HomeSchoolPiano

I have been playing piano since I was 10 years old and it is something some of my children have expressed interest in learning. We finally got a piano several years ago so I have been teaching them some things here and there but they have needed something more consistent. The problem is, piano lessons get expensive especially when you have more than one child taking them. Imagine my surprise when I heard about HomeSchoolPiano that offers online piano lessons! We were recently given a lifetime subscription to HomeSchoolPiano- Complete Set of Books to review.

What is HomeSchoolPiano?

HSP is a lifetime subscription to online piano lessons taught by Willie Myette, a graduate of Berklee College of Music. He focuses on a 6 step cycle laying a solid foundation to help the student master and enjoy playing the piano.

       
• Technique
• Rhythm
• Ear Training
• Reading Music
• Song
• Improvisation

These piano lessons are for any ages, from a beginner all the way through intermediate. All you need is at minimum a 49 key keyboard/piano, an internet connection and some sort of device to watch the lessons on such as a computer, smartphone or tablet.

What all is included?

HSP includes all the video lessons as well as 3 PDF download lesson books you can print out if you desire. Each book has 6 units in it in which those units then are broken down into lessons. Also included is CorePiano which is video lessons going over the very basics of piano which is good for someone brand new or needing a refresher on the core fundamentals of piano. Each of the units also include 6 songs for a total of 18 for this whole curriculum. There is also Jam Tracks for each book & CorePiano that you can download and play along with.

How does this work?

Accessing the piano lessons simply requires a login and password. From there, you can manage your students by setting them up with their own account. The great thing about HSP is that you are given lifetime memberships for up to 5 students! Once each child has their own login, they are ready to start their lesson. They can start wherever you feel they would best fit. Each lesson is approximately 10 minutes long. You will see Willie himself in the bottom lefthand corner. Above him is a view looking straight down on the keyboard so you can see him as he plays. The view above this is a virtual keyboard that highlights and names the notes as he plays. After the student is done with the lesson, they are sometimes given assignments or even quizzes to take.

click on photo to enlarge

The wonderful thing about having the video lessons is that you can watch it as many times as needed, skip things you are already proficient at or pause mid-video to try out a technique. How fast or slow you go through the lessons is completely up to you. The next time you log back on HSP, it automatically takes you to where you last left off. You also have the ability to download each lesson if you wanted to. The PDF books that come with HSP can be viewed on any device or you can have them printed out (which makes it easier for reviewing and playing at the piano).

How did we use this?

After I got my children each logged in (ages 14, 14 & 13), they chose to use the iPad to view their lessons while sitting right at our piano. Even though they can read music and have had some instruction in the past, they decided to start off with CorePiano to make sure they weren't missing anything. They did occasionally skip something they felt they knew pretty well. CorePiano covers things such as hand placement, how to read the notes, how to sit at the piano, the pedals, sharps and flats, 5 finger scale, rhythms and many other things that a beginner would need to learn.

One of my girls then moved onto Book 1 that taught further how to read music, improvise and create your own music and also included 6 pieces of music as well. We had our book printed out double sided. I let her decide how fast she wanted to move through each lesson. On average, she completed about 2-3 lessons a week during the review but practiced what she learned on the days in between. My daughter sometimes replayed some of the video while she practiced along. Even though I am pretty proficient at playing, I admit I jumped into the sections that covered ear training and improvisation mainly because I was never taught that when I took lessons and I was wanting to learn! I loved how he took the song he was presenting in the lesson, showed the chords and explained how you could then become creative in not only how you played the notes but in the rhythm you played it in.

Another thing to note was that at any time I could log on and view just where each of my children were at in their lessons and how much of it they completed as well as the date they started & completed the lesson and the score they received on their quiz. I also have the ability to print this out which is a great thing to put in their portfolio.

What did we think?

We thoroughly enjoyed the way Willie taught the different techniques. He was easy to listen to and made practicing piano fun! I love the fact that we have a lifetime subscription for 5 children. That makes this extremely affordable not to mention we save gas & time traveling to a music teachers house. He also highly encourages the student to have fun with the music and to write their own compositions which is something one of my daughters is currently working on.

Check out the free lesson to see if HomeSchoolPiano would be a good fit for your family!

HomeSchoolPiano- Complete Set of Books is for all ages from beginner to intermediate. The Lifetime Subscription is $299 or 3 monthly payments of $99.97.

Connect with HSP on:
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest