Welcome to Eric Jones Piano!
Interested in lessons with Eric?
“As a first-time adult student, I would highly recommend Eric. His teaching method is strategic and comprehensive, which means you see progress quickly. After only a few months, I feel I have a very holistic overview of piano playing, due to Eric’s equal focus on music theory and practicality. Eric also customizes lesson plans to his students, and even composes music for beginning students that reinforces what they’re learning. Ultimately, Eric makes learning the piano both extremely accessible and really fun.”
“I am an adult piano student who is a more advanced player. When searching for an instructor, I wanted someone who was not only a quality instructor, but also a great player who performs often, and I have found this in Eric. One of the first things that impressed me is the time he puts into preparing for lessons outside of the lesson time. Any pieces I have worked on, he has spent a lot of time playing them himself, so he can best advise me on technique and musicality. He has shown me how to become extremely efficient when I practice. Many of the techniques he has taught me (like chaining) produce results in literally minutes! He is also very enthusiastic, kind, positive, and encouraging, which is beneficial for all students. My passion for music and growth as a musician has really taken off since beginning lessons with Eric. It is a privilege to study with him.”
Piano lessons with Eric Jones are enjoyable, effective and rewarding!
Experience the benefits of high quality piano lessons, from an independent piano teacher located in the heart of Littleton (serving students from throughout the south Denver area)! Hi, my name is Eric Jones, and I am passionately committed to quality and excellence in teaching you or your child the joys of playing the piano, whether as a complete beginner, intermediate or more advanced musician. I’m absolutely dedicated to creating a learning experience that will ensure positive outcomes for each of my students. Lessons are not only interesting and engaging, but are custom tailored for every student (not using generic “one size fits all” curriculums and method books).
Students who take piano lessons from me learn to:
- expressively play a wide variety of great piano music, from Beethoven to the Blues
- read music confidently, from easy to advanced
- improvise creatively and freely (enjoying the pleasure of being able to make up their own amazing music without always being dependent on written music)
- play with the biomechanically optimal technique that professional pianists use
- practice in a more efficient and effective way that accelerates progress towards more advanced playing
- enjoy playing the piano and cultivating a passion that can last a lifetime!
Weekly Lessons - Lifetime Results
How is my approach different?
Many piano teaching methodologies focus on working through a structured and graded series of books with a fixed set of pieces and exercises, along with some supplementary materials. These pedagogical materials are often very rigid and frankly sometimes quite boring, especially in the early stages. Other methodologies use a more rote learning approach, often focusing on having the student recreate the sounds and shapes of music as it is seen and heard, and then later learn to read this music through music notation.
In contrast, my pedagogical approach involves a combination of two holistic components: improvisation and repertoire. All great piano composers (and many of the great performers) of the past were excellent improvisers who had the ability to create music on the spot. They also had the ability to play a wide variety of pieces from other composers. I place a strong emphasis on a holistic understanding of music, while helping my students develop great technique and musicality.
- technique – the ability to engage and coordinate fingers, hands, arms and the body as a whole in order to produce a variety of runs, leaps, repetitions, syncopations and other movements with control, preciseness and efficiency
- musical hearing – the ability to hear, understand and reproduce pitch relationships (scale degrees and intervals), harmony, rhythm, and meter without reference to written notation
- musicality – control of touch, timing, dynamics, phrasing, pedaling, etc. to imaginatively convey a feeling or idea
- theory – the how and why behind music including chords, progressions, voice leading, structure, modality, etc.
Weekly Lessons - Lifetime Results
By signing up here (click the box), you will be contacted by me so that I can find out about your specific goals for you or your child and let you know of any available lesson slots. In the event that my teaching schedule is full, you will be placed on a waiting list and contacted again upon the first availability.
Frequently Asked Questions
How will I know if you will be a good fit?
Choosing a teacher is an important decision that shouldn’t be taken lightly. A teacher can have a profound effect on a student’s musical development, confidence and, of course, their lifelong relationship with music. There are few reasons why students have found me to be a good fit for them:
First, I believe it’s important to take time to try and understand the particular desires and goals of each student so that the lessons can help meet them. Some teachers are less flexible than others in adapting to a student’s particular preferences or goals and have a set way of teaching. This can sometimes be the case if a teacher depends on a methodology book series for their lesson planning and goals. Some students may want to focus more on improvisation, composition or contemporary music, while others may want to focus on classical performance, and others still may want a balance of all of these. Some students may like to perform for others or even take part in competitions, while others want to simply play for their own personal pleasure and self-expression. One of the benefits of my teaching approach is that I take these different preferences into account, but I also give students exposure to different aspects of piano playing that they might not have considered and might grow to enjoy immensely.
Secondly, I place a great priority on providing students with a comprehensive set of skills including advanced technique (the technique that professional pianists are taught), effective practice strategies, practical theory (the “how” and “why” behind the music), improvisational skills, and artistry (control over phrasing, timing, articulation and dynamics that makes a musical performance imaginative and beautiful).
Finally, I believe that it’s important for a teacher be able to “walk their talk”, by practicing and performing a wide variety of music at a high level of technical ability and artistry. A good teacher should be able to model excellent musicianship as well as good practice habits. But they should also be able to understand the unique challenges and difficulties that each student faces and to be able to show empathy and kindness, even as they seek to inspire.
While my success rate and studio retention is quite high due to satisfied students, I still suggest that a prospective student start with an “introductory” lesson to get an idea of overall expectations, along with a feel for how a lesson in my studio is taught. Assuming we are both happy and want to move forward, we can then continue with ongoing lessons and have you commit to the remainder of the trimester.
Do you teach adult students?
Yes! In fact, I specialize in working with adults and very enjoy working with people of all ages. I’ve taught adults ranging from college students to those who are in their 80’s. 🙂
Adult students receive a series of 50-minute bi-weekly private lessons, scheduled on a trimester basis. Tuition for each trimester includes 6 private lessons. Drop-in lessons are also available.
What is a typical lesson like?
Lesson times are encouraging and friendly, but also highly practical. All lessons are personalized and matched to the needs and goals of the student. A wide range of skills are learned through two broad and complementary approaches: a focus on artistry through repertoire and a focus on practical theory (through analysis and improvisation). Through this holistic approach, each student develops solid skills in musical expressiveness, musical hearing, theory, and technique. Lessons might include some exercises that help with both improvisation and repertoire. If they wish, a student can become confident in improvisation as well as in reading and memorizing great pieces of music by the best composers. During the lesson, I also provide many useful practice strategies, to increase the effectiveness of their practice time throughout the week at home. Lessons can optionally be video recorded so that they can be (re)viewed at any time. Repertoire can be periodically recorded at a lesson (using my high quality microphones and preamp), and the student can listen to these recordings for review and/or share them with others.
How often are lessons taught and for what duration?
For school-age students, lessons during the school year are taught weekly on a trimester basis from September through May. Each trimester’s tuition includes 12 weekly private lessons at my studio of 50 minutes each in duration (see calendar for exact weeks).
For adult students, lessons during the school year are taught bi-weekly on a trimester basis from September through May. Each trimester’s tuition includes 6 weekly private lessons at my studio of 50 minutes each in duration (see calendar for exact weeks).
While many piano studios offer 30-minute lessons, I believe that this is too little time to effectively move the student forward in his/her progress. Even young children will appreciate the 50-minute lesson time as they will be able to do a variety of enjoyable activities that will make the time fly while improving their musicianship.
No lessons are taught during the major holiday breaks (including Thanksgiving, Winter break, and one week in the Spring).
Assuming lesson slots are available, students can begin their lessons any time during the month or trimester and only the remaining prorated balance of the tuition will be charged.
Drop-in lessons are also possible, when a time slot is available. These are 50-minute lessons, and are scheduled on an as-needed basis.
What times and days of the week do you teach?
Currently, I teach Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. Most weekday lesson slots are in the afternoon from 1:30 to 5:30.
How much do lessons cost?
Please note, the following reflects my updated pricing policy, effective September 2023:
School-Age Trimester Tuition
From September through May, lessons for school-age students are taught in three-month trimesters, with 12 private lessons included per trimester. Trimester tuition is $780, but payments can be made in monthly installments of $265. In addition to the actual lessons (and the personalized lesson plans), tuition covers the cost of printed materials, optional video recordings of the lessons, and periodic high quality recordings of students’ performances during lessons. Students and their parents are also able to contact me during the week with any questions or requests for clarification.
Adult Trimester Tuition
From September through May, lessons for adult students are taught in three-month trimesters, with 6 bi-weekly lessons included per trimester. Trimester tuition is $468, but payments can be made in two payments of $240. In addition to the actual lessons (and the personalized lesson plans), tuition covers the cost of any printed materials, optional video recordings of the lessons, and periodic high quality recordings of students’ performances during lessons. Students are also able to contact me between lessons with any questions or requests for clarification.
Drop-in students (non-tuition based) who do not wish to take regular lessons over the course of a term may schedule individual lessons when available. These private lessons are $85 each (50-minutes in duration).
Note: If a student begins lessons any time after the beginning of a term, the total due will be prorated to reflect the actual number of lessons remaining in the term. Click here for lesson dates: calendar
Do you offer make-up lessons?
Beginning with the Fall trimester of 2023, my make-up policy is as follows:
A makeup lesson (at no additional expense) is allowed for any missed lesson during the trimester due to a sickness or emergency. However, the makeup lesson will need to be scheduled within 3 weeks of the missed lesson.
Makeup lessons for reasons other than sickness or emergencies will be charged a $5 fee each. I will do what I can to find a time, but due to scheduling constraints these makeup lessons are not guaranteed.
Any in-person lessons that are cancelled due to inclement weather should take place over Zoom instead. If this is not possible or desired, a makeup can be scheduled if available, but will be charged the $5 fee.
What kind of practice expectations do you have?
In order to truly experience the rewards of piano study, I encourage my students to spend quality practice time at home throughout the week. Notice my use of the adjective “quality” as opposed to something like “extensive” or “lengthy”. In general, spending 20 to 25 minutes of concentrated time each day with the goal of making a small breakthrough (being able to do something one couldn’t do the day before) is far better than spending an hour mindlessly playing music and not overcoming challenges. Of course total practice time does influence the rate of progress. But I believe it’s more important that practice time be frequent and strategic rather than lengthy in duration. For all my students, I encourage them to practice 5 days a week. It’s also best if the student can find a regular time (or times) each day to do his or her practice, so that it becomes a habit like brushing teeth.
All students are provided with encouragement, resources and feedback for this practice time, as this is when the essential growth in skills (and the enjoyment of playing) happens.
Do you offer group classes?
Currently, I am not offering group lessons. However, I do occasionally arrange for partner lessons in order to allow students to work on duets or other activities.
The amazing benefits of piano study
A lot of exciting research has been carried out in recent years showing the tremendous benefits of studying a musical instrument such as the piano. This includes research carried out by Vermont University College of Medicine, University of California at Irvine, Michigan State University and many others.
Some findings:
Studying a musical instrument…
- Increases organizational and spatial reasoning skills
- Reduces anxiety, depression, aggression and other emotional problems
- Helps bolster executive brain function
- Improves attention span (even helping those with attention deficit disorder)
- Improves verbal memory by an average of 20% after one year
- Increases retention of other oral information, such as speeches and lectures
- Enhances children’s ability to learn foreign languages
Some additional benefits of learning the piano (versus other instruments)
- A vast repertoire of music exists for the piano in all styles and genres
- The piano is like a full orchestra and is able to create complex music throughout the entire range of musical notes, without the need for any other instruments.
- It’s perhaps the most versatile accompaniment instrument, for both voice and other instruments
- Understanding music theory and harmony is easier on a piano than with many other instruments
- New advances in sampler technology means that a keyboardist can re-create a vast universe of sounds including orchestras, world instruments, and complex sonic palettes never heard before (many film and game composers use sampled sounds performed from a keyboard linked to a computer based sampling program, such as Kontakt).
Weekly Lessons - Lifetime Results
By signing up here (click the box), you will be contacted by me so that I can find out about your specific goals for you or your child and let you know of any available lesson slots. In the event that my teaching schedule is full, you will be placed on a waiting list and contacted again upon the first availability.
Do you have further questions?
Contact me (Eric) by phone
Or fill out the form below.
(Filling out this form will send your message directly to my email account).
