Author: ericajcouts

lessons, Music

Drum Lessons with Christopher Coutsouridis

ericajcouts

I myself sure as heck can’t teach you drums, but my partner can, and he is now accepting students!

DRUM LESSONS

  • Kids and adults, 4th grade and above
  • Beginner to intermediate level / snare, drum set
  • $60 hourly rate (30 or 60 minute lessons available)
  • Available to travel to you (within Tacoma area) – because thoughtful ergonomic placement of your drums at home with appropriate height and position is essential to setting up a good foundation for playing.
  • Contact Chris to set up a first meeting: coutsc @ gmail.com / 785.375.8192 (text preferred)

Chris recently retired from a career in the military, including over a decade of service in Army Bands. He is currently the drummer for Faultline, an all-veteran Pacific Northwest cover band playing rock, country and pop favorites.

Faultline on Facebook Faultline on Instagram

Chris Coutsouridis playing drum set at Top Rung Brewery in Lacey with Faultline
Flute, Music

Guest Flutist for Upcoming Studio Recital Nov 15, 2025

ericajcouts
Flutists Erica Coutsouridis (in white striped shirt) and Cheryl Sears (in pink), smiling with their flutes in hand
Cheryl and Erica playfully posing with their flutes in mirror image - Erica is holding hers "backwards" - as the Doppler Brothers did

So excited to have Cheryl Sears join me for flute duets at the Studio Recital next weekend!  Telemann and Doppler are on tap following the student performances, at Franke Tobey Jones in Tacoma.

Fun fact: Composer-flutists Franz and Karl Doppler toured as a flute duo in the mid-1800’s, with left-handed Karl playing his flute “backwards” at times to create a mirror image with his brother!  We are just being silly here—but we will play some Doppler, fortunately still lots of fun on flutes played in the conventional orientation!

Covid-10

COVID-19: Studio Procedure Update (3/12/2022)

ericajcouts

In line with recent CDC and state guidance, masks are no longer required indoors at the Studio. Any visitors who feel more comfortable wearing a mask will be supported in doing so, and I’m happy to wear mine too in that case.

Vaccinations are required for flute students, and highly encouraged for piano students. My entire household is vaccinated and boosted. Extra cleaning and sanitizing between lessons of high-touch areas including the piano, bench, and doorknobs will continue, and hand sanitizer use upon arrival. I’ll have windows open too for max air circulation whenever weather permits.

The cancellation policy is flexible! If you have reason to self-isolate, there is no charge for a missed lesson. Let’s keep our community healthy and safe.

Music

Lesson Length Changes

ericajcouts

Effective September 2021, I will be building in some cleaning and transition time to the end of lesson block times. Fees will remain the same. If you had a 30 minute lesson, you will now officially have 25 minutes of lesson; hour lessons will now be 50 minutes. This is in line with many other teachers’ policies and practices, whether official or unofficial.

This small change lets me keep a buffer between students’ families and still keep scheduling at easy to remember and easier to trade out times of on the hour and the half hour! Thank you for your patience as I get used to this adjustment in my teaching flow.

Classical, Music, Piano

Choosing an Electric Piano for Lessons

ericajcouts

A good question I often get is, “Do you have recommendations for a keyboard?  I’m thinking about options for piano lessons with limited space for an instrument.”

Sometimes an acoustic piano is simply not an option. Even if you can find a free one in good condition, you need a space for it, a way to move it, and regular piano tuning.  My response is to look for these features when shopping for an electric piano.

  • Full size keys
  • Weighted keys (feels more like an acoustic instrument)
  • Touch sensitive (meaning you can play louder or softer by how fast you strike the keys, without turning a volume knob)
  • Sustain pedal
  • Full 88 keys
  • Bench to sit on and Stand to set the keyboard on if it is not built in to the model

You may notice that settings like strings or auxiliary percussion sounds are not on my checklist. Sometimes a harpsichord or organ sound is fun to play with, but since they don’t respond dynamically like a piano, I generally don’t use them.

If you have all these features the instrument will take you far in your lessons.  In addition to my acoustic piano, I have a Yamaha P-155 electric piano that I really like but there are other options out there too. Guitar Center, Prossor Piano & Organ, and Ted Brown Music are all located in Tacoma and sell electric pianos that are worth checking out.

Music

COVID-19: Studio Procedure update (5/25/21)

ericajcouts

Erica’s Music Studio is open for business! I’m looking forward to seeing you and hearing you play in person.

New procedures:

All visitors sanitize hands upon arrival. I will do extra sanitizing and cleaning of high-touch areas including the piano, bench, and doorknobs before and between lessons. Masks are now optional for fully-vaccinated visitors, and still required for unvaccinated visitors while inside. Adults of my household are fully vaccinated but I’ll wear my mask too if you are wearing yours. I’ll have windows open too for max air circulation as long as weather permits.

I am now accepting vaccinated flute students for in person lessons.

The cancellation policy is flexible! If you have reason to self-isolate, there is no charge for a missed lesson. Let’s keep our community healthy and safe.

Music

Video: Young Concerto at Coe Festival of Bands 2011

ericajcouts

Happy Memories! I finally pieced together the video and audio recordings from my April 2011 performance at the Coe College Festival of Bands (so just under 9 years ago!). Here’s me playing Charles Rochester Young’s Concerto for Flute and Wind Ensemble with my alma mater.

I don’t know if Coe will hold the Festival of Bands this April but I am enjoying the memories from this concert and all the folks who made it happen.