Frequently Asked Questions
Our teachers combine a strong focus on theory and fundamentals, with a very flexible approach to repertoire. We want to know what your students are listening to, and we incorporate their input as early in the process as possible — even if it’s just learning a simple one-line arrangement of the chorus to their favorite pop song. We also encourage composition for students who are interested in that. All in all, it’s an approach that keeps our students engaged and excited about what they’re doing.
Yes! We teach students of all ages, including teenagers and adults.
We don’t recommend private lessons for students younger than age five. At that age, it’s better to try a group class such as the Wiggleworms classes at the Old Town School of Folk Music, which are offered in suburban locations too. We have about a 50% success rate with 5-year-olds, and a much higher success rate with 6-year-olds. Between age 5 and age 6, there are a few important developmental things that happen: fine-motor skills get stronger, reading ability improves, and the ability to sit still and concentrate goes way up. All of those things make piano lessons a lot more successful.
We offer piano, guitar, drum, and voice lessons in the following North Shore suburbs: Deerfield, Evanston, Glencoe, Glenview, Golf, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Lincolnwood, Northbrook, Northfield, Riverwoods, Skokie, Wilmette, and Winnetka; and in the following Chicago neighborhoods: Albany Park, Andersonville, Avondale, Bucktown, Edgebrook, Edgewater, Gold Coast, Humboldt Park, Lakeview, Lincoln Park, Lincoln Square, Logan Square, Near North, North Center, Ravenswood, River North, Rogers Park, Roscoe Village, Uptown, West Rogers Park, West Town, and Wicker Park.
If you don’t see your neighborhood or suburb listed here we may still be able to serve you. Please contact us.
We maintain ongoing contact with many different sources to find and retain the highest-quality teachers. Some come directly from referrals from top undergraduate and master’s music programs, others are referred by current instructors, and others are peers from the Chicago music community. You can get a sense of their backgrounds and personalities on the Our Instructors page of the Piano Power website.
Piano Power teachers, in general, don’t teach Suzuki method. Suzuki is great for ear-training, but we’ve found that when we’ve inherited Suzuki-trained students, there’s a lot of catch-up to do when it comes to note-reading. So overall, we find traditional method to be better than Suzuki for giving students a well-rounded background in theory and fundamentals.
We offer both in-home and virtual lessons. Effective Sept. 1, 2026, our 45-minute private lessons start at $105. Our hourly sessions start at $125 (i.e., $62.50 per back-to-back, 30-minute private lesson). You will receive a 10% discount if you have weekday lessons starting before 3:30pm Central Time or starting after 6:45pm Central Time. Our tuition fee covers all books and materials, as well as our twice-yearly recitals. There are no additional charges of any kind.
Financial Assistance
Every family should have the opportunity to experience the joy of music education. Thanks to the generosity of a benefactor, we’re able to offer financial assistance to families unable to pay full tuition. If you’re interested in this option, please fill out the financial assistance form. Our Studio Director Andrew Doney will follow up with you.
We don’t offer lessons on an every-other-week basis. Our teachers work weekly schedules, so an every-other-week student would create a recurring schedule vacancy for them.
Yes, as long as two or more students will be taking back-to-back lessons in the same household. We have a 45-minute minimum per household visit. Because our lessons are in-home, this is our only means of ensuring that our teachers are teaching more than they’re driving. That said, our teachers are experts at keeping lessons well-paced, diverse, and fun, and our students generally do just fine with the time frame.
The Piano Power calendar covers all major holidays and school breaks throughout the year. Other than our scheduled closures, you are allowed a limited number of free-choice cancellations — two from September through May, and three from June through August — which you may use for any reason. Outside of your free-choice cancellations and Piano Power’s scheduled closures, you will be invoiced for any additional cancellations (with your teacher being paid in full, of course).
These recommended tuners are able to tune a piano or evaluate the overall “health” of a potential purchase: Steve Young 312.371.0705, David Coots 847.800.0844, and Randy Fleer 773.294.0147.
Kevin’s Piano Movers, 847-395-7048, is our favorite company for in-state piano moving.
Still have questions about how in-home music lessons work? Click below to sign up for an introductory email to learn all about it.