Laney Willard
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My name is Laney Willard, and I have been playing piano since the age of eight under the tutelage of various instructors. I have a studio in Middletown, Pennsylvania, but teach primarily online. I began my teaching career in Lima, the capital of Peru, where I taught piano to embassy and other expat families for several years. I am fluent in both English and Spanish and have much experience giving lessons in both languages.
My decade and a half of piano instruction includes working as a choir accompanist and studying at the university level under Dr. Yu-Wen Chen of James Madison University. During my teen years I focused on pieces by classical composers, especially those by Chopin and Debussy, as well as Broadway masterpieces. In recent years I have enjoyed delving into jazz and modern pieces as well. I am a member of the Music Teachers National Association and involved at the state and regional levels as well. I love helping students of any age develop an intimate relationship with music through the piano, to feel that they can learn to play and write the kind of things they like as well as feel comfortable playing a multitude of styles and genres. I love teaching here in Pennsylvania and continuing to share musical knowledge! |
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Dalton Willard
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Hi! My name is Dalton Willard, Laney's brother, and I’ve been a pianist for nearly two decades now, specializing in composition and improvisation. As a teacher, I help students learn to play the music they are most passionate about.
My career has included work as a pianist in various musical groups, as a composer and solo artist, and as an accompanist and arranger for soloists and choral groups in the United States and Mexico. One of my favorite pastimes has been serving as the pianist for an improv comedy troupe. My own musical education almost came to a premature end after three years, when I quit lessons at age 11. I had become so bored and frustrated with my lessons that I simply didn’t want to play anymore. A few months after quitting, I found a book of music that I liked at my local library. For the first time, I realized that I could play more than just classical music -- and I returned to formal lessons several months later. I have never forgotten that early experience. As a teacher, I now try to show students that learning piano is not an exercise in rote memorization of repetitive pieces. Rather, it is about learning the underlying principles of music, so that you can play the music you love, and share it with others. |
