The Westside OMTA Ribbon Festival is a delightful performance opportunity for music students in a creative, fun, and relaxed atmosphere. It is a non-competitive and non-adjudicated event. Student can choose up to three categories and will receive a colorful ribbon for each category they choose to participate.

If you're just starting piano lessons, one of the very first things you'll learn is how to find and name the white keys on the keyboard. Don’t worry, it’s not as tricky as it seems. In fact, once you know the pattern, it’s kind of like solving a musical puzzle!

Ready to become a key-finding expert? Let’s go!

When parents think of music lessons, they often picture a quiet one-on-one session, just the student, the teacher, and the instrument. And while private instruction certainly has its place, group piano classes are becoming an increasingly popular (and effective) option for young beginners.

So why are more families choosing group learning? And what makes it such a powerful way for kids to start their musical journey?

Let’s explore the benefits of group piano classes and why learning in a shared space can support not just musical growth, but emotional, social, and cognitive development too.

We believe that music education should be joyful, exploratory, and confidence-building, not rigid or intimidating. While music fundamentals like scales are important (and we do teach them), we approach learning as an opportunity to have fun!

My name is Lila Riley, and I’m the founder and primary teacher here at HeartStrings. With over 20 years of experience teaching piano and violin to students of all ages, I’ve seen firsthand how powerful music education can be, not just in developing skill, but in building character, curiosity, and courage.