Laura copple piano studio
 
 
My Music, My Life
Contact:  480-614-1561  Email Me
 
    
     I grew up in a musical family and owe them a debt of gratitude for fostering my passion.  My sisters taught me their piano pieces before I started school and by the time I began taking lessons at age eight, I could play everything in the first three books that they used.  Needless to say, my ability to play by ear developed at an early age and has served me well over the years.  My Uncle, Richard Schory, a Grammy Award winning musician, greatly influenced my music education.  His many albums that he made were in constant play in my home.  
    Throughout my childhood, I had inspiring teachers who gave me a strong foundation in classical piano repertoire but also allowed me to explore jazz and pop.  I was encouraged to compose and learned how to notate my work at an early age.  I spent many hours each evening playing all styles of music and would often have to be coaxed off the piano bench.  
    When I was sixteen, I began my apprenticeship with a master teacher in Omaha, Paul Parker, and worked as his teaching assistant in the piano lab at Parker School of Music.  Shortly thereafter, I won first place in the Virtuoso Piano Division at the annual Mid America Music Association competition in Kansas City.   During the following year, I spent several months working for my Uncle in his Chicago-based recording company, Ovation.  There, I learned about the fascinating and complex world of music business.  
    By the time I started college, I had already been teaching piano for three years.  After receiving my Bachelor of Music in Education Degree from the University of Nebraska, I returned to The Parker School as the lead teacher directing the piano lab program.  I spent four years teaching over 100 students a week and trained talented high school students as my assistants.    
    In 1982, I received a full scholarship to pursue graduate studies in music at UNL as well as a piano teaching assistantship.  During my masters program, I was responsible for teaching all students minoring in piano.  My primary areas of academic study were composition and piano pedagogy.  In addition, I was a two time recipient of the Vreeland Award for music composition.  
    Since 1984, I have maintained a private piano studio in my home.   I find great joy in teaching both children and adult students and have never stopped learning or trying to improve as a teacher.  
 
ABOUT
Name: Laura Copple
 
Location:  Scottsdale, Phoenix, Fountain Hills, Paradise Valley, Arizona
 
Education: BME and MM              
  1. University of Nebraska
 
Teaching Experience:
      30 Years
      Group and Private Settings
      Children and Adults
      Beginning to Advanced
 
Offering a Comprehensive Study in Musicianship:
  1. Classical
  2. Jazz and Pop
  3. Improvisation
  4. Theory
  5. Ear Training
  6. Composition
  7. History
 
My Piano:  Schimmel                    
  1. Concert Grand
 
Professional Membership:
Music Teachers National Association
Arizona Music Teachers Association
Phoenix Music Teachers Association
 
Hometown: Omaha, NE
 
 
CONTACT
 
 480-614-1561
 Laura@LauraPiano.com
 
 
My favorites
 
Baroque:  Bach
Classical:  Beethoven
Romantic: Brahms, Debussy
Contemporary: Stravinsky,       Bartok, Bernstein
Jazz:  Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Oscar Peterson, Ella Fitzgerald, Joe Zawinul
Show Tunes:  George Gershwin, Cole Porter
Pop: Burt Bacharach, Henry Mancini
Classic Rock:  The Beatles
Folk:  Joni Mitchell
Country: Lyle Lovett
Current Favorites: Ben Folds, Nellie McKay, Sufjan Stevens
 
 
FUN FACT
 
Laura can trace her pedagogical lineage (student to teacher)
directly to Beethoven