TESTIMONIALS
“The consistency makes a huge difference.”
“Playing with other people has improved my confidence and playing ability.”
“It offered a way to naturally funnel in more practice during the week — without making it a triumph of will.”
Here's what current members are saying...
“I am happy to testify how much I am benefiting from Michael Stegner's Imagine Music Lab classes. I also have a monthly private session with him. I played the piano as a kid through high school years, often taking weekly lessons. But I haven't played much as an adult. When we moved to Georgia, we bought a baby grand piano, which my husband plays occasionally. He suggested that I play the piano more, and we found Michael. His Imagine Music Lab classes are great, and I recommend them to anyone interested in piano playing.” - Barb
“I have really enjoyed the group musical lessons. It has quickly exposed gaps in my basic piano theory and playing. Playing with other people on the lessons has improved my confidence and playing ability. It is having a positive effect on my general playing and making me a better well rounded player. Most importantly, I have been playing jazz instead of classical for the past few years and it always felt like two different ways of playing piano. These past two months have finally started to bridge the differences and show me how the information aids the ability to play both. I am starting to see chords in classical and am getting better at reading jazz. I cannot recommend these classes enough.” - Sara
SWITCHING FROM PRIVATE LESSONS...
“Switching from individual lessons to the Imagine Music Lab has been one of the best music education decisions I've made. I didn't expect how much the group format would improve my skills. Learning alongside other musicians and seeing how we all approach a core concept differently makes everything stick better than in a one-on-one lesson. Michael has a real gift for making the material feel relevant no matter where you are skill-wise. Jazz piano was something I was rusty at, but within a month I felt my playing and knowledge of progressions had rapidly improved. It's also fun to do exercises together with the other students in the class. Music production alongside others has also sharpened my ears — I can genuinely hear the difference each week in everyone's tracks, including my own, even across different genres. It's the kind of learning that actually carries over into live playing and production.” - Gallagher
ADVANTAGES OF MULTIPLE SESSIONS EACH WEEK...
“I've been a student of Michael's for several years. I have a very specific niche of pre-war jazz piano I'm interested in, but I'm also not a huge fan of overly regimented systems of learning. I like to take my time and keep my relationship with music fundamentally as a fun form of therapy and creative exercise, and Michael was one of the few musicians I've found. that was able to take my musical interests and funnel them into a way of learning I enjoy.. And as a teacher, he's always bringing up new and interesting concepts that keep the music learning stimulating along the many years I've trained with him.Â
 I've always enjoyed his creative, free, and intellectually comprehensive approach to teaching music. I enjoy that nothing ever feels rote or as the result of memorization which I feel can be draining and caustic to the soul of what musical tinkerers strive to achieve. I am also a very busy professional with an hectic and unpredictable schedule which I've always had to grapple with as a student, and doing biweekly lessons as I used to do with Michael, kept skills a bit disjointed-- because admittedly having sharp music skills is less like knowing how to ride a bike and more like keeping up a six pack or low body fat percentage. You can't be that fit exercising 1 hr every two weeks. So when he pitched his idea last year about a sort of 'music gym' I was extremely excited. It offered a way for me to just naturally funnel in more practice and learning in the week without making it this triumph of will to get in practice along larger gaps of time. The consistency makes a huge difference. I also enjoy the group aspect of the classes, as you end up learning things you probably wouldn't seek naturally, or brushing up fundamental skills that need review or sharpening, as well as just simply practicing along with the group and getting used to performing for strangers or on the spot. I also enjoy the more 'gym' oriented schedule as I am able to miss a few classes or jump into a class as my schedule allows. This form of learning has been a huge gamechanger, especially with respect to just getting more enjoyment out of music learning which was the goal all along.” - David
I'm intentionally growing this slowly.
I’m opening 10 additional spots for the next round while continuing to refine the format.
If you’re curious, the next step is simple:
Take the short assessment.
I personally review each response before inviting new members in.
No pressure. Just clarity.
