Welcome

Clifton Piano Studios

7004 Columbia Lane, Amarillo, TX 79109

Welcome to Clifton Piano Studios! I am so pleased you have decided to begin or further your piano studies with me. To make our time together more profitable, let me outline my philosophy of music in general and of piano instruction and then give you an overview of my basic policies.

I began taking piano lessons when I was in the second grade. I’m not sure if it was because I was asking to, or if my parents just saw something within me that needed to be cultivated. At any rate, with their encouragement and support through the years, I continued to grow in my love and enjoyment of music and in particular the area of accompanying. As a junior in high school, while doing a research paper for a psychology class, my dad showed me an article he had seen on Music Therapy. I did my research on that subject and from that time, I knew that I would major in Music Therapy in college. I attended Texas Woman’s University and graduated with a B.S. in Music Therapy with piano being my principal instrument. But what I began to realize was that while I loved playing the piano for personal enjoyment, for church, and for a variety of performing arts groups, as well as a part of therapy, the music was only the tool to reach and minister to people. It was not the end in itself. I have found the same to be true in piano pedagogy. My goal is to teach my students to play the piano, but only as it is tailored to meet their individual needs.

Of course, there are basics that must be taught and practiced regularly to develop a strong foundation in general music knowledge/skills and to prepare you for whatever direction you plan to utilize your music/piano training. I find it helpful to follow the basic outline of the National Guild of Piano Teachers so that skills are learned in a structured order and so that all foundational areas are covered, including scales/chords, ear training and sight-reading as well as performance-based objectives. But beyond these basics, we can take approaches that will prepare you/your child for music study at an advanced level, for piano accompanying and improvisation, or simply for personal enjoyment.

Policies

During the school year, my fees are $100.00/mo. for a weekly half-hour lesson, payable at the beginning of each month. This is true whether there are 4 or 5 lessons in the month. I prefer teaching at my house so lessons can be set back to back to conserve time and to be able to see more students. Recently, I have had a few families with special circumstances that needed me to teach at their home, but in order to make those accommodations, I have found it necessary to add a fee to help with gas and time away from home where I could be seeing other students. I do observe all major public school holidays. If a lesson is missed because of my cancellation, I will arrange to makeup that lesson. If a lesson is missed because of your cancellation, you may make arrangements with another student to trade, or simply miss that lesson.

During the summer months, my policy is a little more flexible. I believe it is important to keep up with lessons and don’t want students to quit because of vacations, etc. Therefore, I still ask for payment at the beginning of the month, but if you know ahead of time you will miss a week or two that month, we will either re-schedule, or deduct the cost up front. However, if your child decides at the last minute he/she wants to spend the night with a friend or go swimming, etc. and just skip piano, then there will be no make-ups.

Please do not hesitate to call or ask if you have questions. As with any organization, policies must be established, but that does not mean that individual circumstances could not be worked out if necessary. I look forward to getting to know you/your child better in the days ahead, and watching as their love of music blossoms as they practice and enjoy their lesson times.

Libby Clifton

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Supplies

I expect all students to have the following materials at each lesson. Without these materials, the students will not experience the same progress.

1x 3-ring binder with dividers
1x 40 page spiral notebook
At least one pencil with eraser
At least one Highlighter

Music Purchasing

In general, I purchase music as needed for my students. The cost is then passed on to the student in the next statement. I personally use, and recommend, Tarpley's Music in Amarillo for any music or materials that need to be purchased or that a student wishes to purchase on their own.

I also understand that we are more and more in a digital world. If a student wishes to purchase a digital version of sheet music, I recommend using J.W. Pepper, Music Notes, or Sheet Music Plus. J.W. Pepper and Music Notes offer digital apps where music can be stored. Both of these apps offer free features such as markup tools, highlighting, and metronomes to assist the performer in the practice of the music.

Curriculum

I use the Alfred Lesson and Theory books as part of my curriculum. I find they do a quality job covering the material and are suitable for students of all ages, from beginners to advanced study. I do require my students to purchase both the lesson and the theory books, believing that to be a competent musician requires both the physical ability to play as well as the academic understanding of how and why music is written. The Alfred company offers both a lesson pedagogy book as well as a corresponding theory book.

However, there is an exception to every rule. In households that have multiple students taking private piano, I will often use Faber & Faber or Bastien with one student and the Alfred with another. I find this allows both students to progress and enjoy the music without worrying about who played which song better.

Finally, as noted above, I use a wide variety of supplementary materials with my students, including patriotic, holiday music, pops, and classical. Digging too deep into any one source can prevent a well rounded education. To this extent I rely heavily on Tarpley's music to provide additional materials that meet both the technical and skill requirements I set forth, while engaging the students through music that peaks their interests. In addition, I am happy to work with students who are interested in learning praise and worship music or need help with any repertoire they currently use in their church.

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