Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
(613) 864-4895
info@kathleenprochnau.com

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Welcome!

My private piano and theory studio is located in the west end of Ottawa, Ontario and serves Stittsville and Kanata. Located next to Guardian Angels Elementary School and close to the public library, the studio is easily accessible by bus. And with the addition of online lessons, now serves students from anywhere.

My students range in level from beginner to advanced, with ages that range from 6 years old to adult. There is a Kawai upright piano for private lessons and a Baldwin grand piano for group performance classes.

Students and parents have access to the studio calendar and receive weekly homework emails. My blog opens a window into weekly lessons and practising tips, and highlights studio events and student achievements.

October 2020 update: I am only offering online lessons at this time. The studio is currently full. Openings do occur throughout the year, so if you are interested in joining the studio, please visit the contact page and send me a note!

Piano
Keyboard Harmony
Written Theory
Accompanist
Keyboardist

Online Lessons FAQ

A piano, internet connection, webcam, laptop or tablet (the larger the screen the better), and the free Zoom app. Avoid Chromebooks as these devices are known to cause issues with many video conferencing platforms. Using an ethernet cable, adding an external microphone and speakers, and tweaking your Zoom settings can provide a high quality experience.
Good teaching is good teaching, across any medium. Online lessons are one-on-one live instruction, with follow-up notes sent after each lesson. In fact, technology has enriched our lesson experience with extra camera angles, digital white boards, and recording capabilities giving us the ability to exchange audio and video recordings between lessons.
Many young students have short attention spans and benefit from a mix of on- and off-the-bench activities that change frequently during a lesson. We sing, move, drum, play music games, and learn how to play the piano. For online lessons, many of my young students schedule two short lessons per week instead of one 45-minute lesson. I ask a parent to sit in on the lesson and be my helping hands and help the student re-focus as necessary. Parents participate in the music games we play. Plus, parents are learning how to assist with their child's daily practice by observing the lesson.
When it is safe to do so. While we all enjoy the camaraderie of making music together, an in-person lesson has several risk factors - we sit shoulder to shoulder for an extended period of time in a small room. We often sing, laugh, and move, and we all share the same instrument. I must follow local and provincial guidelines, which currently require everyone to wear masks and maintain social distance. And it is difficult to adequately disinfect a piano without damaging the instrument. For now, the safest experience I can offer is online.