Beginning Music Lessons
in
Franconia, Va

Hi, My son Chris was a student of Michelle's for 4 years. We moved to Michelle's studio after Chris had been dealing wth another teacher in Alexandria. Although the other teacher was very positive in her approach, I didn't find her methods particularly rigorous, nor did I find her business sense particularly good. Both of my concerns became a non issue when we moved Chris to MEA Piano studio. I am by no means a professional musician, but I am a teacher and I played flute through college. I know when I see good musician and when I see a good teacher. Michelle is a very good, very thorough instructor who understands both how to play and how to teach music. Chris progressed quickly under Michelle in the study of piano and also understanding music more generally speaking. She has a no nonsense approach. She is never unkind, but Chris always understood there were expectations. Michelle worked on both playing ability and understanding music theory. Chris was doing full hour lessons starting at age 9 and was making the most of them. As a business woman, Michelle was easy to deal with. Her lessons began and ended on time and there was never a shortage of communication. Bills and pricing were equally clear and easily managed.

My daughter took lessons from Michelle for one year, and had she wanted to stick with piano I absolutely would have stayed with Michelle. She was very friendly with my daughter, was genuinely interested in topics outside of piano (school, etc.) but most importantly her method of teaching piano worked really well with her. There are multiple opportunities for performances throughout the year, and the final recital was very well done - plenty of recognition so that even a beginner felt the accomplishment for her hard work. I would definitely recommend her.

Michelle is a superb piano - no, MUSIC - teacher. My daughter took lessons with Michelle for several years and a DECADE later remains one of the best musicians in her ensembles. Michelle's insistence that the students learn not just piano technique and musicality but music theory and memorization as well - and rewards them for doing so - speaks mountains to her abilities as a teacher and her understanding of how people learn and thrive with music. If I'd had a teacher like Michelle as a child, I bet I'd have stuck with piano much longer than I did. Michelle constantly challenged my daughter to improve, but never pushed her harder than she could handle.

Our daughter took piano lesson with Ms. Michelle for 7 years until we moved. She is a great teacher, always caring and funny when talked to the students that my daughter never wanted to miss the class. She always pointed out the areas that she had to improve and keep us posted all the time about her progress. She was always kind and sweet to all of us. If you are looking for a piano teach for your son or daughter I would recommend her in a heart beat.

Miss Michelle Ayler loves music and is passionate about what she does. She was very friendly towards her students and created a welcoming atmosphere to learn and make mistakes. She is very organized and easy to follow along with. She taught music theory well and understandable. It was taught well compared to previous teachers of ours. She also set up family friendly concerts and got her students involved with music accredited performances and certificates. Michelle developed in my daughter a lasting love and appreciation for music. My daughter continued music lessons into her senior year and currently plays piano with her youth group worship team. Well done, Miss Michelle Ayler, and thank you!

My daughter took piano lessons from Michelle for multiple years (four? five?). Michelle is an excellent teacher. My daughter went to a variety of competitions and performed in the recitals. My daughter felt challenged and made great progress. She did very well in the competitions and Michelle's tutelage was apparent. My daughter really wanted to earn the end of year ribbons / trophies. My daughter stopped studying piano when she took up the brass horn and chorus and when homework started to take lots of time. If my daughter wanted to return to piano, we would go right back to Michelle. I would not hesitate to recommend Michelle.

We were very pleased with Michelle as our daughter's piano teacher for 8 years. Michelle did an excellent job teaching our daughter not only how to play piano, but also introducing her to music theory and composition. She ensured that our daughter participated in recitals, festivals, and other performances that enhanced her piano abilities and taught her to play confidently in front of audiences. The confidence our daughter gained from this has helped her immensely in band auditions on her other instruments throughout middle and high school. We found Michelle to be personable, professional, and easy to work with. We are glad our daughter had Michelle as her instructor, and we would recommend her without reservation.

My son studied piano at MEA Piano Studio with Ms. Michelle for over 5 years. Ms. Michelle was always prompt, polite and professional for his lessons. The studio is situated in a convenient location with abundant parking. The waiting area has always been clean and tidy as I waited during my son's lessons. Throughout his lesson's Ms. Michelle found creative ways to keep him actively engaged and challenged yet balancing this with not allowing him to get frustrated. Ms. Michelle not only taught how to play the piano but also to compose music, understand music theory, provide exposure to various styles of music, give multiple opportunities to be evaluated by outside judges, and perform for family and friends. Ms. Michelle also had a wonderful sense of humor that she shared with my son. She balanced enough discipline and firmness while still having fun and being kind. I would recommend MEA Piano Studio without reservation.

Michelle was fantastic! She was knowledgeable and willing to help my daughter from the moment we signed up. My daughter was challenged every week to work hard, and encouraged to compete in her local school competition. Michelle was awesome with Celeste; she was patient and accommodating with our busy sports schedule. She was entertaining and engaged and she always communicated things in a clear way (since I have no musical background). I thought the entire organization was fantastic. Very well organized, especially during recital time. Michelle made my life easy with easy payment plans, suggesting materials based on my daughters potential, and accommodating time/location. I would recommend Michelle as an instructor to those looking for an awesome piano instructor experience. We miss you Michelle, thank you very much for everything! Celeste & Marie

Both my daughters took lessons from Michelle for about 5 years and their experiences were nothing but positive. Michelle is a very patient and ​intuitive person who is passionate about her work and an excellent teacher. She was one of the reasons the girls continued piano for as long as they did and she taught them that it's not just about learning how to play piano... it's about learning how to be a musician and how to understand all aspects of a piece not just the notes. Michelle is very kind-hearted person and while she may be shy at first she definitely opens up and has a great sense of humor. She got to know all of her students very well to the point where she would make sure to make it up to the student if she forgot their birthday. When the girls decided to stop learning piano, they quit as talented musicians who would go back to Michelle in a heartbeat if they were to pick the instrument up back again. My daughters and I would recommend Michelle to anybody we know and believe she is a phenomenal teacher.

Ms. Michelle is the best teacher that I have heard about. She takes an interest in each student and tailoring her instruction to ensure each students is getting what they need. Each student is challenged, but only as far as she believe they would like. She encourages students to participate in music exams, festivals and audition; and helps them prepare for them. Each student has an idea of the music they like to play and will try to stay within their comfort zone. She tries to get them to go outside of their comfort zones and try a variety of music, which helps them play other music that would not have on their own. Not only does she teach them to play music, she encourages and helps them read and write music. She is very patient, communicates well and seems to enjoy helping students learn music. Our daughter has been going to her for 5 years and will continue to so. We ask our daughter every year do you want to continue with music lessons, knowing that this means: we pay and she practices, and our daughter is always adamant that she wants to continue. I believe Ms. Michelle has contributes to her desire to continue playing music, because of the her dedication to each student. I recommend Michelle Ayler to anyone who mentions they are looking for a good piano teacher.

We had a terrific experience with Michelle Ayler. Michelle taught both of our kids piano for a number of years. We were referred to her by someone who said that she is good with kids with special needs, as our son had some social skills issues. As it turned out, her low-key no pressure approach really worked for us and was a big improvement over the prior teacher we had tried who was focused on pushing and correcting the kids to the point that they threatened to quit. While our son only played for a few years, our daughter continued on with Michelle for approximately 10 years and became a very accomplished pianist and knowledgeable about music theory and improvisation. Although Michelle comes off initially as quiet and introverted, both of our kids really thrived with her subdued-yet-playful student-led approach, which made it possible for our daughter to set her own goals and keep going with piano even when she had many other higher pressure activities going on. Michelle was also always easy to work with for us as parents. She gave lessons in our home, and scheduling and payment (via Paypal!) were easy, with clear policies set at the beginning of each school year and no-questions-asked rescheduling and make-up lessons. Michelle facilitated our daughter's participating in piano festivals and organized a very nice annual recital that is unpretentious and all about the kids. She also wrote a really terrific and well-written recommendation for our daughter that we appreciated. If you are looking for a piano teacher who is all about helping students develop their talents and not about impressing parents with small talk, Michelle is a great option for you.

My child struggled in busy "chain" lessons where instructors were from a pool of instructors and there was a lot of commotion. Michelle provides a consistent, caring, personal music education that is invaluable for kids wanting to learn and enjoy music.

My children have been taking lessons here for 6 years and have learned so much and become really great pianists - all due to the instructor at MEA piano. She is a great teacher and I recommend her to everyone I meet!

This is an incredible piano studio with an amazing teacher. The teacher is passionate about teaching and is very professional. Had an amazing experience with my two daughters for several years. Would definitely recommend this studio if your looking for someone to go beyond your expectations.