Piano lessons for all.

Thank you for your interest in piano lessons! I teach private piano and accordion lessons in Denver’s Capitol Hill neighborhood and in Lakewood’s Belmar neighborhood. I have taught piano since 1992, working with students ages five through adult at beginning through advanced levels. I enjoy teaching classical, jazz, Argentine tango, folk, pop/rock, improvisation, composition, music theory & ear training.

My teaching draws on a grounded understanding of music and learning, years of performance experience in many genres, and an intuitive sense of learners and their specific interests, challenges, and learning styles.

Our lessons will be tailored to your specific interests, strengths, and goals.

I will help you learn to read music, improvise, play by ear, understand music theory, compose your own music, or explore several of these areas together.

Our lessons will develop your technique & expressiveness at the instrument.

Making music is physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. As your teacher, I will:

  • help you learn to use your hands, arms, and body in relaxed, efficient ways, and connect music to your breath and other rhythmic movements;
  • help you learn to play and understand core elements of music, including melody, harmony, rhythm, dynamics, and form,
  • invite you to explore the emotional qualities of music and tap into your own expressive capacities;
  • create a safe space in which you may connect to music in transformative ways.

I encourage my students to reflect, to practice mindfully, to learn from other domains (such as language, storytelling, mathematics, movement, and visual arts), and to follow their own passions and curiosities about music.

Our lessons will embrace improvisation.
Improvisation is a set of skills and dispositions that serve all musicians, not just those studying jazz. Improvisation is central to my teaching focus. I will help you learn to listen carefully, play spontaneously, and recognize and understand music fundamentals beyond written music.

Above all, my aim is to support joyful music-making!

 

testimonials

As an adult learner, I really appreciate the way Lia’s style gives me choice and ownership. If I’m not into a particular piece, we move on. If I didn’t have much time for practicing that week, there’s no guilt like there was when I took lessons growing up. Rather, Lia makes me want to get better because it’s fun. When we’re working on a technique, she thinks of analogies like “sandbag hands” or “marshmallow keys” to get me out of my brain and into my body. She’s teaching me improvisation through games on the keyboard. I go to lessons because they’re fun and because it’s good for me to be challenged as a learner.
Heather Metz
Student
I thoroughly enjoyed the musicality class with you. Your passion for music and your knowledge of how to teach music are impressive. Your teaching was inspiring and your personality is so friendly and down to earth.
Hossein Hakim
Associate Professor,
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Ms. Davis has been a perfect fit for our son. Her style has allowed him to progress rapidly, which has resulted in further fostering his enthusiasm for playing and practicing. She is also available to answer questions or provide clarity outside of the lesson.
Darren Henkel
Parent
Thank you for changing my entire relationship with music.
Di Mapes
Student