Piano Buds in a Pod® Now Accepting after-school Fall Enrollments For Kids & Adults
What classes do we offer?
Piano Buds in a Pod® is a Steinway Educational Partner located at 91 Street & 2nd Avenue in Manhattan. We offer Early-Childhood Music and Piano Classes for Babies and Toddlers, Group Piano Programs, and Individual Piano Lessons—available both in-studio and in-home—for students of all levels, from beginners to advanced. Our curriculum also includes Classical Piano Exam Training through the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM), all based in the heart of New York’s Upper East Side.
A classical art, a personal journey—book your piano classes.
ALL CLASSES AT PIANO BUDS IN A POD® (MANHATTAN, NYC)
Group Piano
Piano Pioneers is a group piano program for beginner & intermediate levels. You will explore the keyboard basics, reading on the grand staff, increasing finger dexterity, playing solo repertoire, and performing in front of the class. Whether you plan to play your favorite piece, or take a piano exam, pieces are at the heart of your piano education. After all, playing an instrument is all about exploring, performing, and learning through repertoire. Class duration: 45-minutes. Class size: 1 to 5 students. Facility: 1 acoustic grand piano and 5 digital pianos. Fees: There are several payment options for Group Piano classes. A single 1-Class/Drop-In Ticket is $50. The introductory first class is $38.50, reflecting a savings of $11.50 when the discount code ILOVEGROUPPIANO is applied at checkout. For the Full-Course Enrollment Ticket, the tuition rate is $38.50 per 45-minute class.
Group Piano is a drop-off class without caregiver participation. One parent or caregiver may observe from the designated waiting area for the duration of the class. Due to space constraints, only one parent/caregiver per child is permitted inside Piano Buds in a Pod and must adhere to all Policies and Procedures to support the focus and learning of both students and teachers.
Baby Beethoven
Baby Beethoven are early-childhood music classes for toddlers and preschoolers crafted to spark their imagination through music, movement, piano, and dramatic play. Over the semester, with varied themes, students will explore the core concepts of performing classical music within pretend play while keeping a steady beat, playing rhythm instruments, dancing to orchestral music, reading notation, singing the solfège, and exploring the piano with one-finger classical tunes with your stuffy Nina the Ballerina. Age: Our classes are recommended for ages 18 months and up, though we happily welcome little ones younger than 18 months, up to age 4. Class size: 1 to 8 students. Class duration: 45-minutes. Fees: There are several payment options for Baby Beethoven music classes. A single 1-Class/Drop-In Ticket is $45. The introductory first class is $34, reflecting a savings of $11 when the discount code BABYBEETHOVEN is applied at checkout. For the Full-Course Enrollment Ticket, the tuition rate is $34 per 45-minute class. Class Pass options are also available: Baby Beethoven 12-Class Pass at $34 per class ($408 for 12 classes), Baby Beethoven 8-Class Pass at $37.50 per class ($300 for 8 classes), and Baby Beethoven 5-Class Pass at $40 per class ($200 for 5 classes). You may also choose to Gift a Music Class at the rate of $45 per class.
Taught by: Alexandra
Individual Piano
Individual Piano is a 1-on-1 weekly piano class on the acoustic grand piano for beginners up to ABRSM Grade 1 to 8 levels, open to all ages from 3+ to adults. Whether you're aiming to play your favorite piece or preparing for an ABRSM exam, the focus will be on mastering pieces as the core of your piano education. Additionally, students have the opportunity to practice on any of the five digital pianos with headsets, available before and after the class. Please inform the teacher in advance if you'd like to take advantage of this. Class size: 1 student. Facility: 1 acoustic grand piano and 5 digital pianos. Fees: There are several payment options for Individual Piano classes. A single 1-Class/Drop-In Ticket is $70. The introductory first class is $55, reflecting a savings of $15 when the discount code ILOVEPIANO is applied at checkout. For the Full-Course Enrollment Ticket, the tuition rate is $55 per 30-minute class. Starting June 1, 2026, you will be paying $57.50/30-minutes with a Full Course Enrollment Ticket.
Piano Buds in a Pod® offer in-home lessons. For in-home lessons, please email us at pianobudsinapod@gmail.com with your preferred day and time for a weekly class, and we will get back to you with our teacher's availability. Class Size: 1 to 2 students. Fee: $100/45-minutes with a 12-Classes Pass valid for a 14-week period from your start date.
Piano Exam Certification: The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM)
Congratulations to our students on their outstanding achievements in the The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Piano Performance Grade Exam! 🏆
Claire Downes, Initial Grade (Merit)
Pacey Aaron Cohen, Initial Grade (Merit)
Anthony Nguyen, Initial Grade (Distinction)
Xin Wang, Initial Grade (Distinction)
Neha Singh, Initial Grade (Distinction)
Shiv Dubey, Initial Grade (Distinction)
Pass 100 | Merit 120 | Distinction 130 of 150
Meet Your Teacher
Alexandra Miñoza
Alexandra Miñoza is a teacher and the founder of Piano Buds in a Pod® NYC, a professional pianist, and a Steinway Teacher & Educational Partner based in New York City. She holds a Master of Music in Advanced Performance (Piano) from the Royal College of Music in London, where she studied under Professor Leon McCawley as a Polani Award Scholar. She earned her Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music at the National University of Singapore on a full scholarship sponsored by Singtel, studying with Professor Albert Tiu, Head of Piano Studies. Alexandra began her formal training at the Philippine High School for the Arts as a government scholar.
Piano Buds in a Pod® NYC, under Alexandra’s direction, was an activity partner at the Central Park Conservancy Playground Partners Annual Family Party in 2024 and 2025, hosted by the Central Park Women’s Committee. Founded in 1983, the Committee is a community of 1,000 women dedicated to raising funds and awareness to help keep Central Park green and beautiful.
Alexandra has extensive experience preparing students for pre-conservatory undergraduate entry, as well as examinations such as Trinity and ABRSM in Singapore and India. She is also trained in early childhood music education, including the Suzuki Piano Method. Alexandra served as a faculty member at KM College of Music & Technology in Chennai, India, founded by A.R. Rahman, where she taught in the Preparatory/Part-time Programme, conducted Keyboard Skills classes for first-year undergraduates, and worked as a piano accompanist. She also contributed to the development of the syllabus and certification for the Piano Examination, from Initial Level through Level 5, compiling an appendix of piano pieces classified by difficulty. In addition, Alexandra coordinated and conducted ensemble performances for Preparatory Programme students aged 3 to 12. She was also a member of the jury panel for the Disney (India) & Bindass Talent Search in Delhi, India. In addition, Alexandra is the owner and private teacher at Primarily Piano India in Chennai, where she teaches students from beginner to advanced pre-conservatory levels. She also organized student concerts, which were featured in local newspapers.
Alexandra’s performance experience spans across multiple cities, including New York, Singapore, London, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Manila, Cebu, Kathmandu, and Malaysia. She performed as a collaborative pianist at Carnegie Hall in 2024-2025. Her notable performances include presenting Chopin’s 24 Preludes Op. 28 at Sofar Sounds in Bangalore, The Listeners' Club in Mumbai, and at KM College of Music and Technology in Chennai. Alexandra was also part of the 118th Philippine Independence Celebration in Kathmandu and Chennai, where she performed 20th-century Filipino works. She has performed at prominent venues such as the Esplanade Concert Hall, Esplanade Recital Studio, and Victoria Concert Hall in Singapore, as well as giving a solo recital at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Manila. Alexandra made her orchestral debut at the age of nine, performing Haydn’s Piano Concerto in D major, Hob. XVIII/2 with the Cebu Youth Symphony Orchestra, sponsored by Abbott Laboratories Philippines. Alexandra currently lives in New York City.
Study piano and music theory with Alexandra.
You can view Alexandra’s teaching schedule and book a class.
MEET YOUR TEACHER
Elif Isil Karakas
Elif Isil Karakas is a pianist and teacher at Piano Buds in a Pod® NYC performs at major venues worldwide, touring the U.S., and many countries in Europe as a guest performer. Trained in Russian, Turkish and American piano techniques, she is the laureate of more than 20 international piano competitions. Currently pursuing a Bachelor's at Manhattan School of Music, Karakas remains active as a solo pianist.
With more than 10 years of teaching experience, Karakas has prepared students for exams such as NYSSMA and ABRSM, entrance exams, competitions, and concerts. She has worked with students, ages 4 to adult, helping them advance their piano technique, musicality, and theory as well as gain general music knowledge and culture by approaching music from the classical repertoire. Tailoring lessons to individual goals and interests, Karakas aims to foster a lifelong love of music in her students.
Study piano and music theory with Elif.
You can view Elif's teaching schedule and book a class.