Music Con Brio With Valerie Ross

Encouraging The Creative Spirit One Piano Lesson At A Time

Our greatest vision is to inspire self-confidence, encourage self-expression, and enhance the human connection for all ages, one music lesson at a time. We are committed to providing a creative environment that inspires the inner musician while teaching proper musical technique, performance etiquette, musicality, and more, so our students feel confident and excited to share their musical gifts.

Music Con Brio by Valerie Ross was opened in 2018 and is located in downtown Washougal, WA.

Meet The Instructor

Valerie Ross

I fell in love with music as a very small child watching my mom teach piano lessons in our living room. At age 4, I began begging her for lessons, and I've never looked back since.

As a teacher, I delight in passing on the excitement I felt to the next generation. I want to give each one of my students the tools they need to enjoy playing piano for the rest of their lives, whether they decide to study music as a career or to play for enjoyment and pleasure.

I have an undergraduate degree in music education and earned a CA single subject credential for music in 2007. In 2010, I completed a masters degree in Piano Performance at the Longy School of Music in Cambridge, MA, where I studied with renowned performer Randall Hodgkinson. I have performed as a soloist and in chamber ensembles on both coasts of the US and abroad in Italy, included performances at Longy’s Pickman Hall, New England Conservatory’s Brown Hall, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston. I’ve collaborated with the Boston New Music Initiative, Boston Children’s Chorus, and the Halalisa Singers, as well as performing as an accompanist with Toby Oft, principal trombone of the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

I have over 15 years of experience as a private lesson instructor and am an active member of professional organizations that allow me to stay abreast of the latest pedagogical research and techniques.

#teachertuesday Quick practice clip of Ms Valerie working on some Brahms last spring! #workinprogress #practicemakesprogress #pianistsofinstagram #pianoteachersofinstagram #pianoteacherlife
Posted by Music con Brio on Tuesday, July 28, 2020

Beginning Piano Improv with Music con Brio
In honor of this month's rare Livermore snow, Ashlyn and Zoe improvised a snowman song!
Posted by Music con Brio on Thursday, February 28, 2019

Our Values

Our promise to all Music Con Brio students, instructors and the musical community

Collaborative Accountability

The learning journey extends beyond the classroom and into our student’s lives. By creating a collaboration between the student and teacher, we maintain accountability for music education and ethical conduct.

Creative Self-Expression

Encourage and nurture the creativity of all students and teachers. Our methods explore each student’s expressive potential, enhancing their ability to express themselves through music using variations of dynamics, tone, tempo, touch, and register.

Confidence Through Community

We seek to enrich the interpersonal relationships of our students, by creating opportunities for them to play with others through performances, community service, and musical gatherings to improve self-confidence.

Progressive Teaching Methods

We are committed to continually evolving our teaching methods to improve the student learning experience. We believe that music education should extend beyond repetition, and incorporate other elements to engage the student's mind, such as improvisation and games.

Celebrate Often

Taking on a new skill is incredibly challenging, so we make sure to celebrate even small success with our students along the way!

Inclusive Learning

We are committed to meeting our students where they are in their musical journey. Lesson structure and pacing are informed by the student's interests and abilities focused on bolstering their weaknesses to support continued growth.

Welcome To The Studio

Piano Lessons in Washougal, Camas, and Vancouver

We opened in Washougal, WA in August 2022 after a wonderful 4 years of business in California. Our studio space is located at 1887 Main St in the heart of downtown Washougal, a few minutes’ drive from historic downtown Camas and Vancouver WA.

We offer music classes and piano lessons for the whole family, ranging from our Family Music class for babies, toddlers, and the grownups who love them, to our Mini Musicians music class for preschoolers, and group piano classes and private piano lessons for ages 4 and up. We also teach adult piano lessons that empower you to play the music you love, whether you’ve never touched a piano in your life, have been playing for years, or are returning to lessons after a break.

But our studio is more than just a physical space - it’s a community of students and parents who come together to celebrate their successes, cheer for each other’s progress, and spread joy through music. By offering virtual piano lessons over zoom, we are able to maintain connections with long-term students and their parents all across the country. Our students currently live in 6 different states encompassing all four time zones in the US. Students who start lessons with us tend to love our unique teaching methods so much that they opt to continue as virtual students, even if their family has relocated to a new city or state.

We first began offering virtual lessons during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Our students’ response to these sudden changes demonstrated all the outstanding qualities we look for in students who join the studio at Music con Brio: they demonstrated consistency and commitment to lessons even as our routines shifted and continued to learn and practice new skills in spite of unexpected challenges. We laughed together as we made mistakes, experimented with new ways of learning until we found things that worked, and came together at the end of the year to celebrate with our first ever virtual recital performance.

Child playing piano during a remote lesson

In between lessons, students benefit from access to the innovative teaching app Tonara, which acts as a virtual assignment tracker and one-stop access to practice support tools such as recordings, videos, and messaging.

We offer in-person piano lessons in our studio space, located in Washougal WA and virtual piano lessons for our students located around the country. Our lessons feature two acoustic pianos, rhythm instruments, access to our music library, music theory games for all levels of learning, and hands-on, easily sanitized learning tools.

View Our Policies

Kind words from happy students

Testimonials

“Valerie is absolutely amazing! I have 2 daughters that take lessons with Valerie, and they both LOVE her and love learning piano. My younger daughter is extremely shy and had always refused to participate in extra curricular activities because of her shyness. Valerie was such a miracle for her! She has gained confidence and poise, which has been invaluable, and she even performed in two recitals in front of large crowds! I am so happy we found her!”

— Jen, Parent

“My daughter really enjoys her piano lessons with Valerie. She says Valerie is very nice and passionate about piano. From the parent perspective, I appreciate that Valerie is very well organized and a great communicator. Highly recommend!”

— Tracy, Parent

“My 7 year old has been taking lessons from Valerie for almost a year now and she has enjoyed every lesson and has learned so much! I love that Valerie has different ways to teach the kids music; from a variety of games to showing them tricks to read music. Even with shelter in place, Valerie has accommodated my daughter with virtual lessons, which is almost a good as sitting right next to her (although my daughter can't wait to see her again in person again because she misses her!) Valerie is fun, patient, and has a great way of teaching piano to kids!”

— Cheryll, Parent

“Our son has been working with Valerie for about 2 years and it has been an amazing experience. She is patient, confident, and fun. We knew it was the right fit for us as our son really opened up with Valerie. I have especially been impressed at how seamlessly classes transitioned during Covid. It provided a sense of structure and normalcy . Our 5 year old will also be starting with Valerie this fall as well and we look forward seeing him blossom as well.”

— Ravneet, Parent

"When she explains things, it always makes sense. She has fun games that also teach you something at the same time. She's a fun teacher in general and I really like her!"

- Student, Daughter of Carol-Anne

“My daughter (10) has been taking lessons from Valerie for a year and a half, and we couldn't be happier! Valerie makes learning truly fun, while incorporating proper technique, rhythm practice, and attention to detail. My daughter will sit at the piano without a reminder and happily work through her to-do list. She is learning to play by ear, and will pick out familiar songs. Valerie supports her in this also, teaching her the chords to go along with it to further encourage her learning. Having taken intensive lessons for 12 years myself (including annual levels tests from independent judges) I knew only a few minutes into the trial lesson that we had found our teacher. She's more fun than mine ever were! :) I have also been particularly impressed with the ease and success of Zoom lessons. I appreciate her organization, punctuality, and positive energy. Highly recommend!”

Carol-Anne, Parent

“It has been a true pleasure to have you as A's teacher! She absolutely loves piano and is always excited about her class.”

- Deepti, Parent

“I wanted to say a million thank yous for your patience and continuous encouragement and support for A to learn to play the piano and especially to appreciate music.”

- Louisa, parent

“H loves his piano time and makes a point to teach mom, dad, and little brother what he learns each week. He also plays his new songs for his grandparents via Facetime.”

— Parent of H, Age 6

"My daughter had her first piano lesson with Valerie and came away feeling like she was already able to make beautiful music!"

— Parent of E, Age 6