Queen Creek resident Nancy Chase has been teaching music for nearly 30 years, beginning when she was in junior high school.
Her mother loved music. Chase and her four brothers took piano lessons growing up, though she was the only one who stayed with it.
She babysat a lot and in eighth grade and started teaching some of the children how to play the piano at their mothers’ requests. She enjoyed it very much.
“I loved teaching. I created my own flashcards and all my own music since we didn’t have the internet back then,” Chase said.
She had about 40 students by the time she graduated high school.
Chase grew up in Gilbert and her family has been in Arizona for generations. Her grandparents owned a farm at Ocotillo and Ellsworth roads.
“My family helped settle Arizona,” Chase said.
She and her husband moved to Queen Creek in 2000, shortly after they got married. They were driving out in the desert and there was nothing except some houses. As newlyweds it was difficult for them to afford a home, but they could afford the homes they saw in Queen Creek. Chase said they had to drive out to Baseline and Ellsworth roads to shop at Albertson’s.
Chase originally studied to be a concert pianist in college, but she switched to elementary education. She is certified to teach music.
She taught elementary school until she had her first child, but she never stopped giving piano lessons.
“It was during the last five years I really decided to take my studio to the next level,” Chase said.
Today, Chase has 15 students at her studio, Trills and Glissandos Piano Studio. She prefers to keep her studio small because of how she operates it.
“I don’t just focus on piano, I focus on the whole music education,” Chase said.
Students audition to get into the studio to make sure they are a good fit for each other.
In addition to learning how to play the piano, students learn about music theory and the lives of composers. They studied Felix Mendelssohn for two months and now they are studying Franz Schubert.
In February, Chase’s piano technician will come and take apart her piano so the students can see how the instrument works.
“They’re so excited about that, which makes me excited too,” she said.
Students have studio classes once a month where they get together and perform.
“It’s scary for them, but they have such a good time,” Chase said.
She also has a system on her website where students can upload videos of themselves playing. She can respond to them and they can comment and encourage each other. Chase said the videos help students see the progress they make.
“Learning an instrument is like trying to lose weight,” Chase said. “You don’t see progress until months down the road.”
The students can go on to become Music Theory Maniacs if they meet certain requirements. Those students meet every other month to get a treat like Dairy Queen and then work on music theory.
Music Theory Maniacs currently has five members. Students get backpacks with her studio logo on it and Music Theory Maniacs get their own T-shirts.
Chase played violin as a child through college. She's taking lessons again and plays in the Chandler Community Orchestra. She's planning on getting a master’s degree in performance pedagogy at Arizona State and is preparing for the audition with a coach.
She loves how music can bring people together.
“Music is just one of those bridges," Chase said. "I see my students, how they are as people, and how this brings them together. Kids who might not have normally talked, now text each other and hang out with each other.”
She hopes her students will love music throughout their lifetimes, even if they eventually stop playing.
“I try to fill them with music because I know it’s going to end,” Chase said. “So many of them will go on to college and they won't study music. I just want them to love music when they leave. I wish more kids could do it. Music taps into that gentler, more emotional side of you.”
