Piano Lessons In New York City With Les Horan

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Articles About Les
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This article appeared in the Berkshire Courier,
The author, Alan Chertock, is talking about a band he and I played with in high school.

"THE SATI-LIGHTS"

By Alan Chertock

I picked up the trumpet from the corner,
put some oil on the valve and began to play.
Every time I do it, all those memories
come pouring back. I remember that
it's been 26 years since the Sati-lights.

The Sati-lights ("For music out of this world").....
The amazing band was put together by my brother
Lewis who found the work, arranged the dates
and recruited the personnel.

* * *

The band was immediately successful
for a number of reasons. The most
important was that we had good people.
Our pianist Les Horan had the gift.
You could play him a tune once and he would
write out a four-part harmony in 10 minutes.
He was the kind of player who made you want to
put down your instrument and never play again.
You just knew you were never going to be
as good as he was.....

* * *
We worked real cheap. Sometimes we played
three places a weekend. We played the school dance circuit
ranging from Jewish to Catholic religious schools,
to the prestigious Dalto and Walden schools in manhattan…..

The band stayed together for several years, then fell apart
when the piano player figured he
was into the big leagues and big bucks.
By then we were all off into other lives – college and the like.
But the experiences could fill a book……….

Weddings, bar mitzvas, and all festive occasions
was the way the business cards read.
All-nighters on new Years Eve, and bleeding lips.
And of course the dates we made with girls at the dances.
Damn, I wish I could play that horn the way I used to
Does anyone out there feel the same way?

In the August 1997 edition of Education Update,
Sybil Maimin describes one of my annual student recitals.

"Music Recital - Fun For All"

By Sybil Maimin

"The spring piano recital of the Les Horan Music Studio
was a fine illustration of the relaxed, fun-filled, supportive
atmosphere that characterizes instruction at the school.

Les Horan was an active participant
as more than twenty students played short pieces
ranging from show tunes to pop to jazz, to Bach.
Mr. Horan left his perch on the floor
to escort the informally dressed performers
from their seats in the audience,
and then shared the keyboard in duets with some of them,
accompanied others on the synthesizer,
or in the cases of the very youngest performers,
sat them on his lap on the piano bench
as they pounded out notes
and experienced the first taste of applause.

Les Horan’s method is to cultivate and sustain a love of music
by allowing students to direct their own programs.
They start by choosing songs they wish to learn
which he adapts to their level.
For new students the beginning is easy and fun.
As they become more serious,
the technical and "harder" aspects are introduced.
His goal is to get students so excited by what they are able to do
that they happily practice and become increasingly
comfortable with music and their instruments.

The performers were clearly "into" the music,
enjoying the opportunity to share their accomplishments.
It was obvious that the enthusiastic audience
of parents, siblings, and friends
were having a grand time.

In the October 1999, Education Update, sent a reporter to my studio to interview me
Here’s some of what he wrote.

"Les Is More"

By Tom Kertes

"I used to feel apologetic about my teaching style,"
an animated Les Horan says."I even felt a little guilty;
it was so very different from what everybody else was
doing. But no more guilt. Now I feel good
about what I do. Very good, in fact."

And why not? These days Horan, a gently bearded man
in his late 50s who simply exudes a positive energy, is
the piano teacher to the stars.And the children of the stars.

My lessons are creative collaborations," he says.
"I teach every person differently, according to
their individual styles and tastes. And it works.

Czech born Horan moved to the U.S.
at the age of 7 after surviving the holocaust.
"I started music lessons the next year at the age of 8,
with a very traditional teacher of classical piano.
It was allright at first, for a couple of years.
But when I told her about some of the music I wanted to play,
she couldn't help me at all. So I taught myself, basically."

After graduating from college with degrees
in music, psychology and education,
Horan decided to pursue a full time career in music.
He had all kinds of fun jobs making a handsome living
by playing piano for Martha Graham's dance classes,
playing with rock and jazz groups,
being a "piano man" in an italian restaurant or two......

But when his first child, a son now 21, was about 2 years old,
Les knew he wanted to stay home to watch his child grow.
And a teacher- a unique, wonderful, true teacher
in the best sense of the word - was born.

Here is a review of my book "Instant Blues", published by St. Martin's Press, July 1993

"Instant Blues"

St. Martin's Press
For anyone who ever yearned to tickle the ivories
but never got close enough to try,
"Instant Piano" was a breakthrough introduction
to the magic of musical creativity.
Now Les and Layla Horan have applied "instant Piano"
techniques to the blues, in all of their rich variety:
from old time boogie-woogie and rhythm-and-blues
to country, rock & roll, and jazz.You could be
playing the blues in a matter of minutes. Here's how:

Simply turn on Side One of the "Instant Blues" cassette while you
play along on the black keys, or Side Two while you play on
the white keys. The unique compositions of the "Instant Blues"
cassette will make music out of your playing - instantly!

"Instant Blues also lets you learn as you play,
with simple techniques to expand on the black and white system,
fingering exercises, helpful hints on how to play without the tape,
and tips that will make your playing better and better.

When a student of mine, Ken Kurland, had one of his musicals produced,
I helped him by being musical director. Here is one of the reviews. "DELILAH"
Review by Seth Bisen-Hersh

"Delilah" tells the biblical story of Samson and Delilah....

The pianist/ musical director, Les Horan, was really quite good.
Playing off lead sheets, he improvised intricate piano parts,
as well as some nonstandard arpeggios.

Adel Ismael backed him on a drum machine, which was enjoyable
and provided some needed percussive timbre to the score.

Les Horan
212-666-1289
PianoLes.nyc@gmail.com

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