Music Lessons
In Barrie
Patience Piano provides quality musical instruction to all levels of students. Our convenient lesson times accommodate even the busiest schedules. Our various programs are designed to accommodate students of all ages and levels, including adult students. We also offer RCM exam preparation.
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Private Lessons
COVID-19: Choose between mostly-distanced, in-person lessons or virtual instruction over Zoom.
Would you like to see results with skill improvement?
Enroll in a one-on-one with Lynn Thompson as your private instructor. Private lessons offer increased comprehension, better technique, and greater confidence. Available to children 4 years and older, teens, adults and seniors.
Discover Music with Patience Piano today.
Piano or Mixed-Music
COVID-19: Both virtual and in-person, mostly-distanced lessons are available. At the studio, Lynn, the educator, uses a digital piano and approaches the student (at the acoustic piano) as needed. An air purifier enhances the air circulation and face masks are welcome but not mandatory.
Are you thinking about starting piano lessons for your child or yourself? If you’re looking for a patient teacher in Barrie, then look no further. Patience Piano offers primary to intermediate private classes for children and adults. As time allows, introduction to other in-studio instruments opens students up to other musical possibilities.
For those who need more variety, mixed-music lessons are a great option: a bit of piano instruction at each lesson, embellished with many other musical activities (including singing and other instruments in the studio’s collection).
Studies have shown that music lessons have a significant impact on a child’s early development. After all, children who take piano lessons learn technique, rhythm, memorization, the importance of practice, how to read music and the life-long skill of believing in themselves. In addition, learning music positively impacts children’s reading and math skills. Lessons regularly include playing from sheet music, ear training, ensemble play (duets) and music-writing activities. Improvising, playing by ear, and playing from chord sheets are encouraged as well.
Wind Instruments
COVID-19 – Both virtual and in-person, mostly-distanced lessons are available.
Wind instruments can be a fun and rewarding way to grow your love of music. Lynn’s specialty, the clarinet, is a beautiful woodwind instrument that has one of the largest ranges of pitch. She is certified by The Royal Conservatory of Music as an intermediate clarinet specialist.
Lynn also has experience teaching recorder (sopranino, soprano, alto and tenor), saxophone, flute, trumpet and trombone and others. She enjoys playing wind instrument duets with students or accompanying them on the piano. Our relaxed environment and exposure to a wide range of musical genres, helps keep each student inspired and offers a lifelong opportunity to love and appreciate music. In addition, exploring other instruments in Lynn’s collection, as time allows, is a fun part of the lesson experience.
Wind Instruments
If you have never played a wind instrument before the clarinet is a truly fun and rewarding way to grow your love of music. The clarinet is a beautiful, woodwind instrument that has one of the largest ranges of pitch when compared to all of the other musical instruments. The clarinet is also a great wind instrument for growth. Making for an easy transition to saxophone, bassoon and or flute. Lynn’s broad range of experience include saxophone, flute, recorder, trumpet and trombone.
Our relaxed environment keeps the student inspired and offers a lifelong opportunity to love and appreciate the music they are taught. Lynn is certified by The Royal Conservatory of music as an intermediate clarinet specialist.
Voice
COVID-19: In-person, mostly-distanced lessons are available, as well as virtual instruction over Zoom.
People often ask, will voice lessons make me a better singer? The answer is, “Yes”. Whatever your goal, vocal training with a calm, patient instructor will give you the tools to improve your voice and build your confidence. Learning the basics of reading music and the fundamentals of proper singing technique (eg. breath control) are part of the full experience. From very simple songs with young children, to more complex pieces for those with experience, our classes are taught with a fun, low pressure approach to singing. And, Lynn has the skills to accompanying vocal students on the piano.
“Lynn is a Fantastic teacher, a serious lady and so very patient. Lynn teaches my youngest daughter (5 years old) piano. The education she receives is more than just learning to play songs on a piano. She teaches theory and all the parts of the piano and how it all works. She actually opened up the piano and showed how it works, which was really amazing for my child. In just under a year my older daughter (10 years old) went from a level 2 understanding of piano and jumped to level 4 with Lynn. We are so impressed with her progress. She is now preparing for level 6 piano exam.“
— Jenny Chen – more of two daughters in private piano lessons.
PRICING
Give the gift of music lessons to yourself or someone you love.
Half Hour
- 30 Minute Weekly Private Lesson
Full Hour (with $5 discount)
- 60 Minute Weekly Private Lesson
*Each addition family member of a registered student also enjoys a $5.00 discount (per 30 min. lesson)!
FAQ
Virtual private lessons (piano, wind instruments or voice) are conducted over Zoom, using the same personal meeting room each week. Lynn has been teaching this way since April 2020, and has adapted well to it’s challenges. She has copies of each student’s music to refer to, and has learned to use her listening and language skills to effectively instruct over the internet. Students, in turn, have also developed new listening, language, and music-reading skills. Once the pandemic is over, virtual lessons will continue to be an option.
Lynn’s Royal Conservatory of Music certification recognizes her ability to teach piano (RCM level 5 and lower), clarinet (level 6 and lower) and, pending completion of her upcoming exam, voice (RCM level 5 and lower). However, over the years she’s helped students, by request, get their start playing various other woodwind, brass, and string instruments.
No, that is entirely optional. There are many approaches to studying music, depending on what the student’s goals are. Most students try some of the RCM repertoire, once they progress far enough. Even though preparing for an exam is a good motivator, some chose to work on the required material but not register for an exam. Others try one exam to see what it’s all about and either decide it’s not for them, or continue with more. Besides classical piano, Lynn also like to teach playing from chord charts or lead sheets, for those who are interested in a more contemporary style.
An acoustic piano is ideal, but a keyboard is sufficient, at least for a start. Unless it’s a higher quality instrument that allows the player to vary the volume and articulation with their fingers, the student may want to upgrade eventually. However, as long as the keys are the same size as a regular piano, it will still allow them to practice basic skills and they can develop the others at their lessons.
Absolutely. That’s the typical situation, although sometimes students want to pick up where they left off earlier in their lives.
Lynn has a lot of experience working with young children (both in Kindermusik classes and one-on-one). For piano lessons, children as young as 4 may do a trial to see if they’re developmentally ready. They need to use their fingers independently, as opposed to pushing the keys with their palms or clusters of fingers as very young children tend to do. The lesson book designed for 4-6 year-olds gradually moves them from playing by finger-numbers on black keys, to reading full music notation. The companion writing book gives them creative, age-appropriate activities to reinforce what they learn in their lesson book.
Lessons include other musical fun (eg. rhythm-instrument play-alongs or be-the-conductor) as time allows or need for a break arises. Piano curricula designed for other age-groups (6-10 years, over 10 years, and adults) are also available.
Children interested in voice or wind instrument lessons should be a little older to start (6+), depending on the instrument.