Piano Lessons
HeartSong Music / Heather Batey Studio offers quality private instruction in piano for beginners of all ages through early intermediate level. Piano lessons are available in 30 minute or 45 minute weekly sessions, or a 60 minute weekly voice/piano combination.
Piano students learn the following essential skills:
Fundamentals of Music & Notation
Music Theory Basics (scales, chords, arpeggios)
Sight Reading
Ear Training
Rhythm Skills
Technique and Artistry
Musicianship
Learning to play piano is fun and rewarding. Lessons take place in a nurturing and fun environment at my dedicated home teaching studio in Pelham.
2021-22 Private Piano Lesson Rates
Lesson tuition is paid monthly, plus a $75 registration and materials fee each semester which covers music books & more. Please see the studio handbook for full details.
🎶 30 min weekly lesson $140/mo. & up (beginner piano)
🎶 45 min weekly lesson $160/mo. & up
(older beginners, teens/adults, & intermediate level)
🎶 1 hr weekly lesson $200/mo. & up (voice/piano combo)
Brain Science and Piano
Did you know that learning the piano at any age is good for your brain? Here are the top reasons why:
• Improves Hand-eye Coordination — A recent study (Music and Health; Alan H. D. Watson, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, UK) suggests that pianists actually change their brains’ cortical mapping to increase finger speeds. For those with reduced motor skills, playing piano can challenge their brains to make new connections and strengthen motor skills. This can help children and even adults improve their coordination later in life.
• Expands Cultural Knowledge – A 2016 study (ScienceDaily and Massachusetts Institute of Technology) showed that musical preference comes from cultural influences and is not innate (born into us). The study also shows that learning to play piano helps expand our cultural knowledge by exposing us to new sounds and styles of music.
• Improves Kinesthetic or Tactile Learning. – In 2013, a study at an institute in Barcelona (Pompeu Fabra University, Barcelona, Spain) found that people who practiced piano had better neurological and psychological improvements compared with those who did other activities, such as football, basketball, or drawing, according to their scale.
• Prevents Decline of Neural Processing, Hearing, and Memory – A recent study (ABC News) showed that those who made a lifelong habit of playing music slowed this decline and that of brain processing and inner-ear hearing loss.
• Boosts Self-esteem – A 2014 study of Canadian fourth-grade students (Sage Pub Journals) showed those who received three years of individual piano lessons tested higher on self-esteem measures and achievement tests.
• Is an “Unplugged” Learning Tool — Long periods of time on electronics have been shown to increase brain atrophy and lower cognitive functioning (Psychology Today, Victoria L. Dunckley, MD). Piano is an activity that gets you away from your screens and gives you hours of unplugged learning and entertainment.
