Piano Lab Expands Mobile Classes & Scholarship Program
A Local Story: Music That Lasts
Founded in 2017 by Marilyn O'Leary, Piano Lab was built on a simple but powerful mission: to make music education accessible, joyful, and lasting. Marilyn is a performing musician with The Sunday Set and a mother of two West Potomac graduates. That dual perspective—teacher and performer—shapes our philosophy: disciplined foundations + genuine fun = skills that stick for life.
"I hear it all the time: 'I took piano for years but can't play a note.' At Piano Lab, we break that cycle. We treat music like a language—any child can learn to read, play, and create—with steady progress, the right structure, and a spirit of fun."
Established 2017
Fort Hunt / Alexandria studio with multiple classrooms.
Studio + Mobile
Mobile is a spinoff of our studio model—same structure and joy, on site.
Scholarships
Full & partial scholarships for qualifying families.
Schools & Community Partners We Serve
We’re honored to be serving these schools and community partners (with several beginning this term):
- Riverside Elementary (Title I)
- Stratford Landing Elementary
- Bucknell Elementary
- Mt. Vernon Woods Elementary (Title I)
- Gum Springs Rec Center
- Bethlehem Baptist Church
- Woodley Hills Elementary (Title I)
Scholarship Access
Full and partial scholarships are available for qualifying families, including students who receive free or reduced-price school lunch. Our goal is to ensure price is never the reason a child misses out on music literacy. As a new partner of Music For Life, Piano Lab is expanding their mission to include piano education—providing sustainability and tax-exempt support for our scholarship program so that more children can thrive through music.
Mobile Class Model
- Piano Lab operates a full-time studio with multiple classrooms in Fort Hunt/Alexandria.
- The mobile program is a spinoff of the studio model, bringing the same structure and joy on-site to partners.
- Group classes balance fun with steady, measurable progress.
- Aligned with school schedules; offered during or after school or at partner sites.
- Equipment and setup provided by Piano Lab; minimal lift for schools.
- Clear pathways into ongoing studio lessons for interested families.
"We are lowering financial and logistical barriers so more children become music literate—able to read, play, and create for life. Mobile classes meet families where they are, and scholarships keep the door open for every kid who is ready to learn."
Media Contact
Marilyn O'Leary, Founder, Piano Lab
