My name is Susan Adams Bentley and I teach piano lessons in my home studio, located in a Los Angeles suburb called Hacienda Heights, California 91745. My home is less than a mile South of the Hacienda Blvd. exit from the 60 Freeway. Please see the Contacts page if you would like to get in touch with me. The following cities are within 10 miles of my home studio:

LESSON FEES

WHY CONSIDER TAKING PIANO?

Music is a universal language that elicits many different emotions. Creating music, whether you write it, play it, or sing it can be a very satisfying, rewarding, and uplifting experience. In my opinion, music, like art, is good for the soul. My instrument of choice is the piano. I love to play it and I love to teach others how to play it.

I believe every student should have the opportunity to delve into the wonderful world of music if they choose to do so. I know it helped build my self-confidence when I was a child. It lit up my youth as nothing else.   Perhaps it can do the same for your child…or for you. Piano lessons are not just for children…they are for anyone who has wanted to play the piano and has decided to “go for it”!

If you have a child who expresses an interest in music, I encourage you to nurture that interest by finding a suitable teacher. If you are an adult who thinks it is too late to learn to play an instrument, please reconsider. About 30% of my students are adults! It’s not too late. It can add a new, creative dimension to your life.

My philosophy is simple - there should be laughter along with learning.  It takes a lot of work to learn to play the piano.  The journey should be a pleasant one and I strive to make lessons as happy a time as I can for students!  With practice, patience, perseverance, a positive attitude, as well as family support, children and adults can learn to play the piano!  

I’m in the Music Teacher’s Association of California (MTAC) Cal Plan Program.  If you would like to see my MTAC listing, click on this MTAC link, enter my zip code (91745) in the box and click “Find a Teacher”. Unless the listing has been changed, my entry is the fourth one. My students can take part in MTAC recitals as well as the Certificate of Merit Program.  I encourage them to take part in the program, but I don’t require it. I teach in English, which is something potential students need to know.

1. "Get to Know You" Meeting   This is the first step and it's free!    Whether the potential student is a child or an adult, this free meeting is extremely helpful. It gives us a chance to get together and chat, ask questions, discuss goals, and basically acquire enough knowledge about each other to help us make our decision...to start piano lessons or not. Usually these meetings last approximately 20 minutes.

2. Lesson Lengths   From my experience, I've found that a 45-minute lesson is usually an effective length for most students.  However, each student is unique…some do best with hour lessons; very young children (i.e. 4-6), or those who have a medical condition such as Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), might need only a 30-minute lesson.  Optimum lesson time varies from student to student.

3. Music Books   Generally, new students begin with Bastien Piano Basics at an appropriate level, depending upon whether they are a beginner or a transfer student.   The books cover the basics, including technique & theory.  As students advance, additional music is added as well as more in-depth theory using the Julie Johnson Theory books.   This, of course, isn’t set in stone.  Some students require other books and we discuss the options.  

4. Yes, Learning to play the piano is work   It’s work, but it’s worth it!  Success requires a positive attitude, perseverance, dedication, discipline, a desire to learn and practice, practice, practice!  Initially, students learn the intellectual aspects...reading notes, learning the note values, how to count, what are dynamics, and the very important technique of playing legato (smooth and connected.)  Though they understand all these facets of playing music, getting this information from the brain to the fingers is more of a challenge.  Keeping a positive attitude and understanding that this is what is to be expected for beginners will help the learning process.

Learning to play the piano can be fun too. For example, when a student learns to play a composition well, I sometimes accompany them on a synthesizer. The student is the soloist and the simple beginning tunes sound quite pretty with the added accompaniment. Besides being enjoyable, this introduces students to ensemble playing right from the start. It prepares him/her for whatever musical opportunities arise in the future, whether playing in a school band, accompanying music at church, playing in a rock band, etc. 

The Progress CD is very helpful for the student. It not only demonstrates the student’s improvement over time, but is also sometimes helpful for developing a critical ear. Also, progress is sometimes difficult for the student to recognize. However, listening to pieces that span the year (or multiple years) can make the improvements in technique and mastery of increasingly more challenging pieces apparent to the student and his or her family. Hearing this progress can be very encouraging.

6. Rhythm: To help students learn rhythm (the heartbeat of music), I sometimes accompany them with a drum machine at the lesson, rather than using the traditional metronome. It sounds better, it’s easier to keep the rhythm steady when accompanied by a drum-like sound, and it’s more fun!  Metronomes, however, are a very helpful aid for a student to use at home to perfect their rhythm.

8. Purchasing books, sheet music, etc.  The client may purchase music books from me or buy them elsewhere. 

My parents couldn’t afford to pay her normal fee so Mrs. Cole generously gave me a partial scholarship for my lessons. When I was 12 years old, I auditioned to be the youth soloist with the San Gabriel Symphony Orchestra. What a thrill to learn that I had won. I can still picture how it felt being on the stage with the orchestra, the bright lights, and the audience.

I studied with Mrs. Cole until I was 21 years old and I am very grateful for the experience. During the years I studied with her, I played in recitals every year or so. These were very stressful because they were close to two hours long and I was the only soloist. I fought stage fright and never felt calm before a performance. I played on the radio, had my picture in the newspaper, and performed in a variety of concerts. As with all things, I had my successes, I had my failures. But what an experience it was.

I attended Pasadena City College and received my AA degree in Music. Their Music Department was absolutely fantastic. I learned so much in the two years I spent there. Mr. Robert Heckman, the choir teacher, took me under his wing and helped me improve my interpretation of the various piano solos I was learning. He helped me to put my soul into the music and enhance a melody so that it ebbed and flowed to create a lovely effect. He was one of the most gifted teachers I ever studied with and I will always be grateful for the time he spent teaching me more about the beauty of music.

My music education was spent almost exclusively on classical music. As I matured, I decided to branch out. I started singing and accompanying myself on the piano. Singing romantic ballads and bluesy songs is a lovely break from classical music. Now, thanks to my husband’s knowledge of computers and synthesizers, we are able to record accompaniments that include a wide range of instruments. It’s something we enjoy doing together.

I recently recorded a CD of my favorite classical pieces. It’s about 70 minutes long. Some compositions are done strictly with the piano, as the composer intended. Others, I made my own. For example, I took liberties with this CD. I didn’t care what mainstream classical critics would feel about it. I wanted it to represent my interpretation of my favorites. For example, I added strings and a counter melody to the ever-popular “Moonlight Sonata” by Beethoven. I added voices to Clair de Lune by Claude Debussy. I included “Horizons”, one of my own compositions and also a non-classical boogie composition. Creating this CD with my husband was a wonderful adventure. I couldn’t have done it without him.

I made a decision when I was 21 years old that performing and traveling on concert tours was not the life for me. Instead I chose teaching and I've been doing it for over 40 years. It has been a great joy to teach students who love music and are willing to invest the time and effort it takes to play the piano well.

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