Step “5” (at the real piano) was always our true mission, to use the game to get people into the world of making music, playing real music on real instruments. We knew the game was great, but the missing link from the game to true musicianship remained a puzzle. The Academy work sprang from our research at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale as to how piano teachers could best utilize the game in their classrooms. We realized that the Piano Wizard® game, combined with the careful step by step song progression built into EASY MODE, plus a teacher who knew how to utilize the game as the tool, was far more powerful combined than any one of them alone.

In fact, in a short summer camp program, 90 minutes a day, for a mere 4 days, those children learned 12-20 songs, and on the 5th day were reading sheet music and playing at the grand piano, effortlessly, more importantly, PAINLESSLY.

In a single week!

We realized immediately that we needed to offer support materials for our game with step by step DVD lessons, structured around the songs, that could guide anyone, be it parents, non-music educators or teachers, in how to get the same results from their students, children or grandchildren.