Private Lessons: Piano & Keyboard

Piano weekly lessons are offered for 30 minutes for beginners, 45 minutes for intermediates (when the student begins to learn simple music literature), and 60 minutes for advanced students (who are playing more difficult literature). However, high achieving beginners or slower learners may wish apply for more time than allotted here. In other words, you choose the length of time of your lesson. Tuition is paid by the time, not the level.

Teachers write the assignment for each week in the student's Assignment Notebook, and students are expected to write in the time they spend practicing on the Practice Record page foreach week, children 12 and under have the practice record signed off by a parent.

For beginners, OMS uses primarily but not exclusively the Alfred Publishing Company method books, especially the new Premier Course, at the beginning (which gets away from the C, or G, or Middle C positions). Alfred's method employs the basics of music reading, techniques (including scales, chords, cadences, and arpeggios), literature (including those of lesser-known and diverse composers, such as those of African descent), sight reading, ear-training, and theory. The course includes the Lesson book, the one that correlates with the Technic, Recital, Classic Themes, Repertoire, Jazz, and Hymn books on the same level. There are actually different series for various ages:

• Music for Little Mozart for preschoolers
• Prep Course for the 6-7 year olds
• Premier Course for the 8-10 year olds
• Basic course for the 8-10 year olds
• Adult courses include "Play Piano Now", "Adult Basic", "So You Used to Play Piano"
• Jazz Course including method, recital and improvisation books.

The method books include the corresponding Theory, Notespeller and Musical Concepts books (another theory book with one piece composed on the theoretic principal being presented); and Sight Reading, and Ear-Training books. All students use the complete Alfred Scale book with major and all 3 minor scales, chords, cadences (in all inversions), arpeggios (tonic and dominant in all inversions).

Once a student achieves the late intermediate and advanced stage, they no longer use the method books, but rather literature and technique. They continue theory and ear training through the Alfred Essentials complete method from which students are qualified to enter college theory.

For those preparing to play in church services, or for enjoyment, contemporary inspirational, hymns, gospel and sacred songs and their arrangements are learned. Each year the piano students of the school of all instruments take the National Guild auditions for solo piano, as well as ensemble, playing with other instruments and/or with vocalists.

Many of the piano students of the Ottley Music School have passed entrance examinations and auditions to enter colleges and universities such as University of Maryland, Peabody, Juilliard, Oberlin, Eastman, Howard University, Andrews University, University of the Southern Caribbean, and Northern Caribbean University, Carnegie Mellon, and other institutions of higher learning.

Organ lessons use either the The Organ; a manuel of The Principals of Organ Playing by John Stainer, edited and enlarged by Edwin Arthur Kraft, or the Method of Organ Playing by Harold Gleason and Catherine Crozier Gleason. Students learn how to play the organ for church and recital. Past OMS students are now professional musicians, or are students in other institutions of higher learning.