Celebrating creativity, Making music, and Having fun at the piano
Hi! My name’s Chelsea Vaughn and I have been teaching piano for 7 years. I opened my studio doors in Milton, Florida in early 2022.
When I first started teaching, I followed the example of my childhood piano teacher. After all, he instilled in me a love for playing the piano and gave me many of the musical tools I still use today.
What has become apparent to me over time, however, is how much of music had been left out of my piano lessons. I had never been taught to improvise, to play by ear, compose or embellish melodies.
I was a strong classical player. I could read decently well and memorize like a professional. I was great at scales and chords, both of which contributed to decoding and retaining pieces. But I never felt creative, and I did not understand how to make my time at the piano my own.
I decided that I wanted to teach differently.
I want to pass on my strengths, but also so much more! The traditional piano lesson format works for many, but not all. And even for those who successfully make their way through piano grade levels using the old system, there are ways in which piano instruction can be more fun, more interesting, and more well-rounded.
What will motivate and inspire each student will be different. My job as a teacher is to give options, guide, and help students develop skills that will stay with them for life.
I thoroughly enjoyed my 9 years of music education and the phenomenal teachers I was fortunate to study under. At Smith College, I worked first with Monika Jakuc Leverett and later Marc Ryser. Their instruction and guidance were invaluable in how it made me think about the mechanics of playing classical music. But looking back, part of me feels like my narrow focus on just a few aspects of playing the piano limited me to the wider world of piano and creativity.
There is much more available to discover if students can just find their way to it. That’s where I come in...
To learn more about lessons, please see Piano Lessons. You can read about my studio setup below or visit the Contact page. I am happy to answer questions by text, phone, or email, but I usually request a meet-and-greet before lessons commence. That way we can both make sure we’re a good fit and that any policy confusion is cleared up.
I look forward to hearing from you!
Piano with Chelsea is just that – piano lessons with me, Chelsea! I am not a big music school with hundreds of students and interchangeable teachers. Lessons are conducted out of my home studio in Milton, Florida, and in rare instances, in students’ homes.
Lessons are held on a Kawai KG-2E grand piano or in the case of buddy lessons, a combination of the grand piano and one of my digital pianos.
Parents are welcome to wait in the studio (where they can see and hear their child), in the foyer (where they can still hear the lesson), or in their vehicles. Some parents bring their dogs and walk around the neighborhood while they wait.
I ask that students remove their shoes and wash their hands before they come into the studio for their lesson.
Celebrating creativity, Making music, and Having fun at the piano