Instrumental and Vocal Lessons
PIANO PROGRAM
Diller-Quaile offers a program of piano study for the early beginner through the advanced high school student. Students may begin piano at age five and older. The traditions and artistic approach to piano teaching cultivated by the School's founders, Angela Diller and Elizabeth Quaile, continue to guide our program to this day. Our teachers share these pedagogical bonds, using quality repertoire, teaching technique musically, and instilling in students an understanding of the structure of music. In addition, teaching students to produce a lyrical, singing tone and to discover phrasing are essential elements of our pedagogical approach.
A typical program is comprised of an individual lesson and a musicianship class, with students participating in chamber ensembles as they progress through the curriculum. Students taught by the Suzuki method also participate in a weekly group playing class. Teenage piano students enroll in a weekly repertoire class.
Group Playing Classes
Students play their shared repertoire in a motivating social environment that reinforces work done in lessons; they also hear pieces soon to be studied. Additionally, opportunities to play solos in class help students gain confidence as performers.
| Books I-II | Monday | 4:30 - 5:00 p.m. |
Piano Repertoire Class
| Tuesday | 7:00 - 7:45 p.m. |
Teenagers studying advanced repertoire participate in this weekly class, which focuses on the interpretation and performance of works from the standard literature. In class, students are coached on solo works and learn from observing and participating in the work of their fellow students. This class provides a venue for students to perform each week and to discuss the various style periods and performance practices relevant to their repertoire.
Class Instruction for Beginners
These small classes provide an introduction to study in an engaging and supportive group setting. Students learn the fundamentals of first-year study, including instrument technique and music reading. Classes explore a variety of music styles through group and solo playing or singing and participate in Diller-Quaile's First Year Concerts. Teachers facilitate the transition to individual study in the second year.
| Piano Ages 5 & 6 | Tuesday | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. |
| Piano Ages 6 - 8 | Thursday | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. |
Secondary Piano Instruction
| Age 10 and up | Wednesday | 4:30 - 5:15 p.m. |
This class provides basic piano skills to singers and instrumentalists whose primary instrument is not the piano. The class begins with the study of the keyboard and the correct physical approach to the instrument. Students study note-reading, learn to play scales and chords with fluency, and master complete pieces. Taking piano as a secondary instrument allows students to cultivate a deeper understanding of the structure of music, as well as develop skills essential to the study and assimilation of all music.