Julie Hanney is a pianist, teacher, composer, performer and recording artist. She loves to help her students unlock their creative side, and she teaches students from young beginners to late intermediate levels. She has played piano since she was a young child, first learning from her grandmother, and has written music since she was quite young. Julie has taught piano lessons for over twenty years and brings a wealth of experience, insights, novel ideas, improvisational techniques, and an upbeat, encouraging attitude to each lesson. Julie is the composer of two songbooks for piano students: “Looks Easy, Sounds Hard” and “Jazzy Piano Jams.” Both are available on Amazon.com.
Julie received her music education at the University of Oregon where she graduated with a degree in Music with special emphasis on piano and composition. She then studied composition at the graduate level and is a published composer of works for piano, choir, and various instrument combinations. She has arranged and composed music for the Jones Road String Quartet, the Bend Cello Collective, the Gospel Choir of the Cascades, various community, church and school choirs, and much more.
Julie is also a recording artist with five original solo piano albums released and available on all of the major streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora, YouTube, etc. Her music primarily falls in the neoclassical genre, which encompasses a wide range of music that contains elements of classical music with an infusion of modern, peaceful and passionate 21st century sounds. In addition to her albums, she has also released many singles and covers. In October of 2024, Heart Dance Records released Julie’s fifth solo piano album titled Wonderment. Her previous albums are: Everyday Miracles, Where the Ocean Meets the Sky, A Peace-Filled Christmas and Painting in Sound. Julie’s albums Everyday Miracles and A Peace-Filled Christmas were each nominated for Album of the Year by SoloPiano.com. Her songs have won awards and have been featured on numerous popular playlists, blogs and streaming sites. Some of her songs play on Sirius XM’s Spa channel. Many of her songs were selected to play on international airline radio stations. Her single Blue was nominated for Best Solo Piano Single by One World Music Radio. Julie has also been delighted to have her songs played regularly on Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, River of Calm, Peaceful Currents Radio, One World Music Radio and many more radio stations and streaming sites. All in all, her music has been heard many millions of times, which is pretty amazing since she records everything in her home in Bend!
Julie’s newest creation is an EP of seven original songs titled Impressions, which is being released in October of 2025 by Heart Dance Records of Arizona.
She is the founder of Peace Through Music, which is a series of concerts that unite people to spread peace while raising money for nonprofits who are bringing peace to the world. She also performs as a solo artist and with a variety of other musicians.
When Julie isn’t making music, she loves to get into the great outdoors for hiking, kayaking, camping and exploring. She also loves to garden, read, and play board games with her family.
More info at: www.juliehanney.com