You can book lessons by contacting Ms. Charity at 0410 012 686 or emailing us at HorizonMusicLessons@gmail.com
Playing piano offers advantageous benefits to many individuals.
It strengthens your motor skills, dexterity, and hand-eye coordination. Aside from these physical improvements, scientific studies have shown that pianists have improved cognitive abilities, better aural awareness, better disciplined habits, and building perseverance.
Piano is also easier and much more versatile to learn in today’s age in comparison to other instruments. It has the ability to play accompaniment and melodies at the same time, and students also learn how to read both treble and bass clef simultaneously.
We believe that as soon as a child is able to count and read the alphabet they are able to partake in piano lessons.Here at Horizon Music Academy, our lessons are cross-curriculum linked with other major subjects they undertake in school, so your child will benefit cognitively from learning piano.This does not mean that only young children can start learning piano. We believe that everyone at any age, even adults, can start learning piano.
At Horizon Music Academy, we teach piano, music theory, sight-reading, aural perception, rhythmic awareness, and even some singing.
This strongly depends on the level of the student.
Consistency in your practice is more important than the amount you practice or cram before each lesson but we completely understand if students have difficult circumstances or commitments that prevent them from practicing piano effectively, if not, at all.
A rough guide is that a student starting at Preliminary Grade should practice 30 minutes daily and increase that practicing session by 10-15 minutes as they progress each grade.
For young children, it is recommended that they start with half-hour lessons.
For older or more advanced students, they may opt for hour lessons.
In rare occasions, a student may need to have an hour and a half lesson in preparation for their examinations or performance assessments.
Of course!
We strongly recommend that you show up to all lessons, especially during the beginning stages of learning. This can not only provide emotional comfort for your child when they learn something new but also provide you a perspective of their progress.
You may even tune in what they are learning by sitting next to them during their lesson and use that to assist them outside their lessons.
The piano teacher may also need to speak with the parents after each lesson to inform them of any upcoming HMA events or details of their child’s progress.
All lessons are held at our academy. We currently have three locations:
5 Darwin Street, Carlingford 2118, NSW.
68 Churchill Street, Fairfield 2165, NSW.
10 Roger Street, Merrylands 2160, NSW.
Lessons are also available online via Skype.
For the first lesson, please bring an exercise book or notepad no bigger than A4 for your teacher to write you notes, and bring any pre-existing piano books that you may have learned with at home.During the first lesson, we will make recommendations to what would be most suitable for the student.
1. Fees are required to be paid in full no later than Week 2 of each term.
2. Missed lessons will be charged unless pre-arrangements have been made with Ms. Charity at least 1 week in advance. In case of emergency or sickness, notification is essential 12hrs before the lesson.
3. Only ONE lesson will be made up per school term (within the same term).
4. There is to be a minimum of 10 lessons per school term. Lessons during school holidays can be arranged upon request.
5. Fees cannot be refunded, but can be carried forward in some situations.
This depends on your learning goals and your enthusiasm to learn an instrument.
There is no definitive set answer to this, but we ensure that we utilise the best pedagogical approaches to aid your learning process to its highest potential.
Yes, you will need access to an instrument.
Between each lesson at Horizon Music Academy, you should practice at home to ensure you are able to play what is required and understand the material. There are many purchasable options at all music stores.
Acoustic pianos (such as upright and grand pianos) can be expensive but beginners can always start with a cheaper digital piano with weighted keys. Renting a keyboard is also an option if you are unsure of continuing piano lessons.
Once you reach a more advanced level, (potentially grade 4 and above) we strongly recommend having access to an acoustic piano as it provides the proper resistance required to develop finger strength and control, which are crucial piano techniques to develop once pieces start to get more complex.
Of course! Not all piano students have the same learning goals, so it is perfectly fine to take lessons based on your learning intentions for piano. There are also official examinations for leisure piano learners but that is also entirely up to the student as well.
Yes, we do allow virtual lessons via Skype for all classes.However, given the easing of the current situation and in general, it is recommended to undergo face-to-face classes as it provides the best experience to learn piano without obstruction of technological issues. In the case of a serious lockdown, we will arrange online classes for all students as well as discuss our future plans of learning as we adjust into these difficult times.
Integrated learning is when a student is given two core teachers to assess their progress while delivering students with the strengths and skill sets of both teachers.
At Horizon Music Academy, we believe all students require perspectives from different teachers on what they can improve on. This is especially beneficial for students undertaking exams, so they can benefit from learning and be given advice from all angles without bias.
Most classical piano works can be downloaded and printed at IMSLP, which is a virtual library website for public-domain music scores. Other music scores websites will most likely contain contemporary works such as video-game music, film soundtracks, or famous original songs/pieces. Most of our recommended materials and beginners books can be purchase online.
