Located in Montgomery's historic district, Evergreen Music School serves beginner - elementary piano students ages 6-12 in the Cincinnati area, including:
Blue Ash | Indian Hill | Symmes | Madeira | Kenwood | Sharonville | Reading | Pleasant Ridge | Loveland | Wyoming | Oakley | Hyde Park | Mason | Maineville | and more.
Blue Ash | Indian Hill | Symmes | Madeira | Kenwood | Sharonville | Reading | Pleasant Ridge | Loveland | Wyoming | Oakley | Hyde Park | Mason | Maineville | and more.
“Why Won’t They Just Practice?”
You sign them up for lessons because they’re excited. They like music, they like their teacher, they even like their songs.
But at home? They play it from the top over and over, rush through mistakes, avoid the hard parts, "practice” for a minute and shout "ok I'm done," keep asking you "What's this note again? What am I supposed to do?" or melt down when it’s not perfect.
You start wondering, "Are they just not disciplined, or listening in lessons?" "Do they not care anymore?" "Is this how piano is supposed to feel?"
Here’s the truth: The reason most kids quit on music lessons is because they are never taught how to practice. They’re told what to play at home, not how to build skill.
And in a traditional lesson setting, there’s very little time to actually train focus, strategy, emotional regulation, self-correction, and consistent work habits… and simply because the music pedagogy field wasn’t built to emphasize them.
So families end up pulling teeth to manage practice at home, and everyone is confused and stressed. That’s exhausting.
But at home? They play it from the top over and over, rush through mistakes, avoid the hard parts, "practice” for a minute and shout "ok I'm done," keep asking you "What's this note again? What am I supposed to do?" or melt down when it’s not perfect.
You start wondering, "Are they just not disciplined, or listening in lessons?" "Do they not care anymore?" "Is this how piano is supposed to feel?"
Here’s the truth: The reason most kids quit on music lessons is because they are never taught how to practice. They’re told what to play at home, not how to build skill.
And in a traditional lesson setting, there’s very little time to actually train focus, strategy, emotional regulation, self-correction, and consistent work habits… and simply because the music pedagogy field wasn’t built to emphasize them.
So families end up pulling teeth to manage practice at home, and everyone is confused and stressed. That’s exhausting.
Evergreen Foundations Program Teaches the Missing Skills
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Evergreen Music School's Foundations Program consists of 55-minute weekly lessons designed to solve the real problem that hides underneath the surface of most lesson programs.
In lessons, students don’t just “play more.” They learn how to:
They practice practicing in a structured, guided environment with repetition, professional coaching, and calm expectations. This often leads to 50% quicker mastery on songs & techniques than in a traditional setting... up to 6x quicker for kids who want to master music at sonic speed. Foundations is where executive function meets music training. Instead of sending families home hoping practice will click, we build the habits inside the lesson environment and send them home with tools. ✅ Parents aren’t left guessing what to say. ✅ Students aren’t left alone with confusion. ✅ The system does the heavy lifting. |
What Piano Skills Your Child Will Learn in Foundations
In addition to teaching these crucial missing skills, students will learn these foundational music and piano skills.
Level 1
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Evergreen students in Foundations start making music right away! Our students are able to play a handful of songs within the first few weeks. Our entry level focuses on keeping a steady beat, studying the landscape of the keyboard, learning alphabet letters of the white keys, and mastering finger numbers.
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Level 2
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After the students build a foundation of musicality in Level 1, it is time to start learning to read on the Grand Staff in Level 2. This level is an introduction to traditional note reading. We keep the songs rather simple, so the students can take their first steps in learning a new language – the language of music! Along the way, they will pick up dozens of fun-to-play songs, like this one!
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Level 3
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After the basics of note reading are introduced in Level 2, it is time to start getting fancy in Level 3! Students are introduced to hands-together playing with a focus on chords, parallel motion, and contrary motion, and learn to read music with sharps and flats.
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Level 4
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In this level, students are introduced to more complex rhythm patterns, hand positions, scales, and finger patterns. This book is full of familiar songs that students will instantly recognize, as well as many authentic classical pieces.
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Graduates of Foundations
Once students have completed Level 4, they promote to Evergreen Studio for private lessons. Students are ready to broaden musical expression, play advancing piano pieces and technique, and deepen their understanding of what they're playing. Listen to some of our Foundations graduates:
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A Home Life That Feels Lighter
One of our Foundations students practicing at home before school!
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Imagine this:
Practice time is clear, short, focused, and predictable. Your child knows exactly what to do, how long to do it, how to fix mistakes, and when they’re done. You’re not policing. You’re not negotiating. You’re not having to reteach the lesson. You’re supporting something that already has structure. Over time, students develop:
Music becomes a place where they learn how to work through difficulty and reach success — without drama or guilt. And that carries far beyond the piano – to Evergreen private lessons after Foundations graduation, band and orchestra classes at school, and for homework and life. |
I'm amazed at how fast my 12 year old son has been learning piano in just one year, he really likes his lessons. This has been such a good fit for him and our busy schedule! We are so happy, this is the longest my daughter has stuck with anything, and she's loving it! |
My ADHD son LOVES piano lessons! It's the only activity he doesn't complain about and he is always so excited to come! My daughter asked her friends, who've been in private lessons elsewhere for several years, to play a song for her on our piano during one of their playdates recently. But they could not play a thing. When my daughter sat down, she played several songs from memory for them, and she's only been in lessons for a few months. I was shocked. This program is truly incredible! |
I hope my mom signed me up for another year of lessons! It's been over 6 months now, and I still haven't had to tell [my 2nd grader] to practice. She just sits at the piano and plays her music on her own at home! |
