We make music as easy to play
as it is to listen to 💫

Music is easy to listen to. You don't need any prior experience, knowledge, or training to establish a personal connection to a song you love.

And guess what? You also don’t need years of training before you can start to connect with music you play on your instrument.

That connection can (and should) happen from Day 1. And with our students, it does.

  • You learned to speak by listening and by talking (creating). Music is a language, and it works the same way. Listening and Creating from Day 1 — This is how music becomes as easy to play as it is to listen to 💫

    These areas are often neglected in traditional music education.

    We shine the spotlight on them 🔦

  • We are an online music & piano school. Our students listen and create with us every week through live and recorded classes.

    While our main focus is the piano, the keyboard is a great tool for studying music, and we welcome students of all instruments. Class types include Listening, Creating, Understanding (Theory), & Song Tutorials.

  • "popMATICS is a unique online approach for students of all ages and abilities." If your dream is to listen to any pop song, and play it by ear on the piano, this program is for you!”

    —Vickie Edwards

  • “popMATICS is an amazing way to start learning piano that can take you from basics to advanced!"

    —Aubree Jordan

  • "popMATICS is a program that emphasizes learning pop music through careful listening, deconstruction, and play."

    —Guy Tal

  • "Since joining popMATICS, my creativity has has gone through the roof and I feel great about my ability to improvise."

    —Jeannie P.

  • “popMATICS is a chance to fall in love with music and an instrument again. So encouraging. And zero pressure even though there are challenges … which we all love if we admit it.”

    —Heather Morris

  • “popMATICS is an online, flexible program to learn to play the pop music you love with a creative method.”

    —Amie MacDonald

  • “popMATICS is a wonderful, online piano school for those wanting to improvise, play by ear, and apply practical theory."

    —Ben McCahill

  • "popMATICS is a well-rounded program with ear training, arranging, theory, and creativity, and direct interactions with the teachers."

    —Mary Grace McCaffery

  • "You are a lovely team and your approach to music is the best I have ever seen."

    —Joaquim A.

How can popMATICS help you?

  • As a student at popMATICS, each day you’ll learn to love music even more. We teach music as a language (not as a set of instructions to copy). With our creative approach of learning by listening, you'll start hearing details in your favorite recordings that you've never noticed before—and music will become as easy to play as it is to listen to.

  • Our students are living proof that anyone can learn to play by ear. You’ll start by learning to hear and play melodies, then move to bass lines and eventually to complex chord progressions. We work from real songs to keep it fun and relevant. You’ll soon be able to play what you hear, and jam with friends or your favorite artists.

  • Creating at the piano is a hallmark of our program. Students of all levels, from new beginners to advanced classical pianists, find inspiration in our improvisation classes.

  • The piano offers a magical way to visualize music and study music theory. Our approach can help musicians of all instruments, even if piano is your second (or third or fourth) instrument. We welcome all musicians in popMATICS.

  • If you’ve learned chords without fully developing your musical fluency in other areas, you might be feeling stuck. We’ll show you a new approach that will unlock your potential. Each new song you learn will add more to your palette.

  • You’re not alone! Memorizing songs note by note is extremely challenging. popMATICS offers a framework that will help you to understand the big picture and hear music in such a way that you won't have to rely on your memory to play your favorite songs.

  • Our program is perfect for beginners. We make the journey interesting from from Day. 1. You’ll create beautiful sounds using the full range of the piano, and play along with favorite songs quickly and easily.

  • Once you begin to combine your reading ability with our focus on creativity and playing by ear, you'll quickly develop the confidence and freedom to explore beyond the page. Playing music will become as natural as speaking your language. You'll have the best of both worlds.

  • Choose from 10 weekly classes and learn in real time with your teachers & peers.

  • The experience we offer live is also available through recorded lessons. We release four recordings each week that spotlight the most important lessons from the week.

  • We answer all of your questions in live classes and in our weekly Office Hours video. (Students who can’t join us live can pre-submit questions.)

    We also provide each student with a personal locker for storing your audio recordings, class notes, and more.

  • Surrounding yourself with music lovers will keep you inspired and motivated. Whether you interact in live classes or in our online community (or both), you won’t find a more supportive peer group anywhere.

What’s Included?

How It Works

Improvise easily with our step-by-step instructions. We treat the piano like a playground and push all the buttons.

  • Our Campfire Classes show you how to create beautiful sounds from Day 1. You will be amazed at what you can sit down and play freely. Join us for live classes (4 options weekly) or watch our weekly videos. We cycle through all 12 keys every 12 months.

Study real songs and learn precisely what to listen for to eliminate guesswork and play by ear with confidence.

  • Active listening is a skill rarely covered in traditional piano lessons. Our reCHORDit Classes teach you to hear and play back melodies, bass lines, and chord progressions.

    Join live classes (4 options/week) or watch our weekly videos. Either way, you get new songs to study every single week.

Explore our signature set of foundational concepts to connect your creating and listening experiences.

  • At its core, popMATICS is a set of concepts making up the fundamental building blocks for developing your understanding of sound. Our Setlist Lessons unpack these concepts one at a time. This is a video series (40+ lessons) designed to be viewed in sequence. Concepts get reinforced in Creating & Listening Classes.

    Start with keyboard geography and patterns in Stage 1 and work up to advanced harmony in Stage 4.

As you immerse yourself in popMATICS, these three areas — Listening, Creating, & Understanding — will work together to develop your musical fluency. We facilitate these connections in classes and discussions.

We also offer Song Tutorials that take these skills back to the piano. You’ll learn how to play favorite songs, while preserving your connection and musical freedom.

In popMATICS, we learn by

LISTENING, UNDERSTANDING, and CREATING.   

Student Testimonials

  • "popMATICS is helping me grow as a teacher and musician in ways I never have before."

    I have studied classical piano at a collegiate level and have been teaching for 2 decades. popMATICS is helping me approach the piano from a new lens (more creatively and sound before sight). popMATICS is helping me grow as a teacher and musician in ways I never have before.

    Tony is an excellent teacher who cares about giving value to his students. He is good at what he does, but is also patient, humble and approachable.

    —Amy Benedict Stanger

  • "Tony and Angela are excellent teachers."

    The piano has always seemed so mysterious to me. It just sat in my house staring at me for years. And now it’s like a trusty friend I can visit and interact with.

    Tony and Angela are excellent teachers. They are kind, patient and always looking to improve. They have helped me bring the piano to life. So grateful for their program.

    –Gerry Adair

  • "I am completely won over by the popMATICS approach."

    I’m most impressed by the knowledge, teaching skills and dedication of founders and teachers, Tony and Angela. They have built a supportive piano community of all ages, interests, and levels of experience. There are beginning students, new to the study of any musical instrument, as well as piano teachers looking to expand their teaching toolbox.

    I’ve studied classical piano for years and wanted to give ear-playing and improvisation a try. I was nervous and doubtful at first, but am completely won over by the popMATICS approach and the expertise and creativity (and warmth) of the teachers.

    —Diane Mammone

  • "It is a wonderful and fun way to learn the piano, ear training and music theory all at the same time. "

    popMATICS has a unique way of teaching us how to play the piano along with learning about music. It is a wonderful and fun way to learn the piano, ear training and music theory all at the same time. This leads right into how to improvise your own songs.

    I feel fortunate to have found popMATICS at this stage of my musical journey. I thank Tony and Angela for being two sincere individuals that help us become the best musicians we can be.

    —Mary Grace McCaffery

  • "I can't believe the difference in my listening abilities, and freedom at the piano."

    “I have learned so much in these past six months. I can't believe the difference in my listening abilities, and the feeling of freedom at the piano that I've never had before.

    I know I have lots more to learn, and I'm looking forward to building on it.

    Thanks to Tony and Angela for this incredible program!”

    —Julie W.

  • "Attending the live classes has been a highlight of my year."

    I can't thank Angela and Tony enough for all the care, enthusiasm, and brilliance that they put into developing popMATICS! Attending the live classes has been a highlight of my year and, having played piano by reading music for over 30 years, I loved learning to play "from the inside out."

    Another special part of the program is learning from and along with other students. Thank you, thank you for putting so much heart and soul into this program.

    —Helen Scharber

  • "Tony's passion for music and teaching is contagious! "

    Tony has an awesome style that is both comprehensive and laid back. His passion for music and teaching is contagious!

    His approach and material for teaching popular music and theory are a fantastic way to master the art of playing by ear while building a solid foundation to play for life (even after lessons).New List Item

    —Sarah Ryan Buckley

  • "I have never had so much fun playing music. Finally here’s a program that is actually developing my musicality."

    I’m overcoming my addiction to the printed page. popMATICS succeeds where other music programs fail. It’s like the way children learn language. Initially, you explore the keyboard, hear harmonies and dissonances, become familiar with tone relationships—really "play." After that Tony provides the labels that explain what you heard.

    Tony likes live classes. He does the assignments along with the class, modeling how to be curious, enthusiastic, delighted in the sounds and harmonies. And you jump right in, all levels together, each person benefits as he/she is able. It’s the most natural, lasting form of education.

    —Martha Dahlen

Student Performances