasis was always on learning new material, as long as the new material broadened my knowledge.

My method, therefore, is a hybrid of her strategy and the page-to-page, level-to-level approach that introduces concepts in a sequential manner. I like the Alfred series of lesson books, with its six levels and its prep course and its ear-training activity books and its composition workbooks and all of its other paraphernilia. I use these tools with almost each student in some way, adapting the curriculum to that student's needs and desires. In fact, many kids thrive with the knowledge that the next page will usher in a new song and the last page brings a graduation to the next level. At the same time, many others need a more flexible setting to learn efficiently. For those learners, I de-emphasize the sequential process, and I leverage their creativity. We might write a new piece, then examine it to see what's happening. Or we might spend one lesson in the books, one lesson with chords and ear training. I'm deeply committed to finding the best way to teach your child, rather than finding some way to get your child to fit into a pre-ordained schedule.

One of the main ways I keep students excited about their progress is through my points system. Students age 12 and under generally receive points for having a lesson, performing a piece, making progress from week to week, filling out a practice log, completing activities, playing their scale -- you name it, they get points from me for doing it. They then can cash in these points for prizes once they reach certain milestones. Kids enjoy getting tangible rewards, and this system is consistently a hit with my beginning and intermediate students.

Older students either receive mega-points, which they can redeem for bigger prizes, or a small reward for each recital in which they participate. They can even have a hand in shaping these more grown-up rewards, which are often gift cards, non-fancy sports equipment, games, and the like.


3. Typical Lesson Plans

Let me lay out how a lesson might look for students of three different ages and levels.

      Beginner, 40-minute lesson

1 minutes talking about their week, their points
5-6 minutes spent on scale
10-11 minutes spent in lesson book
1 minutes spent chatting about something of interest to the student
14-15 minutes spent on main recital piece
6-7 minutes spent on theory activity
1 minutes on wrap-up, reviewing upcoming assignments

      Intermediate, 50-minute lesson

1 minute talking about week, points
5-6 minutes spent on scale, arpeggio or similar assignment
9-10 minutes spent on chords or ear training or rhythm activity
12-15 minutes spent on student's fun piece
1 minute chatting
12-15 minutes spent on recital piece
5 minutes on wrap-up, checking for comprehension of new concepts

       Advanced, 60-minute lesson (90-minute lessons also available)

1 minute of welcome
10 minutes spent on scale and technical activities
20-30 minutes spent on main piece for recital or contest
1-2 minutes chatting (the brain needs a break!)
7-8 minutes spent on theory or ear training
10-20 minutes spent on less serious piece(s)

Naturally, those are just examples of how our time might break down.


4. Expectations

Every student learns differently. As a result, I treat every one of my learners differently in the realm of expectations. I demand different amounts of practice and expect different amounts of progress from each student. My flexible rule of thumb is 15-20 minutes four or five times weekly for beginners, 20-40 minutes four or five times weekly for intermediate students, and 40-60 minutes five times a week for high schoolers or adults who are serious about learning. A high school junior hoping for a music scholarship at the next level should be practicing a minimum of 90 minutes a day six days a week, which compares nicely to time spent in practice and games for a varsity sport.

I expect progress from my students on a weekly basis, but I measure their progress on a yearly scale. To you, the parent, all progress is likely to seem incremental, until you reflect on the past six months and realize your daughter or son just learned and performed a piece you once would have thought un-learnable for her or him. So if you can't resist asking me after each lesson how your child is doing, please go ahead and ask. Just be prepared, I won't probably give you a very thorough answer but once out of ten times, when I will most likely compliment your child for the significant progress achieved in the last ten lessons.

I also design my lessons to maximize a student's progress while I am present. A student can often make as much headway in 45 minutes of intensive tutoring as in an entire week on their own. Sometimes even more.

After three years of lessons, I would expect each of my students to have acquired the tools to take their lifelong musical journey in whichever direction they choose. Some of these kids I teach will end up switching to electric guitar at age 13, and they'll thank me for the scales and chords we worked on for so long. Some will pick up the trumpet or the cello in the future and thank me for badgering them into playing with true emotion. Still others will head for the drums, and they'll thank me for all the rhythm activities I assigned. Of course, my favorite outcome is when they end up taking 12 years of piano and have the ability to make a lasting impact there. But chiefly, I want music to become part of their soul.

Of myself, I expect nothing less than maximum effort. Feel free to expect that of me.

Really Important Caveat

I'm always refining my tactics. One of the most common complaints I hear from parents of students previously enrolled with a different teacher is how that educator was inflexible or insensitive to their child's needs.

If something doesn't work consistently, I trash it and go another route.

Need More Info?

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