West 琉璃神社 piano teacher Claudia Kargl learned to love music at an early age.

Starting when she was seven-years-old, Kargl learned to play the piano at her father鈥檚 side.

鈥淢y father studied with some exceptional talent in Vienna,鈥� she said. 鈥淗is teacher was related to the famous composer Franz Liszt. Dad lost his thumb in the war, and that鈥檚 when he decided to pass his love of music on to me.鈥�

Kargl immediately took to the piano, and as a result of her father鈥檚 instruction and encouragement, she chose to pursue a career in music. For 38 years, Kargl has taught children and adults the joys of the piano in a unique, beginner-friendly way.

Kargl鈥檚 educational programs incorporate music appreciation classes that feature composers and musical stories from all over the world, as well as an alternate system of notation that she ways works much better for children.

鈥淚鈥檝e studied children鈥檚 literature and educational psychology, which is why my program is all about making learning fun. I think it鈥檚 criminal that there are books and programs where you learn music by numbers. When I taught in Vancouver, I had a group of kids coming to me from the Vancouver Academy. I did some testing to see how much they had learned, and I was shocked 鈥� they learned the piano notes by numbers.鈥�

Kargl says that learning the piano by numbers sets children up for failure later on, as it teaches children a rigid system that can鈥檛 adapt to different scales and hand positions. If Middle C is taught as Note 1, she says, children often can鈥檛 adjust when they鈥檙e required to move their hands and position their fingers on different keys.

Instead of using numbers, Kargl鈥檚 system uses a combination of games and age-appropriate activities to teach children the piano in an individualized way that incorporates colours, animals, and letters. Kargl鈥檚 method of teaching offers a flexibility that other programs don鈥檛, a flexibility that is particularly effective for teaching children with learning disabilities,鈥� she says.

鈥淚 had one child in Kanata who was mute, but when she sat at the piano she was completely different,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 taught children in Vancouver who couldn鈥檛 read properly. One lad couldn鈥檛 read music. So I showed him the notes on the piano. First he was imitating, but then he started composing.鈥�

Another of Kargl鈥檚 students aspired to enter a competition for a music scholarship, but encountered an unusual obstacle.

鈥淚 had one woman who came to me when she learned that I had been part of the RMTA Executive. She was in tears. She said, 鈥榥obody wants to teach my daughter to play piano because she only has one arm.鈥� I took that girl to the highest level possible.鈥�

Kargl says that the student entered a music competition judged by the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra鈥檚 keyboardist, where she won a scholarship.

For Kargl, teaching and playing music is about finding fulfillment through artistic expression of one鈥檚 individuality.

鈥淢y dad was 92 years old when he died. He was still teaching at SLR, he was still driving and playing music every day. He was my example. The last words he ever said to me were that if you have a dream, go after it.鈥�

Find out more online at www.childrenspiano-artscorner.com