Online Adult Piano Education Specialist
Welcome to my website!
I am a passionate pianist and devoted music instructor with 50 years of professional playing and teaching experience, now focusing solely on accelerated adult piano education.
Since moving to Florida in March, 2023, all my teaching has been moved online through FaceTime and Zoom. Online lessons can be just as personal as in-person lessons! I work to develop relationships with my students from the very beginning. My students know that I care about them and their progress, and they look forward to showing me their work. Online lessons are efficient, saving students time and money, and reducing wear on our planet. It's all good.
I provide adult students with rock solid piano fundamentals including note/interval reading, classical and jazz scale/chord construction with standard finger patterns, classical and jazz repertoire, artistry and arranging. Instruction is delivered through an engaging, caring teaching style while encouraging students to enjoy the self-affirming, creative process.
From the beginning, I see all my students as "Artists-In-Training". I am a facilitator, coaxing out the inner artist, providing lots of advice on musical understanding and skill-building, so that students can learn to walk, run, and eventually dance on the keys.
With eight years of online teaching experience, I have coached my adult students from beginner status all the way to playing beautiful, intermediate and advanced levels of classical piano music, as well as Blues/Jazz/Rock styles complete with improvising. (Yes, there is a method to learning how to improvise.)
I revel in my students' success. Your success is my success!
Who are my students? Their professional backgrounds have included many jobs within the tech industry, working for numerous start-ups as well as large companies such as Apple, Nvidia, Google. My students have worked as engineers, writers, programmers, managers, salespeople, music therapists, educators, home builders, nurses, attorneys and law enforcement, while others have 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 for new ideas for creativity, or they want guidance on improving their piano skills in order to become stronger keyboard performers.
There is so much to learn, and there are so many stages of learning. 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?
If you are hesitant about online instruction, I invite you to take a single, 45-minute private online lesson and then make your decision about the effectiveness of online instruction. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.
Thank you for learning about my school, the Tracy Loftsgaarden Piano Academy! Feel free to contact me by email or text message if you have any questions. I look forward to hearing from you!
Warm regards,
Ms. Tracy
teaching for success
all skill levels
I enjoy working with adults of all skill levels. I believe that nearly all students can be successful when they are eager to learn, are studying with a capable, enthusiastic teacher and have the support and encouragement of their family.
collaboration
I encourage a relaxed, two-way dialog in lessons where students can ask questions of me in order to better understand best practices of how to learn to play musically on the piano.
fundamentals
All students learn piano music fundamentals in theory, technique, sight reading and playing by ear, so that they will be musically literate and prepared to pursue any musical direction they desire at any time in their lives.
variety in musical genres
Studying different musical styles gives students a more broad, complete picture of the expressive nature and cultural richness of music. This can spark creativity when fusing contrasting elements into one's own musical style.
recorded performances
I invite my students to send me a video recording of their "finished" music at any time. If the recordings are polished enough, containing no more than a few minor errors, with the student's permission, I will download their performances on my website or YouTube Channel for the general public to enjoy. Committing one's music to a recording develops a sense of completion and mastery. Sharing one's music is a great gift to others and develops self-confidence in the performer.
composing songwriting
Some students stretch their musical creativity by learning how to compose their own piano solos and/or learning to sing songs with a simple, effective piano accompaniment. Please let me know if you wish to explore this special area of musical interest!