352-651-4298
Marina Veiler DMA
Piano Lessons All Ages All Levels
Welcome to Happy Keys Piano Studio
Piano lessons for Kids and Adults
Do you enjoy music and always wanted to play piano yourself?
Are you looking for a highly qualified dedicated piano teacher for your childern?
Do you already play well, but need some guidance on entering competitions or preparing for college auditions?
I'm here to help you! Welcome to Happy Keys in Crystal River Florida! My name is Marina Veiler, and music has been my passion since childhood. I started playing piano at 5, and have been teaching since I was in high school. I studied music for many years and have taught hundreds of students in classes and individually. I have bachelors, masters and doctoral degrees in piano (please see education below) and 29 years of experience. I'm happy to share my knowledge with you and help you to succeed at playing piano! I teach piano lessons to all ages and all levels, from beginner to advanced, including preparation for competitions and college auditions.
How To Choose A Piano Teacher
A Few Useful Tips
Whether choosing an electrician to do some work on your house or a fitness trainer, you would always look for the best available professional at a competitive price. The same standards apply for piano teachers, and here are a few helpful tops to find a true pro. Did you know that there is no licensing requirement for piano teachers, and technically everyone can teach piano? That's why it's very important to know some background of your teacher.
1. Advanced Degree in Piano. Music is a very academic field, and a Master's or Doctoral degree is an indicator of a real professional in the field. Music is extremely complicated and broad field, and it's impossible to achieve a professional level without a proper education.
2. Experience in Teaching. This point is obvious. Every true piano teacher never stops learning, and every student teaches something new. There more experience the teacher has the better can she/he find a personal approach and address individual student's needs. Years of teaching and developing good strategies leading to students' success are a sign or the expertise in the field.
3. Does Your Teacher Perform in Public? If we are willing to learn a skill we would obviously choose someone who is excellent at it. However it often doesn't happen when finding a piano teacher. To be a concert performer requires a heavy practice routine of 5+ hours a day plus rehearsal time. Of course piano teachers cannot dedicate that much of their time to practicing, but a smaller scale performances are totally doable. When taking lessons with someone, ask if they can demonstrate the pieces you're learning with them. Can they show how to play the difficult sections of your piece? Most of the students are beginners or intermediate level, so it shouldn't be any problem for a professional teacher to demonstrate the pieces for the students. If your teacher cannot play it should raise serious concerns.
4. Students feedback. Every teacher wants their students to be happy and succeed. However teaching is a demanding skill, and not everyone is doing an equal quality job. Here are the questions to ask when you or your children are taking piano lessons. Is there a steady progress in learning? Are they performing their pieces at the highest standard according to their ability? Are the students performing regularly? Can they read music? Are they engaged and finding pleasure in practicing?
These are some sample questions to ask about your piano learning.
5. Practice, practice, practice! But... do you practice correctly? I put it last, but it's a very important point that I cannot emphasize enough. How much time are YOU willing to put in the piano training? You can have the best teacher in the world, but nothing will happen if you don't practice yourself. Practicing minimum of 30 min a day for beginners and more as you advance is a basic requirement to learn to play an instrument. But very often students don't practice correctly and just waste their practice time without any improvement. The piano teacher's goal is to show the students how to practice correctly to make steady improvement and use their practice time wisely.
Why Choose Happy Keys?
Your success in music is my top priority!
Music is the language of soul that everyone understands. It can make us happy or bring tears to our eyes. No matter of your age it's never too late to start your musical journey. Piano is the most versatile and universal instrument, and I will guide you through the process of learning, based on your individual needs. I have all the education and experience to help you achieve the best results.
My education:
Estonian Academy of Music - Bachelor of Arts in Piano Performance
Indiana University/Toradze Piano Studio - Master of Music, Artist Diploma in Studio Teaching and Piano Performance
University of Minnesota - Doctor of Musical Arts in Piano Performance
I've been teaching individual and class piano at the Indiana University South Bend, University of Minnesota, and piano lessons at Chicago New Music School, Solo Classic and Family Piano, as well as teaching at my private piano studio. I teach all ages starting at 5, regardless of prior experience. I'm also an active performer and play solo or in duet with my husband Yury Orlov.
I specialize in classical piano.
Lesson Pricing and Location
In Person or Remote
SALE!!! $25 for 30 min
$37 for 45 min
$50 for 60 min
$30* for 30 min lesson once a week, most common
$45* for 45 min lesson once a week
$60* for 60 min lesson once a week
Please contact me via my phone (352)651-4298 or email veimar15@yahoo.com DIRECTLY. I may not receive the messages sent via third party services on time.
I take payments in cash, check, card or via Zelle.
*The lesson prices should never be a deterring factor if you want to learn piano. Please contact me if you experience financial difficulties and we can work out the price individually.
Lessons are taught on beautiful white Yamaha grand piano at my home studio in Crystal River, and remote via Google Duo, Zoom, FaceTime or other apps. My studio is conveniently located across the street from Crystal River Primary School and walking distance from Middle and High Schools.
My students regularly perform at my home studio, as well as at available venues, such as local churches and piano stores.
Scheduling and policies
Please contact me via phone (call or text) 352-651-4298, or email veimar15@yahoo.com to schedule a lesson.
I'm very flexible and accommodating, however learning piano requires weekly lessons and practice. Things can happen, and if you need to reschedule please notify me at least 24 hours in advance. In case of emergency don't hesitate to call/text/email me asap.
You can pay for 4 lessons in advance (includes 10% discount) or for each lesson individually.
Happy Keys Piano Studio
Piano Lessons All Ages All Levels
"Don’t only practise your art, but force your way into its secrets"
Beethoven
10 Reasons to Learn Musical Instrument
1. Playing an instrument makes you smarter
Einstein once said: “Life without playing music is inconceivable to me. I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music... I get most joy in life out of music”. And as it turns out, Einstein was onto something: many studies show a correlation between musical training and academic success, in both children and adults. Learning to play an instrument stimulates the brain, improving functions like memory and abstract reasoning skills, which are essential for maths and science.
2. Your social life will improve
Playing an instrument isn’t only good for your brain, it’s also great for expanding your social circle (sorry, pianists and organists). Joining a musical group at any age encourages you to develop relationships with new kinds of people. It also builds skills in leadership and team-building, as well as showing you the rewards of working with others.
3. Playing an instrument relieves stress
Music keeps you calm. It has a unique effect on our emotions, and has even been proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure. Psychologist Jane Collingwood believes that slow classical music is often the most beneficial. “Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies, especially slow, quiet classical music. This type of music can have a beneficial effect on our physiological functions, slowing the pulse and heart rate, lowering blood pressure, and decreasing the levels of stress hormones.”
4. Playing an instrument gives you a sense of achievement
Messed up your double-stopping in rehearsal, then totally nailed it at the performance? Playing and succeeding at a musical instrument gives you a huge sense of pride and achievement, especially when you manage to perfect a passage you’ve been struggling with for weeks.
5. It builds your confidence
Playing an instrument helps you get comfortable with self-expression. As children begin to master their instrument, they will probably end up playing to a few audiences, starting with their music teacher or parents, and branching out to groups of other pupils and concert audiences. Playing in public can help children feel confident in presenting their work in a non-academic context.
6. Practising a musical instrument improves patience
OK, Franz Liszt wrote some insanely difficult music. But it’s an important lesson to learn that the more effort you put into something, the better the result will be. Dawsons Music advises to “give it a year” before you see big improvements in ability and confidence. “[Then,] you’ll look back and be glad of those hard first few months. Indeed, those first few months will forever be a badge of honour, saying you stuck it out and earned your stripes. There are no shortcuts to learning an instrument.”
7. It helps improve your memory
Researchers have found that learning to play a musical instrument can enhance verbal memory, spatial reasoning and literacy skills. Playing an instrument makes you use both sides of your brain, which strengthens memory power.
8. It increases discipline and time management skills
Unless you’re an out-of-this-world child prodigy, learning to play an instrument isn’t a skill you can master overnight. Learning music takes time and effort, and helps children understand that if they want to be good at something, they’ll need to put in the hours and organize their time effectively.
9. Playing music makes you more creative
Practising and perfecting a piece of music does wonders for the creative side of your brain. No matter how much a composer annotates their composition, they cannot fully express how a piece of music should be played. So it is up to the player to put their own stamp on a piece, to inject some of their personality into the music.
10. Playing music is fun!
We can harp on about all the scientifically accurate benefits to learning a musical instrument – but what matters most is that it’s enjoyable for the player. While other hobbies like watching TV or flicking through social media are passive, playing music actively engages and stimulates the brain, making you feel happy and occupied.
From classicfm.com