Play Piano by Ear with Confidence and Creativity

Piano Lessons. Reinvented.

If you've always wanted to play piano by ear but didn’t know where to begin, you're in the right place. At popMATICS, we teach adults how to learn piano by ear, improvise, explore sound, and enjoy music on your terms — no sheet music, no pressure, just freedom at the keys.

Our live classes and video lessons guide adults through a fresh, intuitive way to learn piano without sheet music. At popMATICS, you’ll rediscover what made you love music in the first place.

A woman playing a piano by ear or improvising in a bright room with a window seat visible in the background.

🎹 At popMATICS you’ll learn how to:

✅ Play Piano by Ear even if you’ve never played without sheet music before.

✅ Improvise with Confidence using our simple improvisation frameworks that grow with you as you advance.

✅ Understand the Language of Music to create with intention.

✅ Develop Your Unique Style and start creating your own music.

These aren’t just skills — they’re creative tools that help you play piano by ear, improvise, and understand music naturally — whether you’re new to the piano or have been playing from sheet music for decades.

  • Music is a language, and just like learning to speak, you learn music by listening and creating.

    We believe the best way to play by ear is to learn like musicians have for most of history —by listening, exploring, and creating music from Day 1. This makes music as easy to play as it is to listen to.

    No endless drills, no need to start with sheet music—just the joy of playing piano by ear without frustration.

    Listening and creating are often overlooked in traditional music education. We shine the spotlight on them to make music accessible, fun, and creative from the very beginning. 🔦💫

    We accelerate your Listening & Creating with a set of core concepts that develop your musical fluency and understanding of sound—so you can play by ear with confidence.

  • In our online piano school, students learn by listening and creating through live and recorded classes. 🎶

    We use the keyboard a visual tool to help students learn and understand the language of music.

    We cater classes to all levels, so beginners and more advanced students alike will all benefit from our creative approach. All of our piano classes are focused on playing piano by ear, improvisation, and developing true musical fluency—without relying on sheet music.

    Visit this page to learn more about our classes.

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

— Jeannie P.

Hear from our student Diane

How our students describe popMATICS

  • Woman playing piano by ear or improvising near large window.

    "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

  • Close-up of piano keys with soft lighting

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

    —Ben McCahill

  • Woman wearing sunglasses and a pink cap at the beach with blue sky and ocean in the background.

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

    —Mary Grace McCaffery

  • Young woman in green dress posing in a field of yellow flowers with trees in the background.

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

    —Aubree Jordan

  • Person wearing a bright yellow shirt and cap, standing outdoors with a bicycle on a road, mountainous landscape in the background.

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

    —Guy Tal

  • Two women outdoors with green foliage background

    “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

  • Person with short gray hair and glasses sitting near a piano.

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

    —Amie MacDonald

  • Close-up of piano keys in warm lighting

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

    —Joaquim A.

Laptop screen showing a virtual piano lesson with a split screen. Left screen displays a scenic landscape, right shows a person playing a keyboard, and bottom displays a virtual piano with hands playing.

  • Choose from 10 Weekly Online Piano Classes and learn in real time with your teachers & peers.

  • The experience we offer live is also available through recorded online piano lessons.

    We release new Video Lessons each week covering all areas of the program. Choose your favorite, or use them all! All of our online piano lessons are designed to help you play by ear, improvise, and enjoy the music you love.

  • popMATICS is more than just an online school—it's a thriving community of passionate learners. Whether you're just starting out or experienced, you'll find inspiration from the community. Connect, share, and grow with others who are on the same journey.

What’s Included?

What our members say about popMATICS

  • Close-up of a woman with shoulder-length brown hair and blue eyes, wearing a striped top.

    "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

  • Person with long gray hair and glasses in an office, bookshelf and papers in background

    "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

  • Woman wearing a pink cap and sunglasses at the beach.

    "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

  • Close-up view of piano keys with blurred bokeh lights in the background.

    "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.

  • Person playing a Yamaha piano

    "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

  • Man with glasses smiling in close-up portrait, wearing a green shirt.

    "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

  • Smiling woman in a leather jacket outdoors with a blurred background.

    "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

  • Grand piano in an empty airport terminal with window view.

    "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

Three Keys to Musical Freedom

These three pillars help our students learn to play piano by ear and gain musical fluency—by listening, creating, and understanding.

Close-up of piano keys with the word 'CREATE' above in bold white letters on an orange gradient background.

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

Headphones placed on a piano keyboard with the word 'LISTEN' in bold letters above.

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

Graphic of a record player with the Circle of Fifths on the turntable and a gradient background labeled "UNDERSTAND."

Understanding — This video series covers our 40 foundational conceps, designed to develop your understanding of sound.

Hear from our student Mary Grace

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 piano 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.

Student Performances