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About

Carleen Darrow, Piano Teacher

Piano Teacher For Beginners Since 1994

During a half-hour lesson, 20 minutes is spent working on music and music work that the student chooses, and 10 minutes is spent on material that I choose. I have found over the years that if a student is actively selecting what they want to work on, they are much more interested in it for a much longer time and can often adopt piano playing as a lifelong love.

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If you are interested in learning, I would love to meet with you and see if virtual or in-person piano lessons will work for you.

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Below is a list of my original courses that you would receive with your lessons.

Music Staff Essentials

If you are struggling with being able to remember the letters of the music staff, or if you have always wanted to learn to read music but it just seemed too overwhelming, then you are going to LOVE Music Staff Essentials.

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These three quick videos explain the staff in a unique way that helps you to remember and fully understand the music staff. After watching these videos during your online lesson, you will practice with a PDF and easily be able to identify every line and every space of the music staff in under 30 seconds.

Music Staff Essentials - Learn the music staff letters

Music Reading Pro For Piano

Cover of sightreading course for piano lessons

This course is designed to develop neuro-pathways in your brain that are necessary for comfortable and correct sight-reading of music and piano playing.

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"Intervelic Reading" is taught in most piano lesson method books, but only briefly. This is a powerful music concept, that when applied correctly, will enable you to sight-read perfectly, even if you don't know the music staff letters. 

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You will apply this concept with all of your future music reading and piano playing.

The Untold Story of Notes, Rests

And Time Signatures

This entire video series was developed by working with first graders who understood the concept of the fraction 1/2. Counting music beats will never be a mystery for you after you watch these six short videos and practice during your lessons with me. This series shows the "big picture" of the relationship between the notes, rests and time signatures in a step by step approach that had many of my students' parents who had previously taken piano lessons and were watching, have that "light bulb" moment.

  - This is not taught in this way anywhere else.

Piano lessons course about notes, rests and timesignatures

"If you are looking for a great music teacher for your child, look no further than Ms. Carleen Darrow. She is honest, kind, patient, and has a great plan to develop your child's musical ability.

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Our son was seven years old when he took lessons from Ms. Darrow. Today, at the age of fifteen, he is studying at one of the best music schools in the country - the Colburn Music School in Los Angeles, CA. We never thought he would go this far in music.  When we met Ms. Darrow, our seven-year-old was like a typical little boy - loud, extremely active, and easily bored. This was a potential disaster for studying piano, but Ms. Darrow changed that! I recall one occasion when I saw Ms. Darrow patiently quizzing the boy on music theory while the boy was sitting under a desk playing with his own shoes! Her easy-going manner and patience helped our son to develop the love for music that proved to be an invaluable asset.

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A few years ago, we moved down to Southern California and discovered that someone like Ms. Darrow was very hard to find. Our son's current teacher praised him for his love of music and for having a great foundation in music theory (thanks to Ms. Darrow!). So, if you are lookikng for a great piano teacher, I highly recommend Ms. Darrow.

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Maria S. Phd

Let’s Start Working Together!

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