McKenzie Peterson's love of music started by plucking tunes out on the piano as a 5 year old and singing as loud as possible during church services. It developed into formal piano lessons, cello lessons, percussion in band, and self-taught guitar and ukulele. She was often in a musical, choir, play, church production, or band event in her free time.

I’d like to introduce Kennedy Carsten, our Teacher’s Assistant at HeartStrings School of Music. She’s an artist, dog lover, and an aspiring entrepreneur. She’s a full-time college student at PCC, plays multiple instruments, and truly enjoys working with kiddos. She’s also Miss Lila’s favorite daughter (and her only daughter). Here are some fun questions to get to know Kennedy better:

For many students, a recital is an exciting milestone, and sometimes a nerve-wracking one, too. Standing in front of an audience, remembering all the notes, and performing with confidence can feel like a big challenge. With the right preparation and mindset, recitals can become one of the most rewarding parts of learning music.

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.

Learning an instrument is a journey, not a sprint, and building a practice routine is one of the best ways to make steady, joyful progress. But for beginners (and their parents), practice time can quickly turn into a daily struggle: distractions, frustration, or just plain forgetting.

The good news? A few simple shifts can make practice time smoother, more productive, and, dare we say… fun!

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.