Piano Lessons with Charles Grogan

Flagstaff, Arizona

 

For information on guitar lessons click here

 

Experience:
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) from Salisbury University
  • Master of Music (MM) from California State University, Long Beach  
  • Doctor of Musical Arts (DMA) from the University of Arizona (pending)
  • Teaching experience in both the classroom and in private lessons.
  • Broad range of skills including performance on the piano and guitar as well as work in composition, arranging, and theory.
 

Charles and Jaydin discuss a German Dance by Beethoven.

 

 
Lessons: I offer private instruction in piano aimed at providing complete musicianship.  The literature I teach is primarily classical, such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Chopin, but also includes modern composers like Bartok and Prokofiev.  While classical music is ideal for teaching the piano, it is also nice to make use of other styles as well and I make an effort to tailor lessons to the interests of each individual student.  I have a particular love for the music of Scott Joplin (The Entertainer, Maple Leaf Rag) as well the music of Vince Guaraldi who composed for the animated Peanuts specials.  I take special pleasure in sharing the Peanuts music with young students because it's something that they are naturally enthusiastic about.  Learning the piano requires effort but it should be fun as well.  Finding quality music that my students enjoy and that will further their skills and musicianship is my primary goal in choosing the repertoire that I teach.  

I teach on a Steinway Model M.  It is valuable for students to have experience playing on a top-rate instrument and Steinway is the favorite of many professional concert pianists.

Typically lessons are 30 minutes every week.  The fee is $80 per month, which comes out to a little under $20 a week.  Advanced students may need longer lessons.

Recitals:

Participation in recitals is encouraged but not required.  Below are some short video clips of students in action (flash player plug-in required).

Jaydin plays Hurdy Gurdy by Dimitri Shostakovich

Barak plays Sonatina Op 13 #1, mvt 3 by Dimitri Kabalevsky

Barak plays Linus and Lucy by Vince Guaraldi
Contact:

928-214-8544

cgrog@earthlink.net  

Feel free to call or email with questions.
Audio examples:

Below are some audio examples of me playing the piano.  These recordings are home-made and not studio quality but they give a good idea of what I like to play.  These files are large and so they may take some time to load depending on the connection speed.

Rachmaninoff - Prelude in C# Minor - Recorded years ago when I was a student, this is a live performance with plenty of mistakes and on an old, wobbly tape.  Still, it's nice to hear Rachmaninoff played on a 9-foot Steinway grand piano.

Pachelbel - Canon in D - Originally for string instruments, this is my own arrangement of Pachelbel's famous canon.  Played on a Kawai KG-2E.

Scott Joplin - Maple Leaf Rag - Played on an old Kimball.

Vince Guaraldi - Linus and Lucy - Played on a Kawai KG-2E.
Other areas of interest:

I have also done work in theory, arranging, and composition.  Arranging has come in handy at times for making special adaptations of pieces of music for my students.  My original compositions have mostly been modern in style (some might say avant-garde).  The following audio example is an Etude for the piano that I performed at a concert at the University of Arizona.

Charles Grogan - Etude