Reading, harmony, rhythm and ear training — the understanding that turns a student who can play a piece into a musician who knows why it works.
Music Theory & Solfège
Students who study theory alongside their instrument learn new pieces faster, memorise more securely, and are far less likely to hit the plateau that ends so many musical educations around the intermediate stage. That plateau is almost always a reading and comprehension problem rather than a technical one.
Our approach follows the French tradition of solfège — training the ear and the voice alongside the eye, so that students hear music internally before and while they play it, rather than treating notation as a set of instructions for the fingers.
What We Cover
Fluent reading in both clefs, key signatures, time signatures, and rhythmic subdivision — the foundation everything else rests on.
Children's pianoSinging intervals, recognising chords by ear, and taking down simple melodies from dictation. The skill that makes everything else faster.
Book an assessmentChord construction, cadences, and the structure of the pieces students are actually playing — theory applied to real repertoire.
Private lessonsThe written and aural components of graded music examinations, covered systematically alongside practical preparation.
Ask about exam theoryHow to Study Theory
Integrated into piano lessons for most students, as it becomes relevant
As a dedicated class for students preparing for graded examinations
As a standalone subject for singers, guitarists and other instrumentalists
Taught in French and English, following French music education standards
Frequently Asked Questions
Theory turns pattern recognition into understanding. Students who read fluently and understand harmony learn new pieces considerably faster, memorise more reliably, and are far more likely to keep playing beyond the intermediate stage where many learners stall.
Solfège is the French tradition of training musicianship through singing and ear training alongside reading. Students learn to hear music internally rather than only decoding symbols, which makes both sight-reading and memorisation substantially easier.
Not necessarily as a separate class. All our piano students absorb theory naturally within their lessons. A dedicated class is most valuable for students preparing for examinations or aiming at more advanced repertoire.
Yes. Singers, guitarists and other instrumentalists are welcome in our theory classes, and some students take theory purely for the musicianship.
Informal theory begins from the very first piano lessons. Formal, dedicated theory classes usually suit children from around age eight or nine, once reading is established.
Explore More
Private piano lessons — theory integrated into one-to-one tuition
Individualised group piano — where theory is taught within the class
About Ocarina — our French-curriculum approach
Assessment & enrolment — book your assessment session
Ready to Begin?
Book an assessment session and we will advise whether a dedicated theory class would help.
Book an Assessment Session →