“I would definitely recommend this course to any music therapist or musician. Before taking the course, I was nervous to play the piano again, especially through improvisation. I’ve always used music for my piano playing and using improvisation was so foreign to me. I felt that my skills were lacking in this area and not sure how I would do going into it. I love playing the piano now. I have used some of the techniques that Lauren taught and they work great with my clients. I will enjoy playing the piano and creating new ways to use these improvisational skills. I think my clients will benefit the most from my learning in this course. These skills will improve my client responses!!! Lauren covered so much material and taught in a way that both a novice pianist could learn as well as the veteran pianist or music therapist. I loved the way Lauren presented the material and the organization behind it all. I learned so much from this course and think that anyone can learn from it.”
“I would absolutely recommend this course to others. It was
very informative, and I liked how you were able to see Lauren play the piano, not just listen. The live playshops were great, and the videos are very well presented and very clear to hear. After taking this course, I foresee being
more comfortable and more confident when playing/improvising with clients.”
–Julie Lukasiewicz, MT-BC | Scranton, PA
“This is a great way to learn – the video start and stop is the way to go. You can practice each example before moving on. The playshops really helped, and I enjoyed the examples of how to use the different styles. They were very helpful, because I could play along with the video. This is a great course. I learned a lot, and I am a pianist! After taking the course, I will be much more comfortable and creative when using improv on the piano.”
–Maxine Vogt, MT-BC | Willingboro, NJ
“I was not sure how well this type of course would work online, but it turned out to be great! In fact, because of the ability to replay the videos, I liked it even better than in person. I would recommend this course to others, because of Lauren’s presentation and abilities, the videos, and the Playshops. I enjoyed Lauren’s ability to make all of these styles feel very “doable”. Lauren was terrific. I learned so much and I appreciated hearing again material that I learned in school. Absolutely one of the best CMTEs I have taken anywhere!”
–Lynn Baker, MT-BC | Crestwood, KY
“I would recommend this course to others simply for the musical exposure and learning, and especially if – like me – one has not had a piano lesson in many, many years. The feature of the course I enjoyed the most were being exposed to the different styles of music presented in a way in which I understood. Lauren is very talented and knows what she brought forth in the course like the back of her hand. It was a pleasure to take a class with someone of this caliber and with someone who exudes confidence.”
–Luane Polcini, MT-BC | North Salem, NY
“I would absolutely recommend this course to others! I feel empowered and have already passed along words of wisdom to my intern. Lauren made everything assessable to people of varying piano skill. After taking this course, I am already playing more at home, and look forward to improvising or accompanying friends in my free time. Clinically, I am more confident at the piano and have already begun to implement some of the styles in my lessons. I really enjoyed that Lauren made the styles and modes more accessible. I’ve always stayed away from modes especially because I didn’t full understand how they worked but she gave us easy white key arrangements for us to start with.”
–Lindsey Perrault, MT-BC | Kentwood, MI
“This course was well organized, covered a lot and was taught in a very welcoming and supportive way.”
–Cyd Slotoroff, MT-BC | Branford, CT
“I would recommend this course to others, even for seasoned piano players. This will help either support what they do and/or give them a fresh perspective on clinical accompaniment vs. the classical piano brain. I honestly thought that with a piano background, I wasn’t sure how much I could really learn that I haven’t been introduced to already. But I kept an open mind and really took in what Lauren had to teach. I’m glad it was so easily demonstrated. It’s not a complete mess in my head anymore and it just feels very organized. I really enjoyed this course!”
–Chanel Nakamura, MA, MT-BC, NMT-F | Stockton, CA
“The course was very well organized, and gave a lot of small hints/tips on how to expand my improv skills. I teach my MT students on piano improv in a very similar way, this course gave me confidence that my way of teaching was not wrong, and good enough.”
–Yuko Martin, MA, MT-BC, LPC | Sicklerville, NJ
“I was afraid that my piano skills would not be sufficient, but I was pleasantly surprised. The way the material was presented allowed me to be confident with my skills and build upon that successfully. I now have some great material to make me exited to practice. I definitely feel more confident using this at the keyboard, and I will be using some of this on guitar as well. Lauren did a super job in how she structured this course. The material was always interesting and the music materials were all accessible. Lauren’s presentation style was upbeat and fun, and her skills solid. Thanks for the great course!”
–Sally Walker, MT-BC | Floyd, VA
“I enjoyed this course very much. It was well thought out and the material was clearly presented. I especially enjoyed the demonstrations. It was easy for me to follow along and then play along with the music.”
–Janet Ingber, MT-BC | Jamaica, NY
“This was a VERY enjoyable and fruitful course! It absolutely met my expectations, and then some! Before taking the course, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to actually play the piano freely. (And I was pleasantly surprised that I was indeed able to play, and enjoy it!) I enjoyed the videos that actually demonstrated the piano played in each style. It really helped me grasp each style and practice along with the videos. This course provides a great groundwork for improvisation at the piano and is presented in a very effective way, making it easy to learn.”
–Lisa Prokopowitz, MT-BC, ACC | Ringwood, NJ
“YES, I would recommend this course to others! I think there are applications for every clientele population and Lauren presented it in a way that rookies feel safe and yet enough challenges that pros have something new. After taking the course, I am sooooo much more confident at the piano!”
–Katelin Eldredge, MT-BC | Columbus, OH
“Prior to taking the course, I was hesitant, because I had not had much experience with improvisation before – Lauren made it understandable and doable! After taking the course, there have already been changes: I feel more confident, and I have already used some of the material in my sessions with clients! I loved having two months to complete the course, and I really enjoyed the Playshops! It also encourages me to take more “on-line” courses – it is a great way to “grow my musicianship”, and to earn CMTE credits! Thanks so much to everyone who supported me through this course, and mucho thanks to Lauren for such an excellent course!”
–Suzanne Graves, MT-BC | West Chester, PA
“I would definitely recommend this course to others. Especially to those who do not feel confident on the piano. Lauren helps to overcome that, big time! After taking the course, I foresee being able to use clinical improvisation more easily with my clients, having more confidence that I can use the piano in more efficient and therapeutically positive ways, and being more brave in tackling new pieces, using the suggestions and techniques from the Accompanying and Sightreading sections. Lauren put together such a well-organized course, with the videos, and asking questions at the end of each section. It was very well done.”
–Barbara D. Rosenberg, MT-BC | Scottsdale, AZ
“Since I had no training in improv, I was sure I would fail miserably, but this course proved me wrong!! I feel much more empowered to use improv in clinical settings and gained SO MUCH valuable knowledge and learned techniques I wish I had learned previously in my training. I loved the experiential nature of this course, because it really made the concepts come alive. This course surpassed all my expectations and made me feel confident with this new skill that I was afraid to develop previously. The clear demonstrations and guidelines for success paved the way to the development of a new set of useful clinical skills I did not pick up at college, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I learned so much in this short amount of time — I only wish I had known this sooner! I think this course should be a requirement in the music therapy curriculum, because it gives a wonderful background for successful clinical work. I am no longer afraid to try improv!”
–Carolyn Stoller, MT-BC | Mediapolis, IA
