Hobbyist Track
Rebecca focuses on not only teaching, but preparing students to practice the piano long term. 97% of students that take an intro lesson with Rebecca stay with her for at least 3 months. Her students have played at Carnegie Hall in New York and passed their ABRSM tests with honors.
Rebecca doesn't only teach piano, she teaches dedication, focus, and precision. Her practice incentive program is the only one of its kind, featuring an app she developed herself, and encourages students to work hard without any yelling or guilt trips.
Rebecca teaches all kinds of students: exceptionally talented students that win international competitions, neurodivergent students looking for a teacher who works with their brain, and creative students who need a place to be celebrated. She loves teaching all kinds of kids, regardless of background, ability, or focus. She knows that piano is not everyone's passion and will meet your child where they are at, whether piano is their thing, or one passion among many.
Individual 30min lesson: Rebecca will come to your house for 30 minutes and teach your child in a one-on-one lesson. Please keep the lesson room quiet and keep any pets away from the piano to increase focus and make sure the time is well spent.
1-2 teachings songs a week: Depending on your child's practice and enthusiasm level, there is usually time for 1-2 lesson songs during a 30 minute lesson.
Integrated Theory Lessons: Rebecca teaches practical theory and provides all theory instruction while teaching the lesson songs. There is usually no reason for extra theory books or boring worksheets. Rebecca keeps lessons short, fun, and intensely practical. These lessons easily level up into more dedicated music theory learning if the student chooses to pursue ABRSM or AP Music Theory.
Customized Curriculum: Rebecca uses the Piano Adventures series by Nancy and Randall Faber as a baseline for her curriculum. This closely follows the internationally recognized ABRSM curriculum, but is a little more fun and age appropriate for younger students. Rebecca will customize her lessons to your child, filtering in jazz, pop, and accompaniment skills upon request.
Game-Based Learning: Piano lessons don't need to be boring. Rebecca has invented many games to teach practice and performance skills in a fun way. Current student favorites are Stickman War, Animal Exhibit, and Throw the Dinosaur.
Practice Strategies For Each Lesson: After each lesson, students not only know what to practice, but howto practice it. Students will learn how to be independent and focused during their at home practice, though younger students may need some extra help remembering.
Practice Incentives Program: Students report on their practice days each lesson. Instead of this being a guilt trip, students are rewarded for their hard work. Rebecca has developed an app herself to make practice a game--more days practice means more damage done against a monster. Students work in teams to take down monster, collecting rewards along the way that culminate in their very own dragon to keep at home.
Weekly Practice Goals: No more "I don't know what to practice," or endless running through the songs with no results. Rebecca marks off specific sections for students to work on and gives concrete goals for students to work towards. At the end of each lesson, your child will know what to practice, how to practice it, and when it is good enough to show off for a lesson or performance.
Recitals: Rebecca's recitals are held in Livermore twice a year through the Radayeva Music School. These recitals are usually around $50, paid directly to the recital organizer.
Competitor Track
Competing and live performance helps students build confidence and to hone their performance skills. In 2025-2026 season, Rebecca prepared students for more than 80 performances. Half of the performers who competed placed in first or second in the NCYT competitions.
Students on the competitor track work on a special competition song outside of their regular lesson repertoire. They can compete with this song around the Bay Area or via online competitions.
Extra Competition Song: In addition to their regular lesson songs, students will work with Rebecca to choose an appropriate competition from standard piano literature. This song will be an original (not arranged) from a Baroque, Classical, Romantic, or Modern composer. The student will work to perfect and potentially memorize this song to perform at festivals and competitions online or around the Bay Area.
Flexible Competition Season: You can choose how many competitions and which dates your child performs. Rebecca offers over 10 performances per year, 4 of which are completely online for those who do not like to travel.
Over 6 Performance Opportunities Per Year: Rebecca prepares her students for NCYT (based in Livermore) and BAMA (throughout the Bay Area) competitions. Combined, these two organizations run over 20 competitions per year so you have plenty of options to choose when and where your child will perform.
Worry-Free Comp Registration: Rebecca will work with the competition organizers to register your child for their performance. All competitions require extra payment directly to the competition organization to pay for prizes, judges, and performance venue.
Pop Pianist
Pop Pianist is for kids who don't fit into the traditional lesson book model. Maybe they hate the songs in their books, or maybe they are looking for more applicable, real-world piano skills and songs that they love.
Rebecca volunteers at a local church to be the accompanist for the children's choir. She improvises arrangements of hymns and sacred songs every week from lead sheets and traditional hymns, adapting songs into any genre on the fly. She finds these days she is rarely playing what is on the page
Rebecca also works with local singers and musicians to arrange solo numbers. She adapts songs to fit range and style requirements, often completely re-writing songs and performing them live within the week.
Pop Pianist focuses on real world piano skills. Using pop songs and/or specific songs the student knows and loves, Rebecca teaches how to improvise and compose your own accompaniment. This transfers to real-world skills like playing in a band or gigging.
Because pop music is usually not allowed in traditional piano competition settings, a student on this track will not have as many performance opportunities.
Pop songs are typically still under copywrite, unlike music in the traditional piano repertoire. Please plan to spend a little more on music for a student pursuing this track.
Pop/Contemporary Song Focus: The student takes charge of the repertoire here. Instead of following a specific lesson book or curriculum, Rebecca works with the child to find appropriate arrangements of the child's favorite music, regardless of style or genre.
Chord Study/Fake Book Practice: Students learn the ins and outs of composition. They learn how to arrange a song to fit their ability level and how a composer writes music to build tension and emotion. Students learn to read fake books and become fluent in using chords to write their own music.
Real World Skills: Students learn to play popular music from any arrangement. This easily transfers into playing in a pop band, jazz band, or accompanist setting.
Customized Arrangements: Pop music is the Wild West of sheet music, and the best arrangements are either never written down or buried beneath many mediocre ones. Rebecca arranges music in the lesson to match the student's ability level, making the ultimate customized experience for your child.
Pro Track
Pro students prepare for ABRSM testing and international competitions, including the ELITE competition and the American Protege competition, which offers a first prize of playing at Carnegie Hall in New York. These students already show proficiency performing and an extreme dedication to learning and mastering the piano.
Every student that has studied for ABRSM with Rebecca has passed with Merit or Distinction (more than a regular PASS).
Every student Rebecca has sent to the ELITE competition has been asked to play at Carnegie Hall.
In 2025-2026 season, Rebecca sent about 10% of her students to international competitions and ABRSM testing.
Extra 15 minutes Each Lesson: Pro students have a 45 minute lesson to focus on more nuanced skills that prepare them for difficult competitions.
ABRSM test prep: Rebecca knows the ABRSM test, an internationally recognized music test run through the UK, inside and out, having gotten her grade 8 certification in 2025. She will ensure that your child chooses the correct grade for their level, and meets all qualifications for the in-person or online ABRSM test.
Chance to Play at Carnegie Hall: Rebecca sends her students to audition in the ELITE or American Protege competitions. Both of these are international competitions that send winners to play at Carnegie Hall in New York. Every student that Rebecca has sent to these competitions has been asked to play in New York.
Sightreading, Aural Skills, and Scale Practice: Pro track students have a more well-rounded and in-depth musical education, focusing more on just performance. Your child will be prepared for college auditions, having gained proficiency in sight-reading, listening, and scales.
Let's Get in Touch!
Telephone: (926) 997-2643
E-mail: jrebeccamusic@gmail.com