Our family of 6 children has been a part of Milford Square Music Studio since our oldest was one! She is now 20. We started with Kindermusik and have never left. The teachers are second to none, as is evident when we hear students from other studios perform at auditions and events. Students learn to play more than just notes, they learn how to play musically and feel the music from the time they are teeny. Each child is pushed to reach his or her full potential. All 6 kids started playing the piano at 4 or 5 years old, although they do offer lessons for older beginners as well. My children have varying degrees of natural talent :) , but in our family, music education is important as learning to read. It has been a significant sacrifice to make music a part of our family's education, but the lifelong benefits are worth it. Music provides a unique means of growth and expression. I am proud to be a part of the Milford Square Music Studio family.

Parent - Catherine

Milford Square Music Studio is a wonderful place not only to learn the skill of piano playing, but to develop the love of music along with many other musical skills and make long-lasting friends. Our children have been taking lessons at the studio for the past 11 years and we will miss it greatly when they graduate from it – their childhood without MSMS would not have been the same. Our experience with Milord Square Music Studio has been phenomenal; we give it our highest recommendation.

Parent - Lucyna

Yesterday I took my children to see the Lehigh Valley Drum Circle at the Steel Stacks Farmers’ Market in Bethlehem.  The children had a wonderful time.  The drummer played a game with all the children.  She would drum a pattern and asked them to drum the pattern back to her.  My eldest liked it so much he asked her several times to play again.  She finally relented and played it just with him.  He repeated back every pattern she played on the drum perfectly.  She was so impressed that he was only six and had ‘such a good ear’.  And he was thrilled because she gave him (and only him) a CD of her drum music as a prize.  I credited all his years in Kindermusik and now piano when she asked about him.  Thank you for giving my children such a special gift!

Cheers!

Parent - Kristyn

Teaching at the studio is all encompassing. We enjoy the variety of group lessons, workshops and individual lessons. Teachers provide many opportunities for students to excel in their music education.

Parent - Liz

Dear Mrs. Sewell, 

I hope this letter finds you well, especially with the events that have transpired over the past year (and continue to do so!)

I wanted to write to you to say thank you.  Over this past year, I rediscovered my love for playing the piano, often finding solace in music which replaced the lack of sport in my life.  I found myself spending hours playing old Suzuki songs, relearning music that I spent hours perfecting when I was younger, along with learning new songs that piqued my interest.

If it were not for the countless hours of lessons you gave me when I was younger or the technique driven style of playing and reading music, I would not have found my way back to the piano.  It is for the wonderful foundation of music that I want to say thank you.  I did not realize how valuable it was until this past year or how much music continues to be a part of my life!

I am currently playing field hockey at the University of Maryland and am in my senior year.  I have found a way to gain access to a piano down at UMD and play during my free time as it helps me relax, the stressors of practice/games fading away.

With the time drawing to a close on my athletic career, I have realized how lucky I am to have the background I do with piano, as it is something I can continue to do the rest of my lie.

I wanted to let you know the impact that you and your lessons have had on my life, and I cherish all those moments dearly.

I wish you the best and thank you again for teaching me the gift of music.

My daughter is in her third year studying piano and music history at the Milford Square Music Studio.  Gloriana Sewell, her teacher, has guided her patiently and kindly through the Suzuki method of practice.  (Mrs. Sewell) always takes extra time and teaching to make sure she is learning to play each piece effectively.  My daughter enjoys attending the enrichment classes and group workshops as well as her private lessons.  Learning different famous composers and identifying their music is an important skill to develop at this age.  Gloriana and her daughter, Keren, make these music history lessons fun and age appropriate.  We are pleased with our daughter's music development under Gloriana Sewell’s teaching at the Milford Square Music Studio.

Parent - Carrie

Our daughter has been a student of MSMS for almost eight years and our overall experience has been first class.  The professionalism and desire for nurturing children is a hallmark of the studio.

Our introduction to the Suzuki method of learning was through the informative parenting class offered by the studio.  We could perceive that the interaction between parent and child and parent, child, and teacher would be beneficial in a number of ways.  Many of the results from this type of learning have spilled over into other aspects of learning and relationships.  We feel the underlying principles of the studio are supportive and in line with our family values.

The diversity of music education offered has been rich.  From concerts at the Kimmel Center to interactive concerts at Zoellner to operas in NYC have given a broad spectrum of enjoyment to our whole family.  

Recitals and auditions, though nerve-racking in some respects, have given much poise and confidence to our daughter, not only in her piano performances but in her drama interests and schooling as well.  

It has been a wonderful experience for her to grow in her relationship with Mrs. Sewell.  We as parents have been so impressed by Mrs. Sewell’s patience and encouragement....  We know that our entire family has been enriched by our participation in MSMS.  We count it a privilege and a blessing to be part of their mission.  

Parents - John and Kim

The piano is a beautiful instrument, and we feel fortunate that our family has the opportunity to enjoy it!  Gloriana and Keren provide a supportive learning environment in which to pursue piano technique through the Suzuki method, and we have all been pleased with the results!

Parent - Danielle

We appreciate the various opportunities to play for nursing homes, and other occasions that others enjoy hearing kids play.  We enjoy the music that the kids are learning as much as the life lessons that are learned from the practices, recitals, performing, and competitions.

We as a family attended Lang Lang at the Kimmel Center with two other families.  It was an enjoyable time for our family as we enjoyed the company, the concert, and the restaurant!  Thank you!

The Five Browns was our last field trip to the Kimmel Center.  Wow! What a great time!  We carpooled with friends to make a great experience for the whole group.  We went out to eat to a new restaurant which made it a fun and special experience.

Thank you Mrs. Sewell and Mrs. Keren for teaching our sons.  We appreciate the individual and custom made lessons that encourage, motivate, and help each child excel in piano.  I can see from the many years of lessons that each advanced differently, each had different ways of learning, memorizing, and playing.  The key is to keep practicing no matter what, and never give up!

Thank you for making groups fun for the kids.  I enjoy learning along with my kids as they attend their enrichment classes.  Thank you for your patience and soft voices as you work, teach, and share your love of music with parents and kids alike.

Parent - Riham

At first, we were not familiar with the Suzuki teaching method, that kids could learn to play the piano without reading the scores.  After two years of lessons at the studio, we are truly impressed by the progress of …  our five year old.  She can now play more than a dozen simple pieces with little mistakes and good timing, using both hands.  

Mrs. Sewell is a very experienced teacher for young children: she is patient and pays attention to details.  In addition to technique, she actively encourages the students to be expressive, and this somehow reflects in my daughter's playing style.  We also hope she can learn her (teacher’s) gracefulness!

I believe having an experienced teacher for young kids is extremely important because there are down times and kids are hard to deal with.  We came back from a long vacation at the end of last year, and our daughter became reluctant to practice because she forgot to play and got frustrated.  Moreover, she could be stubborn sometimes!  We were quite frustrated and were almost ready to give up, but Mrs. Sewell’s patience, persistence, and teaching experience were very valuable in getting our child interested in practicing again.  It took ... about three months to get back to her daily practice (so you could imagine our frustration during this time); without Mrs. Sewell’s advice it might have taken much longer.  

The studio holds monthly group lessons, so students play in front of their classmates and learn music history, music terms, and some basic musicology.  There are field trips to family concerts at Lehigh’s Zoellner Center and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia.  There are also student recitals before the end of the spring, and every kid, even the young ones, gets to play before an audience of about 100 people.  The curriculum is well developed and varied.

Highly recommended.  Not only is this a great first step for your child to learn piano, but a great learning and growth experience for the child that the whole family can also share.

Parent - Shin-Yi

My five -year old son has benefited greatly from his Suzuki piano lessons and group classes at the Milford Square Music Studio.  He is taught to play the piano with patience and understanding, with lessons that are age-appropriate for a young child.

He enjoys the opportunities that he has during the enrichment classes and workshops to play the piano for his peers.  

As a parent, I love being a partner in my son’s music education – it is a joy to help him learn to play the piano and further develop his love and appreciation of music!

Parent - Beth

My children have taken lessons at the studio for a number of years.  My daughter started when she was six and my son when he was three.  He also participated in the Kindermusik program.  Our experience with the studio has been a very positive one.  Mrs. Sewell is an excellent instructor who always has the children’s best interest at heart.  She puts a lot of time and energy into planning lessons and activities.  Her love of music and children is evident.

The one thing that I have been most impressed with is how comprehensive the program is.  The children not only are given piano lessons but they are exposed to music history, other instruments, and rhythm.  It is quite different from the piano lessons I knew as a child!  I think a student coming through this program would be well prepared for a collegiate program in music.  

Another bonus is the wonderful field trips that are planned.  My children have had the experience to see different musical performances at the Kimmel Center and Zoellner.

Last, my favorite activity is the Christmas program where all the students play Christmas carols together on keyboards.

Parent - Ann

My daughter and I were introduced to Kindermusik through my mom. She bought us a summer session to see if my child would like it and to see if it would help her.  My daughter was very shy and very sensitive, but the one thing that seemed to calm her or make her happy was music.  My husband and I thought she might be autistic.  She would tremble at the sound of loud noise, would never go to anyone in the family much less a stranger.  She would shake her head back and forth when she would be put down for the night; and sometimes you would have to hold her head still.  The doctor even told us, “No daycare.”

Anyway, this class has changed her life.  She loves it.  She sings along through the whole class.  Every day she asks me, “Music class today?”  She listens to the CD’s almost every day; several times a day.  She remembers a lot of things we do in class, and we do them together at home.  She has made wonderful friends and so have I.  In fact, one of my friends who we met there was with us in the beginning and came back with us again.  The first thing she said was, “I can’t believe she’s the same kid!”

We thank you from the bottom of our hearts and hope you always continue what my family considers an honor to be a part of.

Parent - Shawn

This was my daughter’s first experience with Kindermusik.  I am so pleased with the program and staff.

The program, Imagine that!, was so age appropriate and Miss Keren is an exceptional teacher!  During our time with Kindermusik, my daughter went through a phase of separation anxiety, and Miss Keren was so kind, helpful, and pleasant, not to mention patient through it all!  Once my child was in class, she completely enjoyed participating.  The days following her Friday class, she would sing the songs and talk about what she learned at each lesson.  

 I really like the last fifteen minutes of class when families joined in with the children.  It gave us the opportunity to interact with our own children, as well as with the other families.

I would highly recommend Kindermusik to other families!  Thanks so much for giving us such a terrific experience!

Parent – Cathleen

The Kindermusik class is wonderful!  My girls look forward to it every week – it is a highlight of our week.

Mrs. Keren is a great teacher and the classes are structured very well.  The studio is beautiful and inviting!

Parent - Jane

... we attended a performance at the Pennsylvania Ballet this past week and I wanted to thank you both for the part you play in making this experience (and others like it) so enjoyable for our family.  It is such a pleasure to see their musical training increase their curiosity and attention to detail in these kinds of performances.  They loved scoping out the orchestra pit and discussing the shape of the piano's soundboard - I think this was fueled by the enrichment class about the making of a Steinway and discussions this year about the history of the piano… (one child) leaned over and noted how many 2nds were used in a piano piece - her guild ear-training at work!  They had fun picking out a harpsichord sound from our seats and familiar composer names.  Our enjoyment of the "Tarantella" was more complete thanks to Keren's explanation of its history. Thank you for teaching us! :) 

Parents - Jason and Jana