My son has been taking piano lessons with Cheryl for almost a year and a half and I am so impressed with his progress. Cheryl uses the Simply Music method, which starts with learning to play actual songs, then moving on to learning about rhythm and reading notes. What works for us is that the teaching method is not rigid — my son gets the opportunity to be creative. He already knows how to play dozens of songs and is still so enthused about going to his lesson each week. I also like that Cheryl expects him to work hard, which makes him strive to do his best. The key is that from the very start, you are playing actual songs, not just scales. Also, the books, CDs and DVDs put all the pieces together — you build this great foundation and hear progress each week. I would recommend learning to play the piano using Simply Music at the Hands Together Piano Studio.