Hello everyone, my name is Dean Solden and I am more than excited to join Steve Osburn and the Oz music family as a piano and keyboard instructor. As you will see below, I have been playing and teaching music for over forty years and am very passionate about what I do! I teach beginners through advanced, children, teens and adults, and my goal, while of course teaching the instrument, is always to try and convey my love of music to each student. There is an amazing artistry within music, lessons about beauty and movement and art, and I try to open that window to everyone. And, we just have fun!
My goal with kids, with first year students, is to get to year two! That means I do what it takes for them to enjoy music, enjoy the lessons, and want to play, because they are playing music they like. I do this, along with teaching them all the basics of reading, theory and technique, by teaching songs they know, they like and listen to, from the current pop bands to hip-hop, to video game music. I’ll introduce blues, jazz, country, classical, and popular music to them, and we’ll then go with what resonates. Because of my training, I can take virtually any song,and make an arrangement for any level – right on the spot! This keeps the students interested and excited. I also have a special curriculum of beginning jazz and blues that I have been teaching for years with great success. Adults, children and teens love this. And, along with classical and jazz techniques, I will get you to play the piano like a guitar, playing chords and singing along, which hopefully will last a lifetime.
You’ll be playing the piano within a month.
I also love classical music, especially Mozart and Chopin, and incorporate classical technique into my teaching.
Rates: $40 per half hour; $60 per 45 minutes; and $80 per hour. Add an additional $5.00 if I go to your house. Pay by the month in advance.
Call or text at 734-260-3600 or email me at [email protected] to get started!
See my website at deansoldenmusic.com. for recordings and videos.
Bio
Dean Solden has had a 40-year career as a professional jazz educator, jazz musician, classical musician, author, playwright, and entrepreneur. He has an undergraduate degree in Classical and Jazz performance from Sonoma State University, Sonoma County, California, which also consisted of an interdisciplinary humanities program which influenced his entire career. Upon graduation he and his wife founded a rock, jazz, and classical music school for children and adults, called simply, “The Music School,” in Mill Valley, California, which was one of the first rock schools in the United States, which they ran for ten years before moving to Michigan.
Dean has toured with singer, Maria Mulduar, and played with musicians who have played with superstars, such as Jackie King (Willie Nelson), Harold Jones (Tony Bennett), Pistol Allen (Motown), and Louis Smith (Blue Note).
In mid-life Dean transitioned into senior living, where he has used his creativity to create innovative living situations for seniors, which, of course, including music! He is the founder of University Living and Vibrant Life Communities. He uses those same humanistic approaches to help those with disabilities, included creating a memory care choir, and a hip-hop music video for people with Alzheimer’s Disease (Don’t Define Me, Just Remind Me – youtube). See Dean’s music on deansoldenmusic.com. See his substack blog at BabyBoomerBlog.substack.com.
Text Dean at 734-260-3600 or email at [email protected]. You’ll be playing in a month.