Merrimack Music Academy

"I started taking piano lessons with Peter Klapka at TLP Music School in 2011, when I was 13. Peter was recommended to me by a friend who took piano and voice lessons at TLP, and by my Dad, who took bass guitar lessons with Peter when he was in college. When I started, I had 5 years of piano experience, but wanted to learn more about jazz and theory. Peter was able to help me tremendously in these areas, teaching me how to comp and improvise, while working on my reading and technique as well. He always had knew and interesting material in his large music library, and was very open to what material I wanted to work on. After a year, I started taking bass guitar lessons with Peter as well. He is very skilled on both instruments, and it was very cool to show up for a piano lesson, and then be able to turn around and do a bass lesson with him right after. Peter is extremely versatile, and is not bound by any one instrument or genre of music. Throughout my time with him we have worked on sight reading, jazz theory, walking bass, slap bass, soloing, Bach etudes on both piano and bass, playing Charlie Parker solos on bass, play along/jam tracks, transcribing, composing and more. He always had a wealth of material and knowledge available for whatever he thought would interest me and improve my playing, and whatever I requested to work on as well. Peter was always very accepting of my busy schedule. I did not have as much time to practice during my school’s tennis season as I did the rest of the year, and sometimes I would not make much progress because of school projects/finals, but Peter was very understanding during these times. I would highly recommend lessons at TLP Music School to anyone looking for new ways to improve their playing and gain musical skills that can be applied to real world bands and performances."

"Our Son Russell has been taking Piano lessons at TLP Music School for nearly 5 years, starting when he was 7 years old. Peter's an absolutely fantastic Instructor, balancing between firm & fun and creating realistic expectations/goals for his weekly improvement.....not an easy task, when working with young students. We lived in Merrimack when starting lessons with TLP, but moved 20 miles away 2 years ago. We STILL travel back for weekly lessons, rather than find a closer Instructor......that's how good Peter is with our Son ! I highly recommend TLP Music School & Peter Klapka to anyone considering lessons for their Family."

"Our daughter takes voice and guitar lessons at TLP. Every teenage girl should take at least one month of voice lessons from Bevin (they won't be able to stop). Bevin stresses vocal technique while building confidence and ability. She is a masterful teacher with a down-to-earth style and contagious laugh; she makes 'lessons' an absolute joy for student and listener alike. Peter is a teacher of music. From the rank beginner who needs the raw basics to the more experienced student who needs the advanced and subtle techniques of an expert musician, he teaches you how to play."

"Our family has taken piano, voice and guitar lessons at this school for the past 15 years. Peter is a very skilled musician and solid instructor. He is able to modify his teaching to each of us based on what we want to learn. Bevin is a stunning voice coach and belongs on broadway! Instructors are good with keeping kids on track but yet having fun and moving forward. My parents make a point to visit during the recitals because they are constantly amazed by the talent of the kids at this school. TLP has filled our home with all kinds of music - rock, jazz, blues, classical and pop. What a treasure!"

"Our son, Justin, started piano lessons with Peter when he was 9 and we've been going to TLP for over 4 years now. Peter pushes Justin to be better with all of his music. We also appreciate the flexibility in summertime lessons allowing us to continue weekly or pick only some weeks. Justin enjoys learning about all genres of music as well as the fundamentals like scales and chord structure which Peter focuses on. He's also been willing to work with Justin on areas he wanted to focus on at times such as Jazz and sight-reading. We are very happy and plan to continue with TLP at least through high school. We highly recommend Peter Klapka and the TLP Music School."