Teaching children and adults to play the piano since 1988
Julie Cleveland offers a whole-music education including piano instruction, lessons in composition, improvisation, ear training, for both children and adult learners of all ages. All students are taught injury-preventive piano technique and solid sightreading skills.
Julie Cleveland has been teaching music privately since 1988. She is an experienced, enthusiastic, nurturing and patient teacher with a great sense of humor and great passion for teaching and music. Read more about what students and parents are saying here.
Serving Cape Ann and the surrounding communities.
Julie Cleveland, Instructor of Piano
M.Mus., New England Conservatory of Music
B.A., cum laude, Bard College
Active member of MMTA, MTNA, NSPTG
Photo of Julie Cleveland by Joanne Silva. All rights reserved.
Photo of Gloucester, Massachusetts by Dan Hendrickson. All rights reserved.
All lessons are now taught in Gloucester MA studio, or via Skype. Some very limited availability for in-home lessons in Wenham center area.
Gloucester studio is located just off Grant Circle in Gloucester MA, 10 minutes from downtown Manchester, Essex, or Rockport.
Adult Students
Please visit the area of my website specifically for adult learners (all levels!). Click here to begin.
All lessons are given in the Gloucester studio.
Parents of Young Students/Teenagers
Please read below, and please also visit Piano Lessons – Kids for more info.
April, 2013:
Now Registering Students for the Spring Quarter (in progress) … Registration Information: click here for forms.
Check out this front-page article about Julie Cleveland in NorthShoreKid.com: http://www.northshorekid.com/story/piano-lessons-north-shore-children
For young children (ages 4–6), I also teach music games that include rhythm, movement and singing. Please click here for info for my program for 5 and 6 year olds.
And here for Why I Teach 45-Minute Lessons for children.
Help for Parents of Future Piano Students
Please visit my Piano Lesson FAQs page; many of your questions may be answered there as well.
And here is an article I wrote on acoustic versus digital pianos (on which to buy).
Another great article on how to choose a piano teacher for your child: Choosing a Music Teacher (MTNA website)
Parents! Two more things to consider:
1. If you’d like your child to gain “exposure” to piano once a week, and really not be “pressured” to practice, I am not your teacher! I don’t “pressure” students, ever. But without practice, there is no progress, and when there is no progress, there is no success. One of my professors in graduate school at New England Conservatory said to me often, “one small success leads to another.” So true. And each success leads to increased self-esteem and self-confidence. If there’s not enough practice, students soon lose interest and give up, as they are not accomplishing anything. So young students who study with me need to practice a sufficient amount on a regular basis. That just means daily practice of at least 30 minutes. Am I being mean? Absolutely not! Practice makes progress (not “perfect” as the saying goes). When students practice and see results, they are so happy … if they just “attend” lessons, and rarely or never practice, or practice very erratically, they soon get frustrated or bored and often give up.
2. If your child does not want to take piano lessons, I am also not your teacher! I only accept students who want to take piano lessons, no matter what their ability, talent, etc. What’s required on the part of the student is a sincere desire to learn to play the piano, and a commitment to a regular practice schedule. And your support at home is key!
(Click here to read about the parent-teacher-student triangle model for music lessons.)
Mission Statement
Learning to play the piano for both young and old, is a challenging yet greatly rewarding life experience. In every lesson my goal as teacher and mentor is to fully support each student’s individual creativity, personal discoveries, and real joy at the piano.
Students of all ages are also encouraged to improvise and compose at the piano, as exploring the piano in these ways contributes to a well-rounded and whole-music education, plus it’s a whole lot of fun!
- Injury-preventive piano technique which includes good posture and alignment
- Sightreading and performance practice
- Music theory, ear training, and technical exercises
Who can learn to play the piano? Anyone.
Learning to play the piano is both fun and hard.
Learning to play the piano is hard and fun. And there’s nothing wrong with combining these two things! If you’re a parent, you want a piano teacher for your child who both understands how hard it is and is capable of and dedicated to making it truly fun.That’s where I come in. I offer piano lessons for beginners through late intermediate/early advanced—kids and adults. How do I make it fun? That depends on what you or your child have always wanted to play on the piano. Some kids love to perform in piano recitals, participate in competitions, or go on to major in music in college. Other children just want to experience the joy of playing the piano, at whatever level or ability. Some adult students enjoy playing at piano soirée evenings; others just want to be able to play the piano for themselves or family members at home.
Member:
Music Teachers National Association (MTNA)
Massachusetts Music Teachers Association (MMTA)
North Shore Piano Teachers Guild (NSPTG)
