Rebecca Brown
Private/Group Piano, Music for Little Mozarts, Voice
[email protected]
CLICK HERE to view current tuition rates & requirements for private lessons.
I have been playing piano since I was 6 years old (48 years ago), have a Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Pedagogy, and began teaching in 1991. I have been teaching and accompanying in the Burleson area since 2003. Moving the studio out of my home, Mountain Valley Studios was founded in 2010.
Aside from God and my family, teaching & playing piano is my greatest love in life. I enjoy teaching students age 3 through adult in both a group and private lesson setting. In addition to teaching, I also play for the choirs and instrumental/vocal soloists in Joshua, Cleburne, Burleson, Arlington and neighboring communities. I play for weddings, as well.
One of my primary goals with beginning piano students is to help them learn to love to play... at whatever level they attain. While I expect commitment to daily practice and weekly attendance, I also want them to enjoy the learning process. At the same time, in both piano and voice lessons, I do use a very "fundamental" approach to teaching, placing a high priority on learning to read the music and understand theory concepts and develop strong technique. Students are often evaluated before lessons begin to determine which method series, class type, and lesson length/frequency will best fit their goals and/or learning style. As students progress, the student becomes strong in the fundamentals, and interests/goals/abilities change and develop, lessons can be supplemented with various different styles of music. All piano lessons will have music theory instruction included. All vocal students will learn to read music.
All students are encouraged (but not forced) to participate in the studio's spring recital. Intermediate to advanced students are also given an opportunity to perform at a local retirement center each semester. Students are also given enrichment opportunities through various piano camps offered in the summer, as well as the Friday night Music Club.
I believe that a characteristic that sets me apart from many piano teachers is my distinct ability to relate to just about any student. I teach students with many different learning styles, and have had great success with preschoolers, gifted students, and students with various learning disabilities.
In addition to private and group piano and voice lessons, Rebecca teaches preschool music/movement classes (ages 3-5). More information about this can be found on my preschool music page. I believe that musical training can/should begin at conception, followed by any of the various music play classes that are available for infants and toddlers in our area. But the ideal start to formal music training is to begin with Music for Little Mozarts class at age 3. At the end of these classes, your preschooler will be very well prepared to begin private piano lessons.
I have been singing for as long as I have been playing piano. I began voice lessons in middle school and studied classical voice alongside piano in college. I offer a limited number of spots for private voice lessons. Enrollment priority is given to those who are also enrolled in piano lessons, because it is so important for vocalists to be able to read music and to have some ability to play their notes on the piano when practicing at home. Vocal students will be taught proper breathing and vocal technique using a variety of exercises and songs.
While I will teach voice to all ages, I specialize in young singers. I encourage you to check out my Little Singers class for ages 5-8. Ages 8-12 are taught in private lessons. Teenage girls are also taught in private lessons, focusing primarily on Broadway show tunes, classical literature, and folk songs. Teenage boys, whose voices have begun changing, are encouraged to study with an instructor who specializes in male voices.
As a performer, I LOVE to accompany instrumental and vocal soloists. I began accompanying in 7th grade, when I first played for my school choir. I continued accompanying choirs and soloists regularly throughout high school and college, and have continued to love this type of performing throughout my adult life. I have played for Joshua band students since 2004, and often contract with several private instructors in the DFW area to play for their students. I have also played for choirs, vocal soloists, and band students in Cleburne, Burleson, Alvarado, and Mansfield, as well as vocal soloists in recital at TCC.