A music legend and a who’s-who of tech are betting big on piano lessons. Payam Music, the school rethinking how students learn the instrument, has announced a partnership with composer Hans Zimmer alongside funding from top tech and media executives, including Mark Cuban, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, Cloudflare co-founder Michelle Zatlyn and Dropbox CEO Drew Houston. Code.org founder Hadi Partovi joins as CEO, with the investment fueling a national rollout of brick-and-mortar piano schools across the U.S.
The method is the hook. As featured on 60 Minutes, Payam Music built a proprietary approach inspired by the psychology of language acquisition, teaching students through an intuitive alphanumeric notation instead of leaning on sheet music from day one, so they can play their favorite songs right away. The results are striking: 96% of students reach diploma-level within four years, against a national average where just 2% get there in 12.
Founder Payam Khastkhodaei framed it as a movement challenging the traditional model, where learning feels like play and success follows naturally from students falling for the instrument. Partovi, who scaled computer science education to 100 million students at Code.org and whose own son has studied at the school since 2020, pointed to building creativity, confidence and grit as the skills parents and employers want most, especially in the age of AI.
The talent pipeline is the showstopper. Top students will be mentored by Zimmer and other leading composers through Bleeding Fingers, the multiple Emmy-winning, BAFTA-nominated collective he co-founded with Russell Emanuel and Steve Kofsky. Zimmer said music education has long been stuck in the past and praised Payam for rewriting the playbook, adding he’s thrilled his studio will help nurture the next generation of composers.
Cuban put it bluntly, saying too many kids give up on music because traditional methods don’t work, and that Payam has cracked the code with an approach that keeps them engaged and learning.
The expansion reaches well beyond its current footprint. The school will grow past its locations in Washington, California, New York and Maryland to sites across the country, and extend its reach further through live one-on-one online lessons. New students can sign up or request a location at payammusic.com.