Effinger Music Studio offers the finest piano lesson program in the Orchards, WA area, and we would love to hear from you and find an available lesson time. Whether you'd like to enroll your child in music lessons for the first time, help your high schooler prepare for college auditions, learn to sight read, or learn to compose on your own, please get in touch.
We are committed to providing the finest lesson experience in the greater Vancouver, WA area. We have four professional pianos in our studio, including two 9' Bösendorfer Concert Grand pianos, one of which is the rare Bösendorfer Imperial 290. For our beginning students, our two 6' grand pianos live in our second studio space, where our Kawai is specially weighted to be easier to play for young students with growing hands. Even beginners benefit from learning on a high quality acoustic instrument; the sound, texture, and playing experience on a professional grand piano inspires young pianists to practice well and take full advantage of the keyboard.
We have an extensive lending library of music that students can borrow from to practice sight reading and learning quick study pieces. We encourage our students to experience piano music in a variety of styles, and we can point you in the right direction. Our extensive library also gives us access to a wide selection of music from which we can suggest pieces for recitals, competitions, and other performance events.
We encourage our advancing piano students to get involved as collaborative pianists. A collaborative pianist performs with other instrumentalists and singers. The practice, rehearsal and performance strategies strongly support a pianist's musicianship. Students can begin learning duets to play with other students in the studio as early as the end of the first year of study, and we always play the duets with our beginning students in the pieces learned in the method books.
Thomas and Kassidy Effinger are both experienced collaborative pianists, and they enjoy helping students work with flutists, singers, violinists, brass players, and other musicians on exciting and challenging music.
Both Thomas and Kassidy Effinger hold Masters Degrees in Piano Performance from Texas A&M University - Commerce, and they have significant experience in composition and music theory as well. They have taught countless piano lessons, both with the guidance of professors and independently as professional instructors. From their recital and competition experience to their years spent teaching kids, teens, and adults how to play the piano, they have a wealth of knowledge and experience which helps them support students young and old in their study of music and the piano.
Students at Effinger Music Studio develop a healthy technique on the piano, learn how to read music, foundations of music theory, how to sight read, how to be expressive in their performance by interpreting their scores, and even composition skills. If students would like a more intensive focus on music composition, arranging, or music theory, those opportunities are available as well.
We do not simply teach students music by rote; we help pianists develop the practice skills and analytical tools they need to select and approach challenging repertoire analytically and thoughtfully, so they can learn and master piano literature independently. We teach skills, not just pieces.
We have worked with many kids, high schoolers and adults. We enjoy helping aspiring pianists at every stage of life, and at every skill level.
Kids have fun in piano lessons! We send them home with structured practice assignments, enjoyable age-appropriate pieces, and a genuine love for music. With adult students, we often work with them to reach specific goals – this may include sight reading, composition, or even learning sets of songs for the holiday season or another setting.
Our piano lessons in Vancouver, WA are just a few minutes west of Orchards. Many of our students spend about 10 minutes on NE 119th Street to reach our beautiful teaching studio. Whether you live in Orchards, Hockinson, Brush Prairie or Minnehaha, please get in touch. We'd love to hear from you!