jazz Piano at
Seattle jazz academy

Jazz piano is at the heart of what we do. Whether you’re returning to the instrument or building your skills from the ground up, Seattle Jazz Academy offers a clear path into improvisation, harmony, and the language of jazz. Students can study through weekly private lessons or join our quarterly adult group classes for a structured, community-oriented experience.

private jazz piano lessons

Private lessons provide focused, individualized study with an professional jazz pianist and instructor. Instruction blends technique, strategies and improvisation with harmony and repertoire work. Students develop tools they can apply in ensembles, jam sessions, and personal study. Private one on one lessons are the classic, and are open to students of all jazz piano ability, but are recommended for intermediate jazz players and up.

adult jazz piano classes (quarterly)

Our group classes offer a structured, collaborative environment for adult pianists interested in learning jazz. Each 12-week quarter focuses on the fundamentals of improvisation, harmony, rhythm, and repertoire. Class sessions blend instruction, guided practice, and clear weekly goals. Follow up courses are provided to take brand new jazz piano beginners up to an intermediate level.

This track is ideal for:

Adult pianists new to jazz but with piano background
Classical players looking to try a new approach
Returning musicians seeking a supportive community
Students who want a clear, methodical approach

Upcoming Intro to Jazz and Blues Piano Classes:

Winter Quarter 2025

12 weeks long starting January 5th and 6th
Mondays at 5:30 or Tuesdays, 6:45
Small group format
Instructors: Dylan Hayes and Marc Hagar

Click Here to Contact Us to Join the Group Class Interest List
(or Reserve Your Spot once enrollment opens)

What you will learn:

Both our private lessons and group classes emphasize the foundational skills of jazz piano:

Chords, harmony, and functional movement
Jazz standards and modern repertoire
Improvisation fundamentals
Rhythm, comping, and time feel
Transcribing and listening
Building confidence and musical fluency

Our goal is to help adult learners understand the language of jazz in a grounded, efficient and thoughtful way.

Who Studies Jazz Piano at SJA?

Seattle Jazz Academy is designed for adult learners and serious teen students at all stages of their musical development. Our piano students include:

Adults returning to music after time away
Classical pianists exploring improvisation
Musicians preparing for ensembles or jam sessions
Working professionals seeking a creative outlet
New learners looking for a structured, supportive program
Teens that play in jazz band or choir
Music conservatory bound young students working on auditions

The seattle jazz academy experience:

Seattle Jazz Academy is a gathering place for musicians, teachers, and students who value craft, clarity, and community. Instruction is warm but structured, grounded in the tradition of jazz while giving every student room to develop their own voice.

Whether you choose private lessons or join one of our group classes, you become part of a community committed to musical growth.

SJA academy student Mark speaks about his experience studying jazz piano

“every week I do something I’ve never done before, and once in a while when I do that I jump up from the piano and I say, ‘Holy cow, what was that!’ It’s a lot of fun.” - Mark

mack grout

head piano instructor

Born in 1985 in Seattle Washington, USA, Mack started playing piano at the age of three. Studying classical piano seriously until age fourteen, he then became interested in jazz and blues music and started studying with Larry Key. Upon graduating from South Kitsap High School in 2004 Mack won the national Louis Armstrong award, and obtained scholarships to multiple schools including Berklee College of Music and Cornish College of the Arts. At Cornish he studied jazz piano performance and composition under his mentors Dave Peck, Denney Goodhew, Randy Halberstadt, Chuck Deardorf and Jim Knapp, graduating magna cum laude in 2008.

Since then, Mack has worked full time as a jazz composer, soloist and band leader, performed nationally and internationally in styles from jazz to pop and everything in between, and also worked abroad for several years as a musical director for international jazz clubs throughout Asia. As an instructor, Mack has taught at colleges in the pacific northwest and mentored a full studio of serious students, over a dozen of which have gone on to continue their music study at high level conservatories around the world. Mack continues to perform as a soloist and sideman in original projects, and in 2016 founded Seattle Jazz Academy, a school for serious pianists interested in jazz and improvisation.

Read about our team of piano instructors