Teaching Philosophy

At Luton Piano Academy, our mission isn’t to create the 'perfect' musician but to nurture each student’s unique musical journey. We take a personalized approach, adapting to individual strengths, skills, and interests. By building fundamental skills gradually, we encourage creativity, curiosity, and fun throughout the learning process. We approach the physical and mental challenges of mastering an instrument with a balanced, joyful mindset, making each lesson an opportunity for growth and discovery.

Three Keys to Cultivating a Music Lover

  • MUSICAL EXPOSURE

    Piano offers an incredibly rich and diverse tradition. Students are exposed to Jazz and Classical styles and also encouraged to pursue their own interests.


    Periods in Music History

    Composers and Performers

    Classical and Jazz Styles

    Understanding Emotion in Music

  • PIANO SKILLS

    There is a reason that many composers sit at a piano to compose. The piano lends us the full range of the orchestra at our fingertips. It is an ideal instrument to learn musical scales, chords and theory.


    Reading Music

    Music Theory

    Ear Training

    Piano Technique

  • FREE FORM CREATIVITY

    ​Freedom and creativity are what make music. We build up joy in expression with performance tips. Improvisation and composition are incorporated to help students make music truly their own.


    Performance Skills

    Composition

    Improvisation

    Self-Guided Exploration

Our Services

“My daughter has cerebral palsy, and the teacher figured out a way for her to angle her arm so she had the strength required to play the notes and position so she could play the chord. He is calm and reassuring. He picked additional music to keep her interested and motivated. Strongly recommend!”

— Wendy Lilly, St. Augustine

Our Teachers

HARRY LUTON

Founder of Luton Piano Academy | State Finalist, Classical Piano

Harry founded Luton Piano Academy in 2020, out of his deep love of music and passion for teaching and service. He has wide experience working with young students as well as adult learners. He believes that anyone can learn to be an artist at the piano; we all have the freedom to surprise ourselves with our own creativity and expression. 

​Harry was drawn to visual art and music early on. He received scholarship to attend Interlochen Arts Camp and excelled at the prestigious New Orleans Center for Creative Arts, earning second place in the 2002 state LMTA Rally Competition. Continuing his musical pursuits in college, he studied under renowned piano maestro German Diez at Bard College and later at the Greenwich House Music School in Manhattan.

​​​Harry has a diversity of educational experience beyond piano instruction, from teaching ESL to elementary school students, to honing cognitive skills in high schoolers, to tutoring college age students on the autism spectrum and leading yoga and meditation classes for adults.

He believes in a well-rounded approach to learning music that encourages engagement and fun while gradually building mastery.

VIVID MA

Classical Pianist, Teacher, & Content Creator | Digital Marketer

Vivid has a Master’s Degree in Piano Performance from the Butler School of Music (Austin, Texas) and a Bachelor’s Degree in Piano Performance from the University of Toronto (Toronto, Ontario) with a certificate in Piano Pedagogy. After starting her musical journey at the age of 8, she fell in love with the expressive possibilities of the piano and now pursues a full time career as a pianist, teacher, and content creator.

Known for her captivating stage presence and temperament, Vivid draws in her audience with convincing yet personalized interpretations of her repertoire. Her favourite classical composers are the late romantics, including Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. In addition to being a soloist, she is passionate about collaborating in a variety of chamber settings ranging from playing with large symphony ensembles, small chamber groups, to eight-hand piano works.

Vivid delivers online-only piano and theory lessons, supported by over seven years of dedicated teaching experience.

RANDOLPH SCHERP

Pianist, Composer, Musicologist

A native of Calgary, Randolph was brought up with a cosmopolitan outlook, which has helped him to sympathise with, and feel at home in different cultures and traditions. His father, who loved to play the Blue Danube, was an amateur musician that taught him the rudiments of music, while his mother loved to play records of classics, such as Puccini and Schubert. Originally Randolph intended to become a geologist like his father, but at the decisive moment opted for music. He then studied composition with George Walker in Montclair, NJ, and the piano with Hans-Dieter Meyer-Moortgat in Germany and Charles Asche in Santa Barbara, CA.

Randolph has published a book of original compositions and edited chamber music by Beethoven's contemporary in Vienna, Anton Eberl. He was the season pianist for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Opera in 2023. His current interests in music include music pedagogy from classical times, discovering forgotten masters, and repopularising classical music in public perception. Randolph likes to read ancient history and appreciates all things wild and natural. He cherishes family and is proud of his daughters' achievements as educators and artists.

SARA ZENG

Singer, Songwriter, & Pianist

Sara Zeng, a singer, songwriter, and pianist of 23 years, has always held a passion for the stage and performing. Her piano performances led her to begin competing in pageants where she won the title of Miss Florida in 2017 and competed in the Miss America Competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Sara received her Bachelor of Music Education from Florida State University and graduated Summa Cum Laude from the University of Florida with a Master's degree in Music Education.

Sara holds a Florida State Educator's certificate in K-12 music and drama with 5 years of experience teaching elementary music and middle school guitar, chorus, and theatre in Volusia and Flagler County. She currently serves on the board of non-profit organization, Kids Rock the Nation, where she continues to share her love of music and performing with the community.

Our Teachers at the Piano

Vivid Ma performs Liszt’s Après une lecture du Dante at the University of Texas at Austin.

Sara Zeng performs at Sounds of the Suncoast, a Sarasota Music Festival.

Harry Luton, owner of Luton Piano Academy, performs Chopin's Revolutionary Etude, Op. 10 No. 12.