Payam Music started the same way learning piano typically ends: with quitting early.

Our founder Payam Khastkhodaei lost his passion for piano as a child, but a new teacher resparked his interest and Payam began teaching piano as a hobby in his teens. While in medical school, he stumbled into a new way of teaching piano inspired by his study of language and developmental psychology.

The “aha” moment: music as a language

Payam taught students to “speak” piano first instead of reading and writing. He ignited their interest by replacing traditional sheet music with a more intuitive alphanumeric notation to teach students songs they loved.

Payam Music Curriculum

teacher and student
teacher and student

A new methodology was created

Once he saw students mastering techniques and building confidence, he would introduce that technique in traditional sheet music. This process would continue back and forth, reinforcing each step, until students build a solid foundation — preparing them to seamlessly transition to reading full sheet music.

Payam and students
Payam and students

The results were stunning

His students started achieving diploma status–the black belt of piano–in four years instead of the average of 12 years. Payam eventually trained other teachers in this new method and opened a piano school in his childhood home in suburban Seattle. As word got out and demand increased, he opened another school nearby.

See Success Stories

And then something truly magical happened. After a few years, his former students became teachers in the school and taught the next generation of piano players.

 

If you love what you do, you’ll get good at what you do.

Now imagine you love the instrument, you love the teacher, and you love the songs you learn. There’s no way you won’t become successful… the results blew us away.

– Founder, Payam Khastkhodaei