For this blog post, we interviewed a long-time student of mine, Frank! Frank lives in Illinois (USA), and hasn’t had any instruction since his days in the school band. We think he is doing great so far!

Keep an eye out for more Q & A blog posts like this one: I enjoy hearing from students, and I want you to be able to read about their story with Piano in a Flash too!

Q: When did you first learn about Scott and Piano in a Flash?

A: I learned about Piano in a Flash about a year ago, I was interested in learning the non-classical styles like jazz and blues. When I started self-teaching, I searched around for the basics, like “How do you construct a 7th chord?” and when doing that, I came across his YouTube channel. I dug deeper and found Piano in a Flash’s website. I signed up this year for them.

Q: Do you play for others? If so, in what settings?

A: I play for family and friends, but I no longer play in any formal settings. I did a couple formal recitals a while back, but I really just enjoy playing at informal parties or while with family at Thanksgiving dinner or the holidays.

Q: Do you play any other instruments?

A: I did play the saxophone in the marching band, decades ago. I stuck with it for eight or nine years. Sometimes Scott’s lessons are more of refreshers on music theory tidbits I learned in band, but usually, I’m learning something new.

Q: How was learning piano with Scott’s method, versus learning other instruments?

A: Going into Scott’s method, knowing how to read notes, really helped me. Band class and piano lessons are all very structured, while Scott puts the emphasis on having fun and letting the song happen. I think that method is less likely to inspire stress for people trying to learn.

Q: Has playing piano helped you in other areas of life?

A: It really helps me wipe out the worries of work and other stress that you get every day. When I visit family, it gives us a way to communicate, in a way. It’s so much fun to play for them— and my mom plays the piano too— it’s a great way to bond together and even laugh some. It’s helped a lot in that department.

Q: How has playing piano broadened your musical skills?

A: With traditional lessons, which I enjoyed for a while, there was such an emphasis on classical repertoire. I did lessons for a couple years a while back, and I got frustrated with the lessons because the majority of my songs I had to learn were from the greats, like Beethoven and Mozart. While I enjoyed those songs to an extent, it took me a long time to really perfect them to the approval of my piano teacher. Piano in a Flash opened up a world of music meeting non-perfection, where we have freedom to improvise and it opened my eyes to what music really means.

Q: What’s your next music-related goal?

A: I don’t necessarily have a huge goal, other than to keep having fun and pursuing the next tune that I find interesting. That’s why I really enjoy it. My next song might be Moonlight Becomes You, by Bing Crosby, or maybe a song by Ella Fitzgerald.

THANK YOU Frank for sharing your story with us! I really enjoyed hearing how you came to find Piano in a Flash and how it has helped you play music that you enjoy and find fulfilling.

If you’d like to learn more about Piano in a Flash and how I teach online lessons, click the link below to sign up for a webinar!