Group Classes at the Chopin Academy of Music
Private lessons build the core of a student’s technique, but group classes shape a complete musician. Playing for others, learning from peers, and understanding music as an art form all develop skills that one-on-one lessons cannot fully cover.
That is why, at the Chopin Academy of Music in Issaquah, WA, and Scottsdale, AZ, we weave group activities into every student’s education. In fact, monthly performance rehearsals welcome all students enrolled in private lessons at no charge, usually on late Saturday or Sunday afternoons. Whether your child studies piano, violin, flute, or cello, these classes turn steady weekly practice into real musical confidence.
Performance Rehearsals
Recitals, festivals, and competitions matter — but the quieter moments when students simply gather and share matter too. Throughout the year, therefore, our instructors arrange Performance Rehearsals: group sessions, held without parents present, where students play for one another.
Because they happen regularly, these rehearsals build genuine performance experience ahead of recitals and events. Meanwhile, they also teach the etiquette, presence, and poise that make a musician comfortable on stage. For many students, in fact, learning to play in front of peers becomes the step that finally makes performing feel natural.
Cost: free for all registered students
Meets: arranged by your personal instructor
Prerequisites: currently enrolled Chopin Academy student
Group Make-Up Classes
Did your child miss a private lesson? Every instructor at the Academy holds group make-up classes throughout the year, so no one falls behind. Rather than simply replacing a lesson, these sessions cover efficient practice habits and techniques, ear-training exercises, and other essentials of a strong musical foundation.
To find out when the next class meets, simply contact your primary instructor. Like performance rehearsals, make-up classes always remain free of charge.
Basic Music History
Developing technical and interpretive skill is essential — yet understanding the art form itself matters just as much. Basic Music History introduces students to music across the ages, and it explores style, form, and context through listening examples and lively, interactive discussion.
As a result, students come away with practical tools to understand and talk about the music they play, along with a foundation that supports more advanced study later on. For Exam and Competition Track students under age 13, this class is required once; meanwhile, younger students are strongly encouraged to take it. You can learn more through our Exam Track and Competition Track programs.
Why Group Classes Matter
A weekly private lesson teaches a student how to play. Group classes, on the other hand, teach them how to be a musician, to perform under a little pressure, to listen critically to others, and to understand where a piece of music comes from. Together with private instruction, therefore, they form the complete education that has helped our students go on to perform at venues from Benaroya Hall to Carnegie Hall.
To see how private lessons and group classes work together at every level, explore our full range of programs of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are group classes included with private lessons?
Yes. Performance rehearsals and group make-up classes are free for all enrolled students.
Do I need to attend group classes?
Performance rehearsals are open to everyone and strongly encouraged. Basic Music History is required once for Exam and Competition Track students under 13.
When do classes meet?
Most performance rehearsals are held monthly on late weekend afternoons. Make-up classes are scheduled directly by your instructor.
Do group classes cost extra?
No. All performance rehearsals and make-up classes are included at no additional charge for registered students.
Already enrolled? Ask your instructor about the next scheduled class. New to the Academy? Schedule a complimentary consultation and discover how private lessons and group classes work together to build confident, complete musicians in Issaquah and Sammamish, and Scottsdale.