Song Takes Flight
Private music lessons
Learning to play, playing to learn:
I am willing to bill the IDEA home school organization.
Lessons can be available in a variety of ways, to work within your budget. Let's get creative and make it work!
About Your Teacher:
Mary Jane Riemann, artist;
To learn more about MJ's projects, and hear samples of her work, check out her website here
Meet MJ Riemann
Mary Jane (MJ) Riemann
Born and raised in Newfoundland, Mary Jane (Penton) Riemann has been an Alaska resident for the past 17 years.
Graduated from St. Paul’s High School, Gander, Newfoundland, in 1985. She completed music study through the Royal Conservatory of Music and studied Jazz performance at St. Francis Xavier University. MJ then performed professionally for three years in Canada and the US.
She taught music at Fullerton Music Studio in Saint John, New Brunswick, and at Kennebecasis School of Music. MJ went on to teach full time at the Canadian Conservatory of music in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she created a twelve-week introductory pop keyboard program for children that is still used to this day.
In Vancouver, BC she pursued more serious composing. During this period she was interviewed several times and had songs recorded by Canadian Broadcasting. Music she wrote recorded and published by Phyllis Morissey.
Eventually moving to Anchorage, she joined forces with Kurt Riemann. Together they created the first “Merry Christmas From Alaska” compilation Christmas music CD that benefitted the local Children’s Hospital. The CDs spanned eight volumes over nine years, and remains an Alaskan favorite. She is music supervisor on many other projects.
MJ also developed “Song Takes Flight” a pre-school group classes, with classic and original children’s songs, and featuring compositions from MJ and Kurt. In contrast to that, she continues to perform live with her band, Chill Factor.
She wrote a Lullaby that is being used for an International series of children’s board books and videos. The book is now officially on the Canadian bestseller list.
"As the Director of the Canadian Conservatory of Music in Halifax Nova Scotia, I had the good fortune to have MJ Rieman on my teaching staff. MJ was one of those rare teachers who could merge her training in classical piano lessons with the ability to play a wide variety of music styles by ear. Her innate musicality makes her an ideal instructor. She can get give her students a solid technical foundation - a key to long term facility on the instrument - combined with a love and enjoyment of music and the enthusiasm for playing that comes with this. I always told parents: Bach, Beethoven and Brahms all played by ear. Then they wrote it down. Then someone analyzed and made up rules called theory. These are all important elements in music education - but the music comes first. MJ understands that. This is what makes her a remarkable instructor for people of all ages at any stage in their musical journey."
-- Bruce Chapman, Director, The Canadian Conservatory of Music in Halifax
1984-2005
