Keys to Success’ afterschool music program teaches one-on-one piano, guitar, ukelele, and voice lessons to children ages 3-18. Students start with a trial lesson so that parents and students can meet the teacher and get a feeling for the lesson. After deciding that private lessons are a good fit, students will continue to meet with their private instructor once a week for the duration of the semester. Instructors will work with students on musical pieces, concepts, and semester goals, including recital preparation. Parents and students love recitals as a way to gather together and celebrate their child’s hard work. Typically students prepare one to two pieces that they worked on during the semester and memorize them for the performance. To help prepare for the recital, we offer 3 Performance Workshops each semester. These workshops are designed to make performing fun and help ease students into the experience of playing in front of their peers. We also include fun musical group games like Music Jeopardy, Heads Up, and more.

Over the course of a semester, students learn new pieces, playing techniques, scales, aural training, and improvisation.

There are roughly 17-20 lessons each semester depending on the day of the week. The Fall semester at Keys runs from the Wednesday after Labor day in September to the last Saturday of January. The Spring Semester runs from the following Monday to mid-June.

While the recital is not mandatory, participation is highly recommended. The sense of accomplishment students feel after performing is deeply rewarding and energizing. We find that setting a goal and working towards it helps students learn how to face uncertainty and develop discipline that will carry over to other aspects of their life.

Yes! If students and parents want to explore the option, our students participate in regular level testing and competitive performances. You can read more about the testing and competitions we participate in on our website here.

After a successful trial lesson, families make the choice to commit for the semester. Once we have confirmed a weekly lesson time that works for both the student and the school, the Administration will send a registration email that will outline details on the lesson date/time/duration, tuition, listing of lesson dates for the entire semester, attendance and make-up policy, and payment options.

Initial Introductory Lessons: $30 for 15 minutes $35 for 20 minutes $45 for 30 minutes $60 for 45 minutes $80 for 60 minutes In-School Lessons in our Cobble Hill/Brooklyn Heights locations: 15 minutes: $45/lesson (Available for students of age 3) 20 minutes: $50/lesson (Available for students of ages 4 & under) 30 minutes: $60/lesson (Available for students under the age of 7) 45 minutes: $78/lesson 60 minutes: $95/lesson An additional fee of $20 per visit for in-home lesson is applied. In-home lessons are available in Boerum Hill, Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, Carroll Gardens, Dumbo, Park Slope, and Prospect Heights, and Manhattan, Semester tuition does not cover the cost of music, books, and semester recitals.

There is a yearly registration fee, charged in either the Fall or Spring semester depending on commencement date- $45 for individual students and $60 for families of two students or more. A recital fee of $45 for individual students and $60 for families of two students or more to help cover the hall rental and additional costs. For vocal students, a $40 fee is applied to cover the accompanist accompaying at the end-of-semester recital. An additional fee of $20 per visit applied for in-home lessons. Semester tuition does not cover the cost of music and books.

We ask that students commit to the entire semester when registering. In some cases, families with young children have taken one or two additional follow-up lessons after the trial to make sure that interest and focus are still continued before signing up for the semester. Contact us if your circumstances require alternatives to pre-paying semester tuition in-full.

We accept credit card payments for trial lessons only. You can pay for semester tuition by Cash, Cheque, ACH (Online bank transfer through quickbooks), & Venmo (@KeysToSuccess).

Yes! We offer personalized gift certificates for children and adults, ranging from one to infinite lessons. Lessons can be scheduled as you go and are redeemable for up to a year from the initial purchase date printed on the certificate.

A maximum of two make-up lessons are available per semester (With advanced notice given by 8:00PM the evening before the lesson) for missed lessons. Make-up lessons must be completed during the semester in which the absence occurred: they will not be carried over into the next semester. You can read our full School’s lesson policy here.

We are open for communication: Weekdays: 11:00 AM - 8:30 PM ​Saturday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM ​Sunday: closed Lessons typically occur between: Weekdays: 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM ​Saturday: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM ​Sunday: closed

Keys to Success observes Federal Holidays that are included on Public and Private school calendars. But non-federal national, regional, and cultural holidays like Presidents Day, Columbus Day, Lunar New Year, Yom Kippur are not discounted from the calendar.

The school will be closed December 22nd, 2019 - January 1st, 2020 for winter break. Classes will reconvene on Thursday, January 2nd, 2020. In the Spring semester, Keys to Success omits two lesson days for Spring break. The dates change depending on the school students attends. Typically, public schools take off the week of president’s day in February and the third week of April. Private schools are off the last two weeks of March. Students should plan to not have lessons the week of these breaks. Students may request additional lessons during spring or winter break as long as teacher is available to provide the lesson.

Yes! Depending on when students and teachers will be available for lessons, our summer session offers more flexibility and allows students sign up for a single lesson all the way up to a lesson a day for the entire summer.

Starting age is somewhat of a subjective answer. While anyone can learn to play an instrument, we find that there are certain skills that should be developed before starting. These skills include the ability to sit and focus on a single task for 15 minutes and the dexterity to press and play notes with different/multiple fingers. While there is no “minimum age”, we typically have piano students as young as 3.5, ukulele students as young as 5, vocal students as young as 5, and guitar students as young as 7.

We teach all levels from beginner to advanced on Piano, Guitar, and Voice.

Our staff has a wide range of knowledge and experience. We can match students with the right teacher to help achieve growth in Classical/Romantic/20th-Century, Jazz, Blues, Pop, Rock, Folk, Broadway/Theater, Opera, Gospel, and much more!

Yes! The only limitation to the number of instruments one can learn is the amount of time the student spends practicing. Lessons are a great way to learn new skills, but students should plan for regularly scheduled practice times between lessons to work on skills and materials. We have one student taking Piano, Guitar, and Voice!

Yes! We love teaching adults. The lessons are structured differently from young students. Instead of commiting to a semester, we provide lesson packages that work better for adult’s busy schedules. Please email us for more information on adult lessons.

We currently do not offer group classes for instrumental instruction. We provide 3 Performance workshops every semester to bridge the gap between lessons and recitals. Keys also provides a 3-session kids’ workshop on how to create music using GarageBand on Ipads.

Yes! We have an hourly room rental reservation system, directly on our website, offering practice rooms during non-teaching hours starting at one hour rental. You can book a practice room for piano, guitar, voice, other instruments, and small ensembles like classical trios and quartets. We do not have the capacity for drum sets or large percussion instruments in practice rooms. Practice Rooms are Open: Weekdays: 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM & 6:30PM-8:30PM ​Saturday: 3:00PM - 8:30 PM ​Sunday: closed