La Jolla Piano Institute founder Marden Abadi has been teaching his unique music philosophy in Southern California for more than 30 years. The pianist who once stunned crowds by performing in spectacular historic vistas, including the rim of the Grand Canyon and South Dakota’s Mount Rushmore, has relocated his piano institute from its former 10-year location in Mount Soledad to the heart of La Jolla Village. The La Jolla Piano Institute is now open for enrollment for aspiring musicians of all ages and experience levels. Piano, violin, guitar, voice and music theory lessons are taught in a personalized format, based on classical or contemporary compositions of the student’s choice. In turn, students are rewarded with benefits such as higher concentration, memory and, of course, an appreciation for music. The institute’s unique philosophy is based on Abadi’s experience studying in Japan under world-renowned pianist Shinichi Suzuki. Abadi has taken Suzuki’s innovative method of music education and adapted it to fit the style of his American students. “The Suzuki philosophy involves working with music that is not arranged and that is not simplified. The original music is taken apart and put back together as a puzzle,” Abadi said. “The actual piano technique is done by understanding the concept of what you’re doing aurally, and that is transferred to the fingers as technical training,” he said, adding that the methodology works the same for every instrument. Teachers at La Jolla Piano Institute offer a variety of pieces for students to choose from, thanks to the tremendous undertaking of Abadi and his staff to acquire original film scores and other pieces that are not within the public domain. “La Jolla Piano Institute is unique in that instead of only classical music, we have the copyrights for popular contemporary music that students want to play,” Abadi said, adding that most students practice a mix of classical and technical training. Personalized lessons are conducted based on Abadi’s belief that if students choose their own curriculum with guidance in their technical training, they will want to practice and learn to love music. La Jolla Piano Institute is located at 7848 Ivanhoe Ave. The institute is open Mondays through Fridays from noon to 10 p.m. Enrollment is open to all ages and experience levels. Call (858) 456-1980 to arrange for personalized lessons or learn more about the institute.