Lessons Offered
Piano, Music
Where are Lessons Offered
In Teacher Studio
In Student Home
About Me
My name is Ms. Cheryl and I have been teaching piano for 28 years.
I enjoy it even more today with the many wonderful tools technology has provided for contemporary kids!
You can find out more and see photos if you visit my web site. There is a computer theory lab for students when they finish their lesson with me each week.
The studio also features a wonderful weekly reward table that changes themes every 2 weeks. Students select something from this table when they complete their weekly assignment.
A sight reading library is available with hundreds of books for students to take home to build sight reading skills. This is all included in the reasonable monthly tuition.
My Musical Education Background
Liberty Bible College, Pensacola Florida
Lafayette School of Music, Arlington, Va.
World Indigenous Missions, Tampico, Tamaulipas, Mexico
Taught 3rd Grade, American School of Tampico
Created and hosted The Family Variety Show, Ypsilanti. Mi.
Established The Ivory League Piano Studio
Genres and Subjects Taught
Contemporary, classical, boogie & blues, jazz, sacred.
I am well acquainted with all published methods: Faber & Faber, Alfred, Bastien, Hal Leonard, Noona, Schaum, Glover, Thompson, etc.
Watch video clips of students on the web site!
Music theory is provided through 3 computer labs utilizing 20 of the best software programs on the market today.
I also created The Music Circle Key Signature series which teaches students how to play in many keys with ease.
If you are interested in learning how to play chords and read lead sheets, that is also available.
Composition classes and ear training for transposing music is also taught for more advanced students.
Lesson Rates
The monthly tuition is $105.
Make up lessons are also sent to your computer with a link to a video clip and printable music and theory sheets if you miss a class due to illness or weather.
Ages / Skill Levels Taught
All ages from 5 through adult.
Beginners, Early Intermediate, Intermediate and Advanced classes available.
Preschool Group lessons also available beginning October of 2011.
There is lots of great infomration about the new preschool group lessons on the web site.
My Certifications and Awards
Lafayette School of Music
Member of MTNA and MMTA
Call King's Keyboard House for referral also.
(contact me)
My Musical Influences
Growing up in the church exposed me to a classical repertoire from Bach to Handal. This influenced my love for classical music tremendously.
However, I did a 5 year student evaluation of music from all methods and hundreds of supplemental books on the market today from composers Martha Meir, Dennis Alexandaer, Melody Bober, Catherine Rollins and many more.
I discovered students enjoy classical music very much but they also want variety in their repertoire. With this in mind I provide a well balanced and highly rated (by students) repertoire to keep all ages motivated and inspired.
Service Area
Student Reviews
Stephanie
Ypsilanti, MI
After 2 years and 3 teachers, we finally found the perfect fit for our 8 year old daughter. She learned more from Ms. Cheryl in the first month than in the 2 previous years combined with other teachers. She loves piano now, can sit down at any piano and knock out a tune, and actually looks forward to her lessons. And it's not just because of the "rewards table", which is a great incentive. Ms. Cheryl provides a comfortable and enjoyable learning environment for the student...and the parents! Thanks Ms. Cheryl! Vicky C.
Amy Y
Ann Arbor, MI
Cheryl Wiker has been teaching our boys piano for over 7 years. She is clearly a very knowledgeable piano instructor, but even more importantly, she is truly gifted in the way she works with children. She has firm expectations, but expresses those expectations in a very loving and caring way. She knows when to push and when to let up. I questioned whether it was a good idea to start our younger son with piano when he was in preschool. With any other instructor, this probably would have been a problem. But Cheryl has an amazing ability to tailor her instruction to meet the developmental needs of children of all ages. I've actually learned a lot about how to be a better parent from watching her over the years! Amy Young
Peter
Ann Arbor, MI
“Ms. Cheryl is clearly one of the most child-centered, nurturing, and supportive teachers across all subjects of all time. She goes out of her way to provide the best teaching tools and resources to inspire her students to learn the fundamentals of music and piano playing. My 9-year-old son has been taking lessons from Ms. Cheryl for over five years. As parents, we have learned several effective strategies from her in order to support my son’s practice routine at home. I love how Ms. Cheryl made learning fun in my son’s lessons when he was four and five years old. As my son becomes older, I really like how Ms. Cheryl requires him to be accountable for his weekly assignment. I highly recommend Ms. Cheryl for students of all ages who would like to take their first step toward the world of piano playing, or who would like a teacher who is all about the student.” E.M., Mother of a 9-Year-Old Boy
Taylor A
Ann Arbor, MI
"The Pastors' feel that Ms. Cheryl is one of the most patient, encouraging, creative, and experienced piano instructors. Both our children, Taylor (16 years) and Brendan (11 years) have enjoyed learning their lessons with Cheryl for approximately 7 years. We are very pleased with their continued progress and will highly recommend her for anyone wanting to learn to play beautiful music." - Frank and Cheryl Pastor
Elyse A
Ypsilanti, MI
“Our 10 year old daughter has been taking lessons from Cheryl for four years and our 7 year old son started just last year. Both kids have had a wonderful experience learning piano from Cheryl and they are proud of their own abilities. Cheryl provides a very nurturing environment for learning. She finds creative ways to keep them motivated and enthused, and if they ever become frustrated or discouraged she helps them to see that her job is to make playing the piano easy for them. I can’t say enough about the wonderful qualities I see in Cheryl and her devotion to teaching piano to kids!” Tania Piowoski
Rachel A
Ann Arbor, MI
My girls have been taking piano lessons from Cheryl for only a few months but it is already apparent that she is a very good fit for us. We were taking group lessons from another studio but my 12 year old wasn’t happy there and progress was very slow. I decided to switch piano teachers and I am very happy that we have found Cheryl. I can’t believe how quickly my girls are progressing and they even practice without being asked. They seem to respond very well to her calm and encouraging style of teaching. I love that she gives them every tool possible to be successful including strategies for learning to play the piano, such as ways to achieve better muscle memory in their fingers. I love the atmosphere here as well. As a mom who stays while my girls take lessons, I always have a comfortable place to sit and feel like I am at home. - Kathy Woods