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Nicole Kovar once expected to leave the piano behind forever. Today, she runs a music education organization serving Arlington, Falls Church and McLean—and leads a program that gives children from low-income families free lessons and keyboards of their own.
Kovar began taking piano lessons at age 8 in Houston, Texas. Her teacher was in her late 80s, and Kovar disliked both the lessons and the weekly struggle to practice. After five years, her mother finally allowed her to quit, but only if she chose another instrument.
She taught herself guitar, took voice lessons and eventually earned a master’s degree in science and nutrition. Music, however, remained central to her life.
Kovar began teaching piano outside her regular work hours. After moving to Arlington, demand surged until she had 35 students and a growing waiting list.
She found that families wanted a more engaging approach. While maintaining standards, she avoided excessive technique drills for students who were not interested in them and incorporated storytelling and games. Parents took notice when their children wanted to perform after only four or five months.
That growth led Kovar to establish Piano and More, which offers in-home piano, guitar and voice lessons in Arlington, Falls Church and McLean. She no longer teaches piano herself because running the organization, marketing its services and working with its board of directors require her full attention.
Kovar believes music can strengthen the mind, provide an emotional outlet and deliver lifelong benefits. But while attending her instructors’ recitals, she noticed that the students being served largely came from families with disposable income.
Private music education can carry substantial costs. Even a free piano may cost between $200 and $500 to move, while annual tuning can cost about $150. Kovar also said students have fewer opportunities to learn piano in school than they once did.
In 2019, she expanded her efforts by creating Play It Forward. The program partners with Title I schools to offer free after-school piano lessons to students from low-income households. Each participant receives a keyboard for home practice and individual music books, with the same treatment provided to paying clients.
Play It Forward currently serves three students at Randolph Elementary School in Arlington, along with two students who have since moved to Fairfax. Participants include Hispanic and Asian students.
Kovar said the program could reach many more children with additional resources, but funding remains limited. Supporting one student costs approximately $2,500 annually, covering lessons, a keyboard, music, books and an occasional field trip.
The program has previously relied on tuition revenue from Piano and More. Organizers are now seeking grants and have received help from several private donors.
Students are selected through an application process that considers grades, attendance, teacher recommendations, participation in the free lunch program and a commitment to practice.
Kovar said she has watched participating students grow through music. One student who joined in 2019 has developed into a dedicated pianist, using music as a way to express herself and connect with the world.
She has also seen pride from parents who had little idea what to expect from the program but became deeply moved by their children’s progress.
For Kovar, the work reflects the lesson her mother tried to teach her during those difficult childhood practice sessions. Although she once fought to quit, she now views music as a lifetime gift—and wants more children to have the same opportunity.