Learn Piano with James
⭑5.0 (8)
😊90
💰$100 weekly lessons
Dr. James has a Doctor of Music from Yale University and teaches at UCLA. More than just ivory and ebony, the piano is an instrument of boundless storytelling – and I've dedicated the last 40 years to helping students find their unique voice through its keys. As an award-winning pianist myself, I bring both experience and a deep passion to every lesson, guiding students of all levels to reach their full musical potential. Let's embark on a rewarding journey of musical discovery together!
Background checked
Levels taught: Beginners, Intermediates, Experts
Teaches: Kids, Teenagers, Adults, Seniors
😊90 Happy student score
🏅Award-winning
📝Master's Degree
🎓35 years playing
🔥13 Lessons
⭐️Doctor of Musical Arts- Yale
Reviews
Total reviews8
Average rating
5.0
Nora M.Verified ✓
Level: Beginner•Lessons taken: 8
Another amazing lesson with James! I finally got a keyboard and he helped with the process. Kept me on track so I could begin practicing regularly. He gave me a lot of goals to work on and songs to practice so I feel like I have things to learn between lessons. He consistently sticks to the schedule and will even stay a few minutes late to ensure we have our next session planned.
Emily Chang
Level: Expert•Lessons taken: 200
I’ve been taken lessons from James for almost 2 years. I first chose James not only because of his incredible education, DMA from Yale, multiple national competition winnings, and accomplished career, but most importantly he is versatile in all music genre, classical, jazz, pop, musical theater...etc. James is fun and friendly. He is very good at pointing out problems, offering solutions to solve the problems and working with me patiently until I get it. He is also observant and sensitive to my personality and always handpicks music pieces that I really enjoy playing. Musically, he offers suggestions but at the same time allows me to develop my own style. He is an impressive pianist. I am always fascinated to hear him play especially when he is being creative and improvising! The lessons are always engaging and inspiring. An hour always goes by so fast when it’s fun. Occasionally, I saw him teaching other students before starting my lesson and found him really flexible and adaptive to different students personalities and needs, a classic trait of an effective competent teacher. Thinking back to the first lesson I took with James, I realized how much I’ve learned and improved in the past 2 years. I am very happy to have found him to guide me on a hobby I am passionate about. I highly recommend him as a piano teacher for students of all levels, all ages and all genres.
Mark
Level: Intermediate•Lessons taken: 200
Each week of practice brings new awareness to how I play. I’m noticing less tension, more ease, and a lighter touch. Still need to get my left hand to anticipate the bass clef better, but I’m making progress.
Even though it is so challenging, with careful study, Bach is helping me understand the keyboard, my hands, music, and how to make all three work together. It’s amazing how much music can happen between B7 and E. Bach combined with Grieg are also revealing the magic of dynamics and how a lighter touch yields more lyrical results. James’s method is fantastic! Thank you James!
Christine
Level: Intermediate•Lessons taken: 60
Wonderful teacher for my daughter's piano lessons!
Christine, 56 lessons with James
James is patient and gives tremendous guidance for my daughter who is learning piano. The distance learning sessions are actually very doable as I was curious to know how it would work. I highly recommend James as a piano instructor for all levels and ages!
Jade
Level: Intermediate•Lessons taken: 25
Experienced and encouraging teacher
I learned a few pieces from Faber, Beyer, and Thompson. Good mix, good amount of homework work, I feel Learning & growing. James has a good ear while I was playing and would be able to point out where I made an error quickly.
Locations
These are the locations I've set as being able to provide lessons:2 locations available
James Lent's Personal Studio
12140 Lull St, North Hollywood, CA 91605, USA
1977.5 miles awayIndoors
UCLA
480 Charles E Young Dr E, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA
1983.3 miles awayIndoors
Want a lesson at your home or a different location? We can help.
Availability
These are the times I've set as being available for lessons.sundays
5 PM - 8 PM
mondays
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
tuesdays
12 PM - 2 PM7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
wednesdays
10:30 AM - 2:30 PM
thursdays
12 PM - 1 PM7:30 PM - 9:30 PM
fridays
2 PM - 8 PM
saturdays
12:30 PM - 6 PM
Beginner training plan
Your first lessonI like to see how they look okay and read, and advise them where I think they can get realistically in 6-10 lessons!
Lesson 11+Hopefully we move into intermediate pieces and slowly grow from there, with sightreading improving and level of playing growing toward harder pieces.
Lesson 4-10Expect to read stronger and faster, and play with more ease and a bigger toolkit of ways to practice hard spots!
Lesson 2-3Using goals established in the first lesson we improve reading skills and playing skills to chart progress on the student’s stated “dream piece”
Advanced training plan
Your first lessonFirst I like to see where you are at in sight-reading and your playing skill. From there I can advise next projects, pieces and exercises to reach the student’s stated goals.
Lesson 11+We can work on your dream pieces!
Lesson 4-10We get more into technique, ease of playing while staying relaxed, and theory for better sight-reading.
Lesson 2-3We work more on sight-reading, and look at the student’s dream piece and the piece I chose based on the first lesson.
What you need to bringMusic or iPad
What I can bringMusic or IPad!
Frequently asked questions
Cancellation Policy
We totally understand that life can be unpredictable and plans might change. That's
why we've got your back with our flexible cancellation policy, designed to give you
peace of mind when booking private sports lessons with our awesome local instructors!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
If you need to cancel your lesson, no worries! You can get a full refund if you cancel within 24 hours of making your booking. We want to make the process as hassle-free as possible for you.
And if you simply want to reschedule your lesson, change the date and time, or adjust the number of students joining, we've got you covered there too. You can easily make these changes within 24 hours of booking, and up to 72 hours before your lesson starts.
Our goal is to make your experience smooth, enjoyable, and worry-free. So go ahead and book with confidence, knowing that we're here to accommodate your needs every step of the way!
JL
Piano with James Lent⭑ 5.0 (8 reviews)