Piano Lessons
Individual Lessons
Individual piano lessons offer customized attention and instruction.
Students learn at their own pace, while we focus on areas they need to improve, and get detailed feedback to boost their skills efficiently.
Buddy Lessons
Buddy lessons are a great way to learn the piano in a supportive environment, build camaraderie, and gain motivation while still benefiting from personalized guidance from the instructor.
Lessons For Adults
Adult piano lessons offer a flexible and customized approach that respects individual learning styles and schedules, providing a supportive environment for adults to explore their musical passion at their own pace.
Explore diverse styles with our piano lessons tailored for both kids and adults.
Don’t hesitate to reach out… Your Musical Journey Begins Here!
Classical
beginner / intermediate / advanced
children / adults
This program embodies a traditional approach, focusing on fundamental music principles with a strong emphasis on refining technique, tone, rhythm, and melody.
Participants have the option to undertake examinations with the AMEB, ABRSM or ANZCA.
The curriculum includes:
- classical standards,
- technique,
- scales,
- arpeggios,
- harmonic analysis,
- sight-reading,
- musical form.
Modern
beginner / intermediate / advanced
children / adults
Our modern program is tailored for those keen on delving into music from the 20th century to the present day, spanning from The Beatles to recent chart-toppers, accommodating a wide range of stylistic preferences.
Through this course, you’ll delve into modern music and composition, expanding beyond traditional notation. A seamless transition into jazz and classical streams is facilitated from here.
Key elements of this curriculum:
- chords,
- harmony,
- chord progressions,
- technique,
- song structure,
- rhythm,
- the art of songwriting.
Jazz
beginner / intermediate / advanced
children / adults
Dive deep into the realm of jazz and blues music through our extensive Jazz program. Delve into solo improvisation techniques over jazz standards, while building a solid foundation in harmony, rhythm, and musical feel, applicable across diverse styles. Perfect for individuals with fundamental music understanding.
Further subjects explored in our jazz curriculum include:
- chords and harmony,
- chord progressions,
- scales and modes,
- Jazz standards,
- improvisation
- techniques,
- composition skills,
- blues fundamentals.
Roshanthi Dias10 March 2024I cannot recommend Irina highly enough! My daughter has been taking lessons with her for more than one year now, and the progress she has made is really great. Irina is not just a talented musician but also a wonderful teacher who knows how to engage and inspire young learners. She is patient, encouraging, and incredibly knowledgeable. Irina makes learning the piano fun and exciting, and my daughter always looks forward to her lessons. She goes above and beyond to tailor each lesson to my daughter's interests and abilities, ensuring that she continues to progress and enjoy playing the piano. Irina's passion for music is evident in everything she does!
Lara Birdogan27 February 2024Irina is not only an incredible teacher, she is also a beautiful person! I played piano at a young age and slowly let it go towards my late teens. Towards the end of last year I realized how much I missed it. That’s when I found Irina. She has been so patient and so understanding during this familiar yet new process. She always makes the effort to teach in ways she knows I’ll best understand. The lessons are always a good time full of learning and laughs. I couldn’t recommend this beautiful soul enough!!!
Ashley de Lacy22 February 2024I’ve been learning piano with Irina for 1 year now. Before Irina l had many teachers that teach from the book, which is fine until you have a problem. I wasted a lot of time where as Irina has teaching skills that get you playing and no wasting time. I would recommend her to anyone.
Andreea Simion21 February 2024Amazing, caring teacher with a fantastic teaching method suitable for all children. My little one loves piano lessons and can't wait for her next one every week.
Marina Kozul21 February 2024Irina is a wonderful teacher for my 6 year old son. She works with him to develop his interest in music, helps him focus and enabled him to perform for the first time at their end of year concert. Irina is the perfect mix of classical discipline and modern fun for those starting young.
Steven Welchman21 February 2024Irina is a very enthusiastic, caring and incredibly knowledgeable piano teacher. She has a very deep understanding of the piano and music theory. Irina teaches her students in a way that most teachers do not, tailoring her teaching to the student’s needs and way of learning and understanding information. Every lesson is greatly enjoyed and made the most of. My daughter always walks out with a smile on her face and looks forward to her next lesson. Irina is truly very talented. Her cheerful disposition and dedication will suit students young and old, from beginners to advanced, including students undertaking VCE music studies. My daughter and I highly recommend Irina as your piano teacher.
Alex Panait21 February 2024Great teaching skills, having a good mix between supportive and understanding approach and firm boundaries.
Phuong Nguyen13 February 2024Irina is the best piano teacher that our kids ever had. Irina is super dedicated and loves what she does. My kids got limited attention span and Irina has creative ways to keep them engaged and make them the best they can be. We are so proud that they were able to perform on the stage with confidence and enjoyment. Highly recommend!
Kate MC6 February 2024Irina is one of those rare musicians who have been taught to a high standard, and can teach to a high standard whilst still maintaining a childs love of piano. My children love piano lessons and practicing because of her. They have so much fun at her lessons and progress so well through it because of her wonderful teaching style. I cannot praise her highly enough, and recommend her to all who want music in their childrens lives.
Read our studio's policy below:
IM Music Studio Policy
IM Music Studio is dedicated to giving students high-quality, individualized, and fun piano lessons. Below are the policies by which IM Music Studio operates. These simple guidelines keep it running smoothly and effectively, ensuring that all students receive the equal attention they deserve.
1. Fees:
Weekly individual lessons at the studio, home visit or weekly virtual/online lessons:
30-minute lessons = $52.5 per lesson
45-minute lessons = $75 per lesson
60-minute lessons = $100 per lesson
Weekly buddy lessons at the studio, home visit:
60-minute lessons = $85.00 per lesson
70-minute lessons = $102.00 per lesson
Weekly group lessons at the studio:
40-minute lessons = $38.00 per lesson
60-minute lessons = $56.00 per lesson
Your first consultation is free of charge.
2. At the Lessons:
● In the case of lessons at the IM Music Studio, if a student is late this simply takes time out of the lesson, i.e. the lesson will start when the student arrives and will still finish at the same time.
● If the lesson is in the student’s home and the student is not there at the arranged time, the teacher will wait outside the house for 10 minutes. If the student arrives within this time the lesson will proceed as normal, and will still finish at the same time.
● If a student/parent wishes to change their lesson time, this can be discussed on a case-by-case basis, however, this is subject to availability and cannot be guaranteed.
3. Tuition:
● Students have the option of paying for casual or ongoing lessons.
● Casual lessons are taught on a fixed agreed schedule for an undefined period of time. They don’t require a commitment and they can be cancelled according to the cancellation policy.
● Ongoing lessons are taught on a weekly basis, require a commitment of three months and give a deduction of 5%.
● For ongoing lessons, the full payment amount for ongoing lessons will be divided evenly over the three months with a deduction of 5%. It doesn’t matter if there are 5 or 2 lessons in a given month, the tuition fee is exactly the same per month. This fee reserves a specific time slot for you each week and throughout the three months. (As an example, if there are 11 lessons in the three months, the total amount would be $1100 with a 5% deduction this will be $1045. This amount will be divided evenly over the three months, resulting in $348 per month).
● Monthly payments are to be made at or before the first lesson of every month.
● Payments for casual lessons are to be made at or before the lesson.
● We accept payment by electronic funds transfer. Cash is not accepted at our studio, except for payment of books and resources that the teacher may have purchased for you. Tuition fees are non-refundable.
● Enrollments in the middle of the month are possible but will be at casual lesson rates.
● When payment is not received by the due date, you will receive a reminder via email or SMS. In the event that payment is more than 10 days overdue, a $20 late payment fee applies. An account-keeping fee of $5 applies for invoices that are more than 30 days overdue.
● Tuition covers the one-on-one weekly lesson period, research and lesson prep time, business administration, time for creating/ordering your lesson materials, professional development subscriptions, and phone/email/text support in-between lessons to discuss any questions or information that may occur. Many studios charge an annual registration fee; I will not charge you a registration fee.
4. Cancellations / Missed Lessons:
● With your monthly lesson fee, you are reserving a weekly lesson time slot for the entire month, such as if you have a monthly gym membership with scheduled weekly classes. If you cannot make your reserved time slot due to illness or an unforeseen issue, notice of cancellation via phone call or text to me by 9AM on the day of the lesson is mandatory.
● If the teacher needs to cancel a lesson, that lesson will be rescheduled, credited or refunded. In some cases, a recorded lesson may be provided if the teacher is unavailable due to illness.
● If a student cancels a lesson, the studio can provide make-up lessons, virtual or recorded lessons if adequate notice was given, dependent on the teacher’s availability. Replacement of cancelled lessons is limited to once per three months and the replacement lessons must be used during that period of time.
● When enrolling for ongoing lessons you are reserving and committing to a specific lesson time each week. If you anticipate the need to change or cancel your lessons more than twice per semester, IM Music Studio recommends casual lessons instead.
5. Materials: The teacher will suggest music books and resources which can be purchased through the studio, at your local music store or online. Please bring a music notebook to all lessons for the teacher to record lesson notes and homework.
6. School & Public Holidays:
● Casual piano lessons are available during the holiday periods by discussing with the teacher in advance.
● The lessons for ongoing students are scheduled outside of school and on public holidays. These weeks can be used for additional lessons at the casual rates, group lessons or replacement lessons.
7. 30-Day Notice:
● Everyone’s musical journey includes change. If you need to stop taking lessons for some reason, termination with IM Music Studio requires a 30-day notice in writing via email or paper copy. If you are just taking a hiatus from lessons, this notice policy still applies, and IM Music Studio cannot guarantee your same time slot in the future.
● For ongoing lessons, the payment will stop at the end of the next month in which the cancellation was communicated (i.e. if the notice is given on the 20th of November, you are still expected to pay the fee for December by the 1st of December).
● If the 30-day notice will be given before the end of the three-month period, you won’t be charged for the next period.
8. Practicing the Piano:
An essential element in learning to play the piano on a regular basis and preferably daily. Students must practice in order to progress and retain concepts and techniques that have been learned in their lessons. The teacher will work with each student to instil consistent practice habits. For children, it is very important that parents are able to help them keep the practice routine and assist them with the assignment instructions and notes that the teacher gives them. The teacher will recommend an appropriate amount of time to practice, depending on age and skill level. In order to achieve goals and their greatest potential, the student must put in the work if they expect to improve at playing the piano.
Thank you for reviewing my Rates & Policies information. If you have any questions whatsoever about my studio practices, please feel free to contact me at +61478677728 or info@irinamares.com