Welcome to the Tracy Loftsgaarden Piano Academy for Adults!

I am a devoted pianist and passionate music instructor with 50 years of working experience. For the past two years, I have focused solely on teaching adults online in an accelerated piano program.

How is it an accelerated learning program? My method is to begin with traditional study, teaching note reading (but also linking the symbols to sounds, so playing by ear is used to ac

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l offer online instruction over FaceTime/Zoom to amateur adults or professional musicians. I care about my students and their progress, and they look forward to showing me the results of their practice. It's important for us to communicate for a minute or so at the beginning of the lesson, and again at the end. This allows us to work together in choosing your assignment and practice goals for the upcoming week .

I provide adult students with rock solid piano fundamentals including note/interval reading, building scales and chords, learning classical and jazz scale/chord construction with standard, finger patterns. I generally like to begin with traditional style instruction where students learn how to read music, with repertoire that accompanies the learning of scale and chord theory. Artistry is introduced as we study repertoire from folk music and European Classical music. In time, once adult studts can read somewhat accurately at an Intermediate level, I offer Blues music instruction along with Blues scales, chords and technique as well as improvisation. Instruction is delivered through an engaging, caring teaching style while encouraging students to enjoy the self-affirming, creative process.

I see all of my students as "Artists-In-Training". Students are taught musical listening skills to help measure differences in sounds and identify sound "characteristics."

With ten years of online teaching experience, I have successfully coached my adult students' to play from beginning to playing beautiful intermediate and early advanced piano music. I have more recently been teaching Classically trained pianists how to play The Blues in different Blues Forms, using a variety of Blues accompaniment styles and learning how to improvise using notes of the various pentatonic and blues scales.

I revel in my students' success. Your success is my success!

Who are my students? Their professional backgrounds have included jobs within the tech industry, working for numerous start-ups as well as large companies such as Apple, Nvidia, Google. My amateur students have worked as engineers, writers, programmers, managers, and in sales, while others began studying piano after already having had years of experience working in the music industry as producers, guitar players, percussionists, pianists and singer-songwriters. Although they are already accomplished professional musicians, they are looking to further their skills, become more knowledgeable of understanding and writing hord progressions, how to build overall frameworks for composting, wanting instruction on improving their piano technique, or new musical ideas for creativity.

Each individual has an idea of goals that will help them find fulfillment in their music study and further their music abilities. I want to understand my students' goals up front, so I can provide exactly what is missing in their playing. What exactly do you want to learn during your piano study?

Thank you for taking the time to learn about my teaching. If you are interested and would like to hear about signing up for some lessons, please send me an email with your questions to: tracy.loftsgaarden@gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from you!

Warm regards,

Ms. Tracy

ABOUT ME