As a composer, I offer a unique perspective in my piano lessons. We can get inside the mind of the composer and explore how the piece was created. These insights increase your appreciation of the music and speed up the learning process.
You are welcome to study the classics, or branch out to improvisation and other styles.
I emphasize sight-reading, technique, keyboard harmony, improvisation, and a broad range of music that spans classical to popular genres. You'll be able to learn the music that you love, and read music just like you might read a good novel!
For those interested in classical piano, we’ll emphasize sight-reading, technique, and learning repertoire from musical eras that you enjoy. We’ll analyze the scores so your interpretation reflects the thematic development, harmony, and structure of each piece. This applied theory will help you to integrate your playing with your theoretical knowledge of music.
Theory and technique, such as scales, arpeggios, and chord progressions will be combined with the repertoire.
Improvisation lessons embrace keyboard harmony, combining theory and technique simultaneously. We’ll cover triads, 7th chords, chord extensions and inversions, and begin with improvisation in the first lesson.
You’ll also learn to read chord charts and standard musical notation, as we’ll use popular music collections, lead sheets, and any music you’d like to bring to the lesson.
This is a composition D'Arcy wrote and performed in 2021:
https://youtu.be/gHYVP46QNC8
Offering in-person lessons in Novato and Zoom piano lessons using two cameras, and YouTube practice recordings.
BIO
D'Arcy is an award-winning pianist and composer with B.A. in piano performance, and M.A. in musical composition from Mills College. She has taught music for over 25 years in Northern California. As the founder of the SF Chapter of the American Composers Forum she developed the renowned Composer in the Schools program for high school students to composer their own chamber music.
Ms. Reynolds toured South Africa with the Sontonga Quartet on a Meet the Composer global Connections grant, and was featured in the DVD 'Inner Landscape' filmed in South Africa. She has received commissions from the American Composers Forum, and Noe Valley Chamber Music, and has received grants and awards from the ASCAP, USIA, the American Music Center, and Meet the Composer.
TESTIMONIALS
“You have found the best piano/music /composition teacher!
I have studied piano and music for the past 15 years, in both private and public settings that have included the Berklee College of Music and UC Berkeley, and I can honestly say that D'Arcy has been one of the very best teachers that I have studied with during this time. I started studying with her just over 6 months ago, and in that time I have grown as a pianist, composer, and overall musician in ways I didn't think possible before.
I have found that one of the most difficult parts of finding a good teacher is to find someone who can adapt to your style and goals, while at the same time still acting as a teacher and pushing you in new and challenging ways. Most importantly I found it was hard to find a teacher who actually listened to what YOU wanted to achieve in music, but D'Arcy has done just that from the beginning.
Before studying with her I had a background mainly in rock, pop, and jazz piano and composition, and with her I hoped to focus and improve upon my classical piano chops, theory, and compositions, while at the same time integrating this with my previous musical interests and skills.
D'arcy has done all of this, tailoring each lesson to my specific and overall goals, and with her MA in Music Composition and experience as a professional composer and pianist, she brings a working knowledge of music that is unparalleled.
Regardless of your age or previous experience, or if you want to study piano, theory, composition, or general musicianship, classical or otherwise, D'Arcy is the teacher for you”.
Cody M.
I have studied piano with D’Arcy for over 25 years. I started studying with her when I was 7 years old, learning all the basics of musicianship, sight-reading, and technique. Over the years, I starting learning more difficult music and began giving solo and chamber music concerts. I mostly studied classical music, but D’Arcy works in different styles, so I also studied improvisation with her. She’s always been flexible about my repertoire and she’s really responsive to my needs.
As I got more advanced, I was able to take D’Arcy’s Musical Composition workshops. These classes helped me to grow as a musician, and to really understand how music is created. This has helped me in interpreting pieces that I’m working on. I think that because D’Arcy is a composer, she is able to provide a unique perspective in her teaching.
In recent years, D’Arcy has coached me for chamber music concerts that I’ve given at the San Francisco Community Music Center. My repertoire has included the Debussy Piano Trio, Reynolds’ Corazon del Verano, Ravel’s Prelude from Le Tombeau de Couperin, Chopin Etudes and Nocturnes, Ginastera’s Danzas Argentinas, Schumann’s Fantasy, and numerous four-hand pieces that I play with my duet partner.
D’Arcy’s teaching works on a lot of levels, integrating elements of mindfulness and somatic awareness with her extensive knowledge of music and piano repertoire. I feel that I’ve grown in self-awareness and achieved a musical level that I had never believed was possible. Studying with D’Arcy is such an enriching experience!
Ann S.