Jazz Piano Skills
DISCOVER • LEARN • PLAY
Structured jazz piano education with Dr. Bob Lawrence, using jazz standards to develop the essential skills of harmony, melody, improvisation, and solo piano playing.
DISCOVER • LEARN • PLAY
Jazz piano develops through a process of discovery, understanding, and application.
DISCOVER
Recognize the musical skill and understand its purpose.
LEARN
Develop the conceptual and aural understanding needed to use it.
PLAY
Apply the skill physically and musically at the piano.
UNDERSTANDING BECOMES MEANINGFUL WHEN IT BECOMES MUSIC.
THE FOUR PILLARS
Jazz Piano Skills develops musicianship through four essential areas of jazz piano study.
01
Harmonic Architecture
Understand the harmonic structures that organize jazz standards.
Develop fluency with chords, voicings, progressions, harmonic relationships, and movement through key centers.
02
Melodic Design
Understand the melodic structures that give jazz standards their identity.
Develop fluency with motifs, phrases, intervals, rhythmic relationships, and melodic movement through tonal centers.
03
Improvisation Development
Develop the musical vocabulary needed to create meaningful improvisation.
Learn to transform harmonic and melodic understanding into phrases through rhythm, articulation, and variation.
04
Solo Piano Interpretation
Integrate harmony, melody, and improvisation into complete solo piano performances.
Develop voicings, textures, and interpretive skills needed to present jazz standards independently at the piano.
ONE JAZZ STANDARD. ONE MONTH.
Each month, a jazz standard becomes the framework for developing all four areas of musicianship.
Week 01
HARMONIC
ANALYSIS
Week 02
MELODIC
ANALYSIS
Week 03
IMPROVISATION DEVELOPMENT
Week 04
SOLO PIANO DEVELOPMENT
THE EDUCATION
Jazz Piano Skills brings the monthly curriculum to life through a connected system of instruction, study, application, reinforcement, community, and support.
The Weekly Study
01 / Podcast
A weekly lesson exploring the harmonic, melodic, improvisational, and solo piano skills found within the month's jazz standard.
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02 / Podcast Packet
Weekly illustrations, lead sheets, and play-alongs designed to move the concepts presented in the podcast from understanding to application.
03 / Masterclass
Live weekly instruction focused on questions, clarification, demonstration, and the practical application of the week's study.
04 / Blog Recap
A written review of the week's lesson designed to reinforce essential concepts and provide another path toward understanding.
05 / Community
An ongoing space for members to interact, listen, share, ask questions, and continue the learning process together.
06 / Support
Direct educational guidance from Dr. Bob Lawrence when questions arise, helping members work confidently through the curriculum.
DR. BOB LAWRENCE
Educator • Jazz Pianist • Founder
Jazz Piano Skills is the culmination of Dr. Bob Lawrence’s lifelong work as a jazz pianist, music educator, and educational leader.
Dr. Lawrence holds master’s and doctoral degrees in Music Education and Jazz Studies from the University of North Texas and has spent more than three decades teaching musicians of all ages and experience levels.
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As Founder of Jazz Piano Skills and Director of The Dallas School of Music, his work centers on a simple educational principle: musicians develop through structured study, careful listening, conceptual understanding, and meaningful application at the instrument.
Jazz Piano Skills brings that educational philosophy to the study of jazz piano.
MEMBERSHIP
A complete jazz piano education built around structured weekly study, a monthly jazz standard, and ongoing guidance and support.
How Would You Like to Study?
Jazz Piano Skills offers two ways to participate in the monthly curriculum. Study independently with the complete weekly Podcast, Podcast Packet, and Blog Recap, or choose a guided experience that adds live instruction, community, and personal support.
Independent Study
$10 / month
$100 / year
Study the Jazz Piano Skills curriculum independently through the complete weekly Podcast, Podcast Packet, and Blog Recap.
Guided Study
$50 / month
$500 / year
Study the complete Jazz Piano Skills curriculum with everything included in Independent Study, plus weekly Masterclass instruction, Community participation, and direct educational support.