Scott Houston, host of the Emmy award-winning series “The Piano Guy” on PBS, shares the techniques he has perfected as a professional musician to play popular jazz, pop, blues and country tunes for pleasure and entertainment Saturday, Sept. 6. Houston proves that learning to play the piano does not need to be a monotonous exercise—it can be fun!  

The program will be held from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Meyer Auditorium in the Freer Gallery of Art, located on 12th Street and Independence Ave. S.W. Tickets are $85 for general admission and $65 for Smithsonian Associate members. For tickets and information call (202) 633-3030 or visit www.smithsonianassociates.org.

Houston suggests that he can teach anyone how to play piano like a professional in a matter of hours. The secret is learning to play chords and melody, just as professional musicians do at pickup gigs. Houston reveals tricks of the trade and demonstrates different techniques and improvisations that can add artistic flair to any performance.

Houston is an experienced musician with more than 20 years in the business. A trained percussionist, Houston studied jazz at the Indiana University School of Music. He spent five years as the president of a music publishing business, and he has played keyboards and percussion in rock, funk and jazz ensembles. In 1997, he began exploring effective means to teach adult, non-musicians how to simply have fun playing piano.

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