Private and Professional Classical Piano Lessons

At Basically Beethoven: Piano Performance Studio, we believe in starting at the basics and building up from there. Once you have a strong foundation, you can literally go in ANY direction! We have a passion for Bach, Beethoven, Hanon & Chopin, (but especially love Beethoven) believing that the classics provide a solid base for any aspiring pianist.

Teaching location: the Island Music Guild in Rolling Bay on Bainbridge Island

Contact

Location:

10598 NE Valley Road, Rm. 203

Bainbridge Island, WA 98110
 

Contact Info

Elissa L. Hust Smalley

elissa.hust@gmail.com

360.265.7174

What We Do:

When people ask me what I do for a living, I am lucky enough to be able to respond, “I am a professional classically trained pianist.” Basically Beethoven is a local piano performance studio which specializes in accompanying, recording and teaching classical piano on beautiful Bainbridge Island. In order to be the best teacher I can be, I have to continually keep learning, and so I also have the privilege of working as a continuing education student of Dr. Irene Bowling. I enjoy being able to touch peoples lives through the joy of music investing into who they will become.

ACCOMPANYING:

I am a professional piano accompanist and particularly enjoy working alongside my friend and partner, professional Bel Canto opera singer Camille Fredericksen along with my good friend Theodora Carson of the Island Music Guild. We have big teams, hoping to perform together at Carnegie Hall someday. In addition to this, I am available to accompany singers and choirs for performance, competitions and recitals through Madame Camille’s Bel Canto Studio. I have also pursued opportunities to accompany professionally for South Kitsap High School, Olympic College, PLU and the University of Washington. I am not taking on any new accompanying work at this time.

Community outreach:

I am a Nationally Certified piano teacher through the National Music Teachers Association, a member of Washington State Music Teachers Association and currently the Vice President of Kitsap Music Teachers Association, our local chapter. I am on the board of the Island Music Guild as the Piano Liaison. I am the CEO of Basically Beethoven and the CEO of Camille Classics, a music company with the big dream of bringing back the best of the classics. We are currently recording vocal and accompaniment tracks and producing the occasional music video. Our first album was released October 1, 2019

Please check us out at:

www.IslandMusic.org

www.CamilleClassics.com

www.KitsapMusicTeachers.org

Teaching:

As a mother of three mostly grown children, I understand that a good teacher can make a huge difference in the direction and motivation of a student. I have almost 30 years of piano teaching experience in the San Juan Islands and Washington DC, and I am excited to be teaching here again, helping students in Kitsap County to succeed.

Let's Chat

If you are interested in piano lessons or a private introduction consultation, please let me know! The first lesson can be paid cash or check and comes with no commitment. It is just an opportunity to make sure that we both enjoy working together. I would love to have the opportunity to help you achieve your goals.