In addition to being a computer genius, my husband also received his college degree in piano performance. We have a grand piano sitting in our living room (which means, at present, we have no dining room), and when Evan is awake and not watching “Sesame Street,” Jason practices classical and jazz piano music (and often has a helper who wants to play some music of his own).
Many times I’ve asked him to teach me to play – I grew up in a musical household and was in the band through high school and into college – and many times he’s refused. When I was offered a chance to review the online videos and accompanying teaching materials from Hoffman Academy, I saw it as my perfect chance to finally learn even a fraction of the skill my husband was so amazingly proficient at.
Joseph Hoffman founded the Hoffman Academy in Portland in 2007. Originally just the name for Hoffman’s lessons given to students in his living room, the Academy grew to encompass multiple teachers and its own studio space. In 2010, Hoffman began offering video lessons online, and the rest, as they say, is history. Today, the online arm of Hoffman Academy includes 60 video lessons – all offered for FREE – and additional teaching materials that can be purchased for a reasonable cost.
The online lessons are split across three units, each growing progressively more advanced, and each lesson is between five and fifteen minutes long. A camera position directly over the piano’s keyboard makes it easy to see what Hoffman’s hands are doing as he explains concepts. Hoffman also places emphasis on learning to play by ear and recognize notes versus simply learning to read music. The videos (and the paid supplemental materials) also give tips for ensuring you play with proper hand position and posture, so Hoffman’s approach is truly holistic.
The supplementary materials available for purchase help reinforce the concepts of music theory that Hoffman presents in the video lessons. For unit one, a 36-page booklet was filled with exercises to reinforce the names of notes on the scale and their position on the keyboard (some exercises even involve flash cards you can print yourself to use as you learn). The worksheets are definitely directed at children learning to play, but on a basic level the materials were a good reminder of some of the aspects of reading and playing music that have grown cobwebs in the almost-15 years since I last played an instrument on a regular basis. The lessons are still a bit advanced for Evan – I’ll be happy if he learns the alphabet, then we can move on to applying the letters to notes on the scale – but in the meantime we can get him comfortable with the piano and introduce the lessons when he’s a little older. We can also use the recorded music files included with the teaching materials to help Evan learn the basic melodies of songs the lessons introduce so when the time comes to really play the piano instead of just “playing” the piano, he’ll recognizes the rhythm and notes.
Like any skill, the key to becoming proficient at playing the piano is consistent practice. In addition to the worksheets and recorded music files, Hoffman has also prepared a helpful guide for parents with tips and techniques they can use to keep kid’s motivated to practice and encourage them even when they’re struggling with new or difficult concepts.
Interested in trying out Hoffman Academy? Leave a comment below sometime on or before January 5th and I’ll pick a commenter at random to receive their own copy of the Unit One supplemental materials (a $19 value)! This contest is closed! But be sure to visit Hoffman Academy’s website and create an account to view all their FREE online lessons!
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.
I took piano lessons briefly as a child. I have always wanted to start taking them again.
I think it’s cool that learning an instrument online is even possible. A definite plus to learn from home, especially during the cold winter!
This is so interesting! online piano lessons! But it looks really technical!
I would love to do this. I’ve always wanted to learn how to play the piano.
What a blessing! I hope comes out with additional units.
I meant, I hope he comes out with additional units. 🙂
Wow, that is so cool, I am going to look into it for the boy’s homeschool classes.
Very neat, we have a piano in our living room that no one is using now that my daughter is at college. I love the idea of online lessons, because in person lessons are so expensive.
I’m dying to learn the piano. First I need a piano ..
I grew up playing piano and want my four daughters to learn and love the piano and music! Just found out about Hoffman academy today and my oldest (6 years old) just starting watching the free videos. So far she loves them.
I wish I could play the piano…never had a lesson.
I absolutely love this! I would love to learn how to play the piano.
I never thought to look online for lessons, but would love a refresher on the lessons I took when I was young.
Looks like a great way to learn piano. Everything is done online now a days.
I always wanted to learn how to play the piano!
I’ve been playing since I was six years old, but can no longer play with the proficiency I enjoyed in high school. Having two preschoolers and working from home has squelched my practice time. Best of luck in learning!
Oh how I’ve always wanted to own and play a piano! Marrying a man who has extreme musical talent and a grandmother who spent over 50yrs as a piano teacher during her life didn’t help that desire either!
We had a baby grand until summer before last… it was just sitting collecting dust and when a friend of a friend practically begged to buy it, we sold it to her. I sometimes regret it, because I’d love for my son to learn to play.
That’s a really neat way to learn piano – would never have really thought one could learn it through a video! I took piano lessons for years when I was younger…I hated them LOL.
In a couple of weeks we are getting a piano from someone in town who is getting rid of it. My 20 year old and 9 year old both want to learn. This sounds perfect for them. So glad I saw this here.
I have always wanted to learn piano, I need to look into this.