Our Teachers
Boulder Piano Lessons is a co-operative of two independent piano teachers and offers lessons through the teaching studios of Pamela Hatton and Christopher Hatton. While our mission is the same, our lesson styles and teaching offerings vary and reflect our unique interests, artistic inclinations, and training.
"I've been taking lessons from Pamela for more than five years and love it! She allows me to choose and learn the music that I'd listen to on my iPod, while also teaching classical pieces. It really keeps it interesting and fun!" -Cailen, age 15 years old
Dr. Pamela Hatton, DMA
Hello! My name is Pamela and I am a co-founder, administrative director, and piano instructor at Boulder Piano Lessons.
I have been teaching piano lessons for over 11 years, both as an independent piano teacher as well as on the faculty of area music schools and CU-Boulder's Continuing Education Department. I absolutely love teaching lessons and working with piano students of all ages and abilities. My studio features a wide variety of age-levels and students with varying musical interests, ranging from the youngest beginners to the serious music-school focused high school students to adults returning to lessons after many years or those seeking a creative outlet for the first time. While the classical repertoire will always remain closest to my heart, I enjoy exploring and teaching music in a wide variety of styles and genres and discovering new music from today's living composers. I have an enthusiastic, high-energy teaching style and am passionate about sharing my love of music with others! I received my Bachelor of Music degree in Piano Performance in 2006 from Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, the #1-ranked music school in the nation, where I studied under the renowned Menahem Pressler and Russian pianist, Luba Edlina-Dubinsky. I returned to Colorado for the Master of Music program at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where I simultaneously completed double masters degrees in 2009 in Piano Performance, under Dr. David Korevaar, and Piano Pedagogy, under the guidance of Dr. Alejandro Cremaschi. I went on to earn my Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado, Boulder, graduating in 2013. My doctoral dissertation and accompanying research delves into the music of living composer Lowell Liebermann (entitled Intertextuality in Lowell Liebermann’s Variations on a Theme by Anton Bruckner, Opus 19 (1987): A Model for the Study of Historical Influence and its role in Compositional Process and Performance Analysis). Alongside teaching, I also enjoy an active performing career, having played numerous solo, duo-piano, and collaborative recitals throughout the Rocky Mountain region and the Mid-West. My most recent performances and upcoming events can be viewed on my personal performance website, www.pamelajhatton.com. I live in Boulder, Colorado, with my husband Chris Hatton and our cat, Kimono. I grew up in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California and then in Colorado. So I have an obvious love for the outdoors and everything that has to do with the mountains. In my free time I love to run, hike, free-climb, road bike, ski, snowshoe, and climb Colorado's 14ers, having recently summited my first two, Quandry Peak and Mt. Massive. |
Dr. Chris Hatton, DMA
Hello! I am Chris Hatton, co-founder and instructor at Boulder Piano Lessons. I have over thirteen years experience teaching piano to all ages and skill levels. I enjoy teaching classical, jazz, and popular music to all my students. My overarching goal is to help my students become well-rounded musicians who are able to read and interpret musical notation, improvise, and be able to arrange songs by ear or from lead-sheets.
I received my Bachelor of Arts in Music from the University of Kansas, my Masters of Music in Piano Performance from Colorado State University and my Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Piano Performance from the University of Colorado. I have also taught classical and jazz piano at the college level for the last three years at Colorado Christian University in Lakewood. I am also an active performer, playing classical solo and chamber recitals, freelance jazz piano as well as playing in the original rock band Carbon Choir http://www.mtv.com/artists/carbon-choir/. Through the years, I have played in various professional jazz bands, recorded on many albums, and played hundreds of gigs throughout the region. I am currently writing my own interactive textbook for the iPad entitled The Real Improvisation Book. I grew up in Lawrence, KS and I've lived in Colorado since 2002. When I'm not teaching or practicing, I enjoy biking, climbing, hiking, snowboarding and generally being outdoors up in the mountains. Please go to my personal website, christopherhatton.com, to hear samples of my playing. |