We are excited to announce that Mrs. Christine has in-person piano openings for those in the Chattanooga area! If you would like to learn more about lessons and schedule a Meet and Greet session, please complete the Contact form. If you are not in Chattanooga and are interested in virtual lessons we have availability. We look forward to hearing from you!
All WA Lessons are Virtual
Miller Music is now fully virtual! We’ve moved and no longer teach from our Renton studio, but we are excited to continue virtually. Public performing is an important skill and we plan to continue in-person semi-annual recitals. We always keep our recitals free for students and do not charge admission. Thank you to all of our wonderful students- we hope to have a full summer of learning!
Welcome Ms. Savannah!
Savannah is also joining our team! If you are interested virtual lessons with her, please let us know and she would be happy to do a trial lesson.
Savannah Neda Panah is a Graduate student studying Vocal Performance at Boston University. She recently sang Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro and will be performing the role of Little Sister in Missy Mazzoli’s opera, Proving Up, this coming fall at BU. Ms. Panah has participated in the Astoria Apprentice Young Artist Program and Student Opera Association of PSU. Grants and competition accolades include the Petri Scholarship Competition, Boston University’s School of Music Student Life and Honors Committee Award, vocal winner of the Van Buren Concerto Competition, and 1st place winner of the Oregon Music Teachers Association Lina Belle Tartar Voice Competition. Savannah has had numerous performances with the Oregon Symphony, participated in the San Juan Canta International Choral Festival in Argentina with the world-renowned Portland State Chamber Choir, and is a featured soloist in PSU Chamber Choir's album, "Translations", featuring pieces by award-winning composer, Ēriks Ešenvalds. Along with performing, Savannah teaches Piano & Voice and is a collegiate member of the Music Teachers National Association.
Welcome Mrs. Anastasia
We are thrilled to have Anastasia join our team! If you are interested in learning with her, please let us know and she would be happy to do a trial lesson
Anastasia Royal received her early training from Lili Simon, a pupil of Bela Bartok and then studied with Julian Levitan, chair of the Music Department at Depaul University. She received a 4-year piano scholarship to Depaul University. She has been teaching piano for over 30 years and is passionate about bringing the joy of music to the next generation—all ages welcome, at whatever level and whatever amount of talent! She also enjoys helping students learn to compose their own music and has mentored many students. Her unique, individualized approach makes learning fun.
After all, it’s not working the piano, it’s playing the piano.
Anastasia embraces all kinds of music. She has toured and recorded with a New Wave band in Germany, where she was the lead singer, and has also played in punk bands in England and in alternative rock bands in the United States. She produced her own one-woman shows in the Chicago- area for many years. With her sister, she forms the classical piano duo The Royal Sisters. In 2015, they performed at the International Poland Piano Festival in Nałęczów Poland. Anastasia composes her own music and, under the collaboration HanneStasia, released her debut album Exclusion Park in 2019.
We feel lucky to have found Anastasia as a teacher. While her approach is unique and ingenious, she is also enthusiastic and caring at the same time. She teaches rigorous technique while encouraging creativity in her students! Because of this, my daughter’s piano playing has progressed rapidly in a few years, yet she hasn’t once lost interest, but rather can’t get enough of the piano—she enjoys these lesson that are fun.
— Denise R.
NEW openings! Online lessons!
If you’re looking for a great educational activity for your child, we’re excited to offer fun and high-quality, online music lessons from the comfort of your own home! Remote learning has made great strides in the last decade and we’d be happy to show you. Ask about our free trial lesson! We know that once you give it a try, you’ll love it!
Studio & Skype Lessons
We know that these are unique circumstances. We are
committed to keeping your child learning in a safe environment. We will try to
keep our studio open while taking extra precautions to protect everyone.
What We’re Doing:
1. Requiring all teachers/students to wash hands or use hand sanitizer before entering the studio.
2. Wiping down the piano keys between each lesson.
3. Disinfecting touch-surfaces each day.
4. Please only come to the studio if you’re feeling well. Use the video lesson option if you’re sick,
or you’ve been in contact with someone who has been sick.
Spring recital and performance classes:
Unfortunately, both events will be postponed until it’s safe to have large gatherings. We’ll keep
everyone updated on this!
Video lessons:
We are excited to offer Skype lessons for everyone and encourage students to try it! It’s a great way to keep germs from spreading. A video lesson would still be held at your usual scheduled day/time.
If you’d like to make the switch to video-lessons, please ask your teacher and
they would be happy to accommodate.
Video lesson tips:
1. Have a Skype account set up on your phone/tablet/laptop - it’s free! https://www.skype.com Your
teacher will email their Skype username to you.
2. Make sure you set up in a quiet room and have a stable way of holding your device, like a tripod or music
stand.
3. Try practicing and be aware of the camera angle - a teacher will want
to be able to hear clearly, and see the student and piano (unless it is a voice
lesson).
4. Wait until your teacher calls you. Since teachers are working with
multiple students per day, we ask that you wait until the teacher calls you.
5. Have your notepad to write in notes and books ready to go.
6. Your teacher will give homework through the Student Portal. Check “Online Resources”.
We will continue to monitor and evaluate lessons. We’re working on some fun ways and
ideas to for students to stay motivated! I’ll be sending out an email soon with
great resources. Stay healthy!
Welcome Mr. Reid!
We’re excited to have Reid join our team! He is an energetic and kind teacher who is excited to work with students of all ages.
Growing up in a family of musicians, Reid was immersed into classical music at an early
age and hopes to share his passion for music with his students. Reid aims to
utilize music as both an educational tool and an artistic outlet for students
at all walks of life. Prior to joining Miller Music School, Reid was a piano
instructor at Kaleidoscope School of Music in Issaquah, WA.
Reid began playing piano at the age of seven and was formally recognized for his
musicianship at the age of thirteen, placing second in Washington’s Young
Artist Competition for his age cohort. Recently, Reid was recently awarded as
Gold Medalist for the NW Chopin Competition and will be representing the
Northwest Region at the collegiate MTNA Competition in March, 2020. Reid
continues to perform and collaborate at venues such as the Beijing
International Music Festival and Competition, and the Icicle Creek Winter Piano
Festival.
In addition to piano, Reid is a singer for Welcome Table Christian Church on
Sundays. Reid also plays trombone, French horn, and conga drums, and thoroughly
enjoyed band and choir throughout his upbringing. In his spare time, you might
find Reid hiking Poo-Poo Point, spending time with his dog and family, or
enjoying conversation or music at a coffee shop. Reid currently studies under
Dr. Ezhokina at Pacific Lutheran University and is a Mary Baker Russell Endowed
Scholar.
Snow and Lessons!
Quick snow and lessons reminder! We hope that everyone is safe out there and wanted to offer some convenient lesson options that you can take advantage of from the comfort of your own home if you can’t make it to the studio.
In the event that studio lessons have to be suspended due to weather, we have lesson alternatives:
Video-Chat lesson: via Skype, Facetime, or Google. This option is just in case you’re a little sick, or if there is severe weather and travel is hazardous.
Recorded lesson: For times that you are bedridden, or are absolutely unable to be at your lesson, you will receive a teacher instruction in lieu of your lesson time. We recommend emailing your teacher recorded videos of your pieces and technique (scales). Your teacher will send you helpful comments and answer any questions you may have and give you helpful direction to practice.
We will be in touch with an update by mid-morning if there are any lesson cancellations. Your teacher will be contacting you about video lessons or ask you to email them pre-recorded videos of your child playing their pieces.
We hope you take advantage of extra time (after a some sledding, of course!) at home to continue working on your pieces. There are theory pages, composer worksheets, and scales on the Student Portal under the Online Resources tab that are free to print from home! We are continually working to add more, so be checking periodically.
Stay warm and have fun out there!
Shout-out to our Fearless Teachers!
Pictured left to right: Ms. Jennifer, Mr. Lucas, Mr. Josh, Mr. Benjamin, and Mrs. Christine
We’d like to thank our fearless teachers who are dedicated to motivate and inspire students every step of the way. They plan and teach weekly lesson filled with sight-reading, technique, repertoire and occasional drum rhythm games! We are thankful for their support and encouragement!
Mr. Lucas accompanying his piano student
Ms. Jennifer accompanying his vocal student
Mr. Josh accompanying his vocal student
Mrs. Christine announcing the Student of the Month
Successful Winter Recitals!
We are proud of our students and the fantastic shows they put on this year! Here are a few pictures below. You can check out more pictures on our Facebook page.
7:20 pm Recital
5 pm recital
6:10 pm Recital
Welcome Mr. Benjamin!
We are thrilled to add Benjamin to our team back in September!
Benjamin Sawrey has over a decade of performance experience as a soloist and accompanist in Classical, Jazz, and Musical Theater. He was classically trained in the Suzuki method by Jordan Stoneman, and has since participated in lessons and masterclasses with renowned instructors throughout the world. These include; Seymour Lipkin, Noam Sivan, Matti Raekallio, and Antonii Baryshevskyi. Benjamin is currently studying piano performance under Oksana Ezhokina at Pacific Lutheran University.
As a soloist, Benjamin is best known for his expressive interpretation and gentle touch. He has been recognized in competitions throughout the U.S as both a classical and jazz pianist. Most recently, Benjamin received an award for Honorable Mention at the Siegfried-Weishaupt International Piano Competition in Ochshenhausen, Germany. Other experiences include playing in the pit and being assistant musical director for the Rising Star Project at the 5th Avenue Theatre.
As a teacher, Benjamin helps his students grow as musicians by incorporating the music they love into weekly lessons. Whether that be the theme from Star Wars or one of Chopin's Nocturnes, all music can be used to teach important musical principles. Every lesson is molded to fit the individual needs of each student so that learning the piano can be both fun and educational.
New 2019-20 School Year Calendar!
Hello Parents and Students!
We hope you’ve all had a great summer! We are excited to share our new calendar for this school year with you. We’ve made a few changes from last year.
Online Platform: It’s 2019 and we are embracing technology! :) Our new online portal for parents and teachers will be a place where you can keep track of your students’ lessons, teacher notes, set up automatic payments and get the latest updates! You’ve been asking and we heard! We have high hopes that this system will help keep lessons running smoothly for everyone. Our online platform is currently being set up, and you’ll be receiving log-in information soon.
Monthly automatic payments: We are moving to a simple, flat-rate monthly tuition- similar to a monthly membership. You’ll be able to pay through our online platform and set up automatic payments to save you time!
Recital Week: We want to encourage community and collaborative learning! In lieu of private lessons the week of the recital, we’ll schedule small group classes focused on performing skills and learning musical concepts that work best in a group environment.
In-Home Lessons: Busy families and multiple kid households- we hear you! We are finally offering convenient “uber” music lessons in the comfort of your own home. To start off, we will only be offering limited spots this Fall to make sure that we keep high quality lessons as our top priority! Information will be sent next week.
Studio Closed: We will be on break from August 11- September 3
Welcome Mr. Josh!
We are thrilled to welcome Mr. Josh to our studio! He is planning to join us mid-summer after his international singing tour. He teaches voice and piano and is excited to work with our kids. Below is his bio!
Josh has been deeply involved with music his entire life. He began taking lessons at age five and has been singing since age 12. Josh is incredibly passionate about getting young people involved in classical music as often as possible. He is active as a teacher and coach in the Tacoma area teaching both piano and voice. Josh has appeared in roles at Vashon Opera and is a member of Seattle Opera Chorus.
Josh holds a Bachelors of Music Cum Laude in Vocal Performance from Pacific Lutheran University, where he was honored to receive the Mary Baker Russel music scholarship. He has studied voice with Dr. James Brown and Vicki Melton. He has also studied piano with Tim Strong and Diane Zimmerman.
Josh’s teaching philosophy is focused on the student. He believes that each student brings unique talents and skills to lessons, and that the lesson should be tailored to the student’s needs. Josh loves to discover new teaching strategies and grow alongside his students.
In his free time, Josh loves hiking and travel. He is currently preparing for a month long tour to Europe with Pacific Lutheran University’s Choir of the West.
Welcome Mr. Lucas!
We are excited to have Mr. Lucas join our team this Summer! He is a fun teacher with a great personality. Currently he is finishing up the last few weeks of his Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance and is looking forward to working with our local students soon. Check out his bio below!
Lucas is passionate about classical music and takes great joy in sharing it with others. His students appreciate his down-to-earth, practical teaching style that he brings to lessons. They look forward to working with him each week as they explore various music genres, standard music theory and sharpen sight-reading skills.
Lucas’ musical journey started in 5th grade, when he began taking piano lessons. Now a graduate of Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance, that passion has become his vocation.
Lucas has studied piano with Oksana Ezhokina, Jennifer Bowman, and Laura Curtis. During his time at PLU, Lucas has performed frequently in solo and collaborative recitals, including one put on for the reception of the Monsen Scholarship.
In his free time, Lucas enjoys playing soccer, basketball, volleyball, and most other sports, along with watching The Office and eating Taco Bell.
Spring Recital Information
We are about two weeks away from our big Spring Recital! Our students and teachers have been busy at work prepping and excited to share our hard work with friends and family. Come support our musicians!
Here are the details:
When: Friday, May 17th at 5:00 pm, 6:10 pm and 7:20 pm
Who: Students, family and friends. We have a large space, so feel free to invite friends.
Where: The same location, Sunset Community Church Address: 1032 Edmonds Ave NE, Renton, WA 98056.
Dress: Formal. We’re excited to see students dressed up!
Bring: Music and refreshments to share (cookies, fruit, anything you love!)
Arrive: 5 minutes before your assigned recital time. Check our studio wall or teacher with performing time (5:00 pm or 6:10 pm or 7:20 pm)
We’re excited to see you all there!
December Recital Hit!
Thanks for all that made this performance a hit! It’s always fun to see new and experienced performers take the stage. Great work everyone!
Welcome Ms. Miya!
We are excited to welcome our newest teacher to our music studio, Ms. Miya! She'll be offering lessons in piano and voice on Sundays. She brings a fresh and fun personality to inspire students to learn and grow.
If you see her around the studio, give her a big, warm welcome!
Here is her bio below!
Miya Higashiyama recently graduated Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) with her Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance with a minor in German, and studied piano under Dr. Oksana Ezhokina, and voice under Dr. James Brown. While at PLU, Miya sang a huge variety of operatic roles including Hansel in Hansel and Gretel, Ruggiero in Alcina, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, Zita in Gianni Schicchi, and more. Miya also sang in Choir of the West for the duration of her degree and accompanied for University Singers.
This past season Miya made her Olympia Symphony debut as the alto soloist in Beethoven's 9th, sang in both of Vashon Opera's productions (Lucia di Lammermoor and The Magic Flute), and performed as a song leader with Symphony Tacoma in the Carnegie Hall sponsored curriculum, "LinkUP: The Orchestra Sings!" for over 2500 elementary schoolers. Miya also was a finalist at the NATSAA (National Association for Teachers of Singing Artist Awards) competition in Portland this past October, and helped premiere and kickstart a new opera by Greg Youtz called Tacoma Method, performing at the Tacoma Historical Society Auction and recording demo songs with an orchestra.
In addition to actively performing, Miya loves to teach piano and voice to all age groups. This past year she taught piano and voice lessons regularly on the Eastside, and at Steilacoom High School where one of her students won first place in the Soprano Category at the WMEA State Competition. Teaching Kindergarten and 1st grade supplementary music classes as part of the PTA program at Pioneer Elementary School in Olympia was often the highlight of her week this year as well. She has over fifteen years of piano experience and seven years of voice, and enjoys meeting each student where they're at musically to achieve their goals and needs in a fun, exciting, individualistic, and passionate way, whether a student is wanting to sing for the first time, freshen up their piano skills, learn how to play basic jazz, or audition for college music programs. She has had experience teaching one on one music lessons since 2013.
In her free time, Miya enjoys running, painting, and traveling (especially to Europe!) She is proficient in German and lived a month in Berlin during her senior year as part of her German minor!
Summer Lessons!
Hello Everyone!
We want to extend a BIG thank you to all of our students who have practiced diligently, performed bravely, and learned patiently this past school year. Thank you to our awesome teachers who have mentored and helped inspire our students succeed and learn. Also, a huge acknowledgement and high-fives to the parents who have invested hours on the road, and time every day to encourage, kindly remind and motivate kids to stay dedicated and keep learning!
We are just finishing up our Spring Trimester (Monday, 6/25 is our last day) and we start our Summer schedule on Tuesday. If you are not taking summer lessons, but you do have a make-up with your teacher, please contact them for a timeslot as the Summer schedule is different from the Spring schedule.
Reminders:
- Parking: As a kind courtesy to our wonderful neighbors, please continue to park on NE 1st St.
- Please let you teacher know as soon as you can if you are going to miss a lesson. Texting works great!
- We will be publishing our 2018-19 calendar in mid-July. We will send a separate email requesting your preferred time for the Fall trimester.
Summer Overview:
- Summer starts on Tuesday 6/26.
- There are 8 weeks available for lessons. We offer week-by-week flexible scheduling, so you can choose how many you would like. Tuition for the entire summer is due at the first lesson.
- Cancelled lessons: The regular cancellation/makeup policy will be in effect. Once you choose the specific weeks that you want lessons, there will be one makeup lesson offered in the event of illness, etc.
- The tuition cost will be the number of lessons you would like, multiplied by the cost below:
- 30 min = $32
- 45 min = $48
- 60 min = $64
Summer Lesson Schedule:
- Week 1 – Tue 6/26 to Sat 6/30 (Monday 6/25 is part of the Spring Trimester)
- Week 2 – Mon 7/2 to Sat 7/7 (Closed 7/4 for Independence Day)
- Week 3 – Mon 7/9 to Sat 7/14
- Week 4 – Mon 7/16 to Sat 7/21
- Week 5 – Mon 7/23 to Sat 7/28
- Week 6 – Mon 7/30 to Sat 8/4
- Week 7 – Mon 8/6 to Sat 8/11
- Week 8 – Mon 8/13 to Fri 8/17 (No Saturday lesson)
- Closed – Sat 8/18 to Mon 9/3, break
Spring 2018 Recital
Beautiful performance by our wonderful students! We had two recitals with about 50 performers. Keep up the great work, team!
First Recital Group Picture
Second Recital Group Picture
Our super awesome teachers!
Check out more performance pictures on our Facebook page!
Christmas Recital- December 1st at 6pm and 7pm
Hello musical families!
Our teachers and students are busy preparing for the Christmas Recitals! Here is the info below:
When: Friday, December 1st at 6 pm and 7 pm
Who: Students, Family and Friends. We have a large space, so feel free to invite friends.
Where: Calvary Baptist Church (1032 Edmonds Ave NE, Renton, WA 98056)
Dress: Formal- We’re excited to see students dressed up!
Bring: Music and refreshments to share (cookies, fruit, anything you love!)
Arrive: 5 minutes before your assigned recital. Check our studio wall or teacher with performing time (6pm or 7pm)
Reminders:
- Performance Pieces- Students typically perform two pieces each. We like to encourage memorization if possible. Please bring music even if pieces are memorized. We try our best to not have duplicates of pieces so that each performer gets to showcase a unique piece.
- Pianists/ Vocalists – Arrive 5 minutes early to find seats.
- Violinists – Arrive 10 minutes early to tune violin.
- Applause – Please hold your applause to the end of a performance, instead of between pieces.
- Cameras – We know we’ve got some proud parents out there! Feel free to bring cameras and take pictures as long as it doesn’t distract our performers.
- Babies and Kids – This is definitely a family event and we love to welcome kids. Please consider performers by minimizing noise/distractions.
- Refreshments – After performances, we love to chat over some yummy treats in the foyer. Please bring treats that will be easy to clean up afterwards.
- Encouragement – We want to encourage and inspire all of our students to grow and learn. We have a diverse group of performers- new musicians, shy/nervous musicians, experienced musicians- let’s celebrate them all.
Please let me know if you have any questions. We are very excited to watch our students perform!
