Guidelines | Entrance form | Piano | Guitar | Percussion | Voice Questions? Comments? Email: lessons@katerockey.com
LOCATION: Western Suffolk Va. (Just off of Rt.58 between Holland & Franklin) Watch Kate Teach on YOUTUBE: "Learn to Recognize Chords in 15 Minutes"

1. Students must be 15 years of age or older, and have an instrument to practice on.
        
2. The cost is $80.00 per month paid the first of each month. Fee covers one half hour lesson per week.
   
   
3. You agree to pay the full month's lesson fee at the beginning of each month whether you come to all your lessons or not. I agree to give you 30 minutes of my time every week whether you come or not.
   
   
4. You will never pay more, and never pay less than $80/mo. When there's a fifth week, (there's one every third month) it's free, or used as a "make-up" lesson.
   
   
5. Missed lessons will not be rescheduled or refunded.
          
6. An Entrance Interview must be scheduled before lessons can begin. During this interview we will conduct some simple placement tests, as well as discuss your answers in the Enterence Form (ex: your goals). There is an Entrance Interview fee of $25.00 due at the time of the interview.
         
7. Lessons are held in western Suffolk VA. (between Holland & Franklin VA)
   
   

A Strange Approach

All lessons have a strong emphasis in Theory and Ear Training.
The following explains why…

Theory is usually a bad word in music education. But for me, theory and ear training were like sign language to a deaf person. In high school, I was desperate to learn how to capture, understand, communicate, and reproduce the music that I heard in my head and around me. I noticed that even those who had many years of piano lessons usually lacked the skills needed for hearing a song and understanding it well enough to reproduce it.

After being accepted into Belmont University School of Music in Nashville, I soon discovered that professional studio musicians don't use the kind of written staff music that is usually taught in traditional music lessons (for chordal instruments). Instead, they rely heavily on a well trained ear, and a solid understanding of chord structure. I've since come to this conclusion: Learning the alphabet is great, but until you learn the grammar of a language, the understanding of it remains quite limited.

Once upon a time, music was communicated only in letters (notes) on staff paper. Today, an eloquent grammar exists that is, unfortunately, rarely taught in a typical music lesson. Learning theory and ear training is learning grammar. It's the key to gaining fluency in the language of music. It is my goal to offer highly practical, hands on, theory and ear training to all my students - on a level that a child can understand and use. Usually, one would need to attend college to be taught these things. However, I have already had great success with students as young as 8 years old. I can not offer them a music degree, but I do offer the things that will help a student understand, sing, spell, read, and write, the music that they hear around them.

But don’t take my word for it, see what some of my students have said:
(Quotes from my theory class students - Young Musicians Of Va.)

“ I have learned to listen for the chords much better then I could have a year ago. I have learned to like theory… to enjoy it.” Hannah (age 14)

“Since beginning, I’ve learned more about the actual theory side of my music. I’ve learned a lot… mostly about chord structure and scales. I enjoy that mostly because it pertains more to my practical playing. Woohoo!” Sean (age 16)

“What I have learned in theory class: All of the key signatures, how to identify time signatures better, how to recognize chords better, how to build chords on a scale, (which helped me in my piano lessons) and how to identify intervals…” Janelle (age 14)

“I learned that there is order to music. I have learned how to hear the notes in a different way. It was helpful when I was in band, with key signatures.” Jamie (age 14)

“Well, since I started theory class, I have learned quiet a few things. First, I learned chord structure and chord progressions. Second, I learned how to differentiate between major and minor chords, and other things of the like.” David (age 17)

“I learned a lot of stuff that I did not know before I was in this class, like chords, (That was a lot of fun) and scales. My favorite part was when we had to bring in CD’s. I have enjoyed theory a lot.”
Abigail (age 11)

Questions? Email: lessons@katerockey.com