How it Works
Weekly online lessons with real-time guidance and steady progress.
Piano Lessons
Learn piano in a kind, supportive online setting with Sarah Collins, a professional musician and former preschool teacher who has been teaching kids, teens, and adults for nearly two decades.
Lessons happen weekly over FaceTime or Google Meet. During each session, I use multiple camera angles so students can see my hands, the keyboard, and my face while I can clearly see theirs. This lets me give detailed, real-time feedback on posture, hand position, rhythm, and reading, just like I would in person.
During the lesson, I write out clear practice assignments and review them with the student before we say goodbye. Afterward, those assignments are sent by text so nothing gets lost and everyone knows exactly what to work on during the week. Parents of younger students are always welcome to be part of this process, or to step back once routines are established.
If you’re new, we start with a free trial lesson where we choose the right materials together. From there, we follow a consistent curriculum tailored to your level and goals, while also bringing in songs you love. That might mean finding sheet music, arranging a favorite song, or even writing it out together so it fits your hands and your reading level.
Each lesson blends technique, reading, rhythm, and creativity in a way that stays grounded but never rigid. Thirty minutes moves quickly when you’re focused, supported, and working on music that actually matters to you.
All you need is a piano or keyboard and a phone or tablet on a stand so it can clearly see the keys and the student. Most families find that learning from home makes lessons easier to fit into real life while still feeling personal, connected, and deeply effective.
Piano PLUS Voice Lessons
Piano + Voice lessons combine everything you get in a piano lesson with the added joy of singing. Students learn to play and sing at the same time, using songs from their method books and music they genuinely love. This builds musical confidence, coordination, and a deeper connection to the music.
In each lesson, we work with healthy, age-appropriate vocal technique. That includes posture, breathing, and gentle vocal exercises. Younger students practice matching pitch and using their singing voice comfortably. Older students work with simple warm-ups and vocal patterns that support range, tone, and control. Singing is always integrated into real music, not just exercises, so it feels expressive and meaningful.
Students choose songs they love to sing, and we learn how to accompany those songs on the piano. This might mean playing chords, reading sheet music, or even writing out a favorite tune together so it fits their voice and hands. Singing while playing is a powerful skill, and it’s one we build step by step, at a pace that feels encouraging rather than overwhelming.
Because singing uses the whole body, Piano + Voice students often stand for part of their lesson. An adjustable phone or tablet stand is especially helpful so I can see posture, breathing, and hand position clearly. Many students also like having a full-length mirror nearby so they can watch their posture and alignment while they sing. I always recommend bringing a water bottle to lessons, too, since staying hydrated makes a big difference for the voice.
Just like in piano lessons, I write and review assignments during each session and send them after the lesson so students know exactly what to practice. New students start with a free trial lesson, where we choose a method book and talk about musical goals, favorite songs, and how voice and piano will work together going forward.
If you’re curious about singing while you play, Piano + Voice lessons are a warm, supportive way to explore it.
Piano PLUS Composition Lessons
Writing your own music, whether that’s songwriting or composition, is a powerful and deeply personal way to connect with music. It brings together rhythm, melody, harmony, and expression, and turns them into something uniquely your own.
Piano + Composition lessons include everything in a piano lesson, with added time and focus on creating original music. We go a little deeper with scales, chords, and theory so students understand how music is built and how to use those building blocks in their own work.
We begin in the simplest way possible: with pencil, eraser, and manuscript paper. Students sketch melodies, rhythms, and harmonies by hand, learning how to hear what they imagine and place it on the page. Over time, many students choose to move their writing onto an iPad and eventually into notation software like Sibelius on a laptop or desktop computer, where they can create clean scores, hear their music played back, and revise their ideas. None of that is required at the beginning, but it becomes a natural next step for students who want to go further.
Songwriting students often work a little differently. In addition to writing on paper, we use simple recording tools like a Voice Memos app to capture melodies, lyrics, and chord ideas as they arise. A journal, a pencil, and a way to record ideas are often all that’s needed to start building songs.
In lessons, we move fluidly between playing, writing, listening, and revising. I write and review assignments during each session and send them afterward so students know exactly what to work on. New students begin with a free trial lesson, where we talk about musical goals, favorite styles, and whether songwriting, composition, or a blend of both feels like the right fit.
Students who have studied composition for two or more years may also be eligible to participate in the Young Composers Project.
If you feel even a small spark of curiosity about writing your own music, this is a warm, steady place to explore it.
