Piano & Singing Center
The Piano — A World of Musical Possibilities
At Michael Keyz, we specialize in offering private piano lessons that cater to each student's unique needs and goals. The piano is a versatile and powerful instrument that serves as the foundation for countless musical genres. Our private piano lessons cover everything from the basics to advanced techniques, ensuring that each student can unlock the full potential of their instrument.
Why Choose Our Piano Lessons?
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Experienced Instructors: Our piano teachers are highly qualified with years of experience in both teaching and performance. We are passionate about helping students discover the joy of playing the piano.
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Customized Learning Plans: We understand that every student is unique. Our lessons are tailored to your individual learning style and musical interests, whether you prefer classical, jazz, or contemporary music. Below you will find a sample of the personalized video files that come with each lesson.
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Flexible Scheduling: We offer convenient lesson times to fit your busy schedule, with options for both in-person and online lessons.
What You Will Learn
Our comprehensive piano curriculum includes:
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Basic and Advanced Techniques: Learn everything from finger techniques to mastering complex pieces.
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Music Theory: Understand the fundamentals of music theory to improve your playing and composition skills.
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Performance Preparation: Get ready for recitals, competitions, or just playing for fun with expert guidance.
Detailed Overview
1. Finger Techniques: Building Strength and Dexterity
In our private piano lessons, we focus on finger techniques as the foundation of skilled piano playing. We offer exercises that enhance finger strength, agility, and independence. These exercises are crucial for executing fast passages, complex chords, and intricate melodies with precision and ease. Whether you're playing a classical sonata or a contemporary piece, our private piano lessons ensure that you develop strong finger technique essential for a successful piano journey.
2. Synchronization: Achieving Perfect Harmony
Synchronization between both hands is a challenging yet vital aspect of piano playing. Our private piano lessons emphasize coordination exercises that help students develop a balanced, harmonious interaction between their left and right hands. This skill is key to playing more complex pieces, where independent hand movements are required, yet must work together to create a cohesive sound.
3. Dynamic Playing: Expressing Emotion Through Sound
Dynamic playing — varying the volume and intensity of your performance — is what breathes life into a piece of music. In our private piano lessons, students learn to control dynamics effectively, from gentle pianissimo to powerful fortissimo. This range allows for a more expressive and nuanced performance, helping the pianist convey the emotional depth of the music.
4. Pedal Technique: Adding Depth and Color to Your Music
The pedals of a piano are often described as the instrument’s soul, offering a vast range of expressive possibilities. Mastering pedal technique is essential for adding depth, color, and emotion to your playing. In our private piano lessons, we teach students how to use the pedals effectively:
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Sustain Pedal (Right Pedal): The most commonly used pedal, the sustain pedal, allows notes to ring out longer, creating a rich, resonant sound. We focus on timing and control, ensuring that students learn to use the sustain pedal to enhance legato passages, create smooth transitions, and add a sense of continuity to their music.
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Soft Pedal (Left Pedal): Also known as the una corda pedal, this pedal softens the sound by shifting the hammers so they strike fewer strings. This technique is especially useful for creating a delicate, intimate atmosphere. Our private piano lessons guide students in using the soft pedal to add subtlety and nuance to their performances, particularly in quieter sections of a piece.
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Sostenuto Pedal (Middle Pedal): The sostenuto pedal sustains only the notes that are being held down when the pedal is pressed, allowing for selective sustain. While less commonly used, it is a powerful tool for creating complex textures and layered sounds. We teach students how to incorporate the sostenuto pedal into their playing, particularly in pieces that require advanced control and precision.
5. Improvisation and Interpretation: Unleashing Creativity
Improvisation is one of the most rewarding aspects of piano playing, allowing musicians to create music spontaneously. Our private piano lessons encourage students to explore improvisation as a means of expressing their unique musical ideas. Through guided exercises and practice, students learn how to build motifs, explore harmonic progressions, and develop a personal style. Improvisation not only enhances creativity but also deepens the understanding of music theory and structure.
Interpretation, on the other hand, involves bringing a piece of music to life through your personal emotional and stylistic choices. Our private piano lessons teach students how to interpret a wide range of musical works, from classical masterpieces to contemporary compositions. Interpretation is where technical skill meets artistry, allowing pianists to convey the emotional depth and narrative of a piece. We guide students in exploring different approaches to interpretation, ensuring that their performances are both technically sound and deeply expressive.
6. Ear Training: Developing a Musical Ear
Ear training is an essential skill for any pianist, as it allows musicians to recognize pitches, intervals, chords, and rhythms by ear. This skill is fundamental for playing by ear, improvisation, and even sight-reading. In our private piano lessons, we incorporate ear training to help students develop a keen musical ear.
Through a variety of exercises, including interval recognition, melodic dictation, and harmonic analysis, students learn to identify and reproduce musical elements accurately. Ear training also enhances a pianist’s ability to play in ensemble settings, as it improves their ability to listen to and interact with other musicians. By developing a strong musical ear, students gain confidence in their playing and a deeper connection to the music they create.
7. Choosing the Right Piano: Weighted Keys vs. Acoustic Pianos
Selecting the right piano is an important decision for any student. We offer guidance on the different types of pianos available during our private piano lessons:
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Weighted Keys: Digital pianos with weighted keys simulate the feel of an acoustic piano. They provide resistance similar to traditional pianos, making them an excellent choice for students who want to develop proper finger strength and technique without investing in a full acoustic instrument.
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Acoustic Pianos: For those who desire a more authentic experience, an acoustic piano offers unparalleled sound quality and dynamic range. The physical mechanics of hammers striking strings produce a rich, resonant tone that many musicians prefer. Acoustic pianos are ideal for students who are serious about their studies and want to explore the full depth of piano performance.
Sample Piano Lesson Video
Every piano lesson comes with personalized video files such as the one below.
Mastering the Art of Singing
At Michael Keyz, we provide private singing lessons that are tailored to the individual needs and goals of each student. Singing is not merely about producing melodious sounds; it's an intricate art that combines technique, emotion, and expression. Our private singing lessons delve into the nuances of singing, focusing on developing a well-rounded vocalist with a deep understanding of their instrument — the voice.
Why Choose Our Singing Lessons?
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Experienced Vocal Coaches: Our singing instructors are highly qualified with years of experience in both teaching and performance. We are passionate about helping students discover the power of their voice.
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Customized Learning Plans: We understand that every voice is unique. Our lessons are tailored to your individual learning style and musical interests, whether you prefer classical, jazz, or contemporary music.
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Flexible Scheduling: We offer convenient lesson times to fit your busy schedule, with options for both in-person and online lessons.
What You Will Learn
Our comprehensive singing curriculum includes:
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Vocal Techniques: Master everything from breath control and pitch accuracy to developing a resonant vibrato and clear diction.
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Music Theory: Gain a solid understanding of music theory to improve your vocal performances and harmony skills.
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Performance Preparation: Prepare for concerts, auditions, or personal performances with expert guidance on stage presence and vocal delivery.
Detailed Overview
1. Breathing Techniques: The Foundation of Vocal Power
Breathing is the cornerstone of singing. Without proper control over your breath, the ability to sustain notes, manage phrasing, and convey emotion is severely limited. We begin our private singing lessons by teaching diaphragmatic breathing — a technique that ensures a steady, controlled airflow to support your voice. This method allows singers to maintain vocal stamina and avoid strain, particularly when tackling challenging pieces.
2. Chest Voice Control: Harnessing the Power of Your Lower Register
The chest voice is the lower register of your voice, resonating primarily in your chest. It produces a full, rich sound that is crucial for powerful singing, especially in genres like pop, rock, and gospel. At Michael Keyz, our private singing lessons focus on developing strong chest voice control. Through targeted exercises, students learn to project their chest voice without strain, ensuring that it remains clear and resonant even at higher volumes. Proper chest voice control is essential for delivering impactful performances that captivate the audience.
3. Head Voice Control: Mastering the Upper Register
The head voice is the higher register, where the sound resonates in the head and sinus cavities. This technique is essential for hitting high notes with clarity and ease. In our private singing lessons, we teach students how to transition smoothly from their chest voice to their head voice, a skill known as "bridging" or "mixing." By mastering head voice control, singers can achieve a seamless connection between registers, expanding their range and versatility. This technique is particularly important for genres like classical, musical theater, and pop ballads.
4. Belting Technique: Power and Projection
Belting is a powerful vocal technique that allows singers to produce a strong, resonant sound in the higher part of their chest voice range. It is commonly used in musical theater, pop, and rock to convey intense emotion and energy. At Michael Keyz, our private singing lessons teach students how to belt safely and effectively, focusing on breath support, vowel modification, and proper vocal placement.
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Breath Support: Belting requires a solid foundation of breath support to maintain control and prevent strain. We emphasize the importance of engaging the diaphragm and maintaining consistent airflow to support the powerful sound produced during belting.
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Vowel Modification: To achieve a bright, resonant belt, vowel modification is key. We guide students in adjusting their vowels to maintain openness and avoid tension in the throat. This ensures that the sound remains free and powerful without causing vocal fatigue.
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Vocal Placement: Proper vocal placement is crucial for safe belting. We teach students to place the sound forward in the mask (the area around the nose and eyes), which helps in projecting the voice without straining the vocal cords. This placement technique allows singers to belt with confidence and clarity, even at high volumes.
5. Staccato: Precision and Clarity
Staccato, characterized by short, detached notes, adds texture and rhythm to your singing. It's a technique that requires precision and control. At Michael Keyz, we emphasize the importance of articulation in our private singing lessons, teaching students how to execute staccato passages with clarity and crispness, making each note distinct and impactful.
6. Vibrato: The Art of Expressive Singing
Vibrato, the oscillation of pitch that adds warmth and emotion to a note, is a hallmark of skilled singers. We guide our students through exercises in our private singing lessons that help them develop a natural, controlled vibrato. By mastering vibrato, singers can infuse their performances with a dynamic range of emotions, from subtle tenderness to powerful intensity.
7. Los Santos: Enhancing Your Vocal Range
Los Santos, often a lesser-known technique, involves transitioning smoothly between vocal registers. This skill is crucial for singers who want to develop a more versatile voice and expand their vocal range. By mastering this technique, singers can seamlessly shift between their chest, head, and mixed voices, allowing for greater control and expression in their performances. Practicing Los Santos can lead to a more balanced and consistent sound, enabling singers to tackle a wider variety of musical styles with confidence.
In conclusion, mastering techniques like Los Santos is essential for any singer looking to elevate their vocal abilities. At Michael Keyz, our private singing lessons provide the perfect environment to develop these skills with personalized guidance and expert instruction. Whether you're looking to enhance your range, control, or overall vocal performance, our lessons are designed to help you achieve your musical goals.
Student Showcase: Vocal Technique in Action
At Michael Keyz Piano & Singing Center, we strive to nurture each student's unique voice and style. This video features Karolane Robitaille performing 'Si t'étais là', a powerful rendition that reflects the progress she has made through our personalized vocal coaching. Watch as she brings emotion and technical skill together in a performance that embodies the essence of what we aim to achieve in our private singing lessons.
Location and Contact Information
We are conveniently located in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, making us easily accessible to students from Montreal, St-Laurent and all surrounding areas. Ready to start your musical journey? Contact us today at 514-668-7824 or michaelkeyzcoaching@gmail.com to schedule your first lesson.
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