Piano teacher's students sweep competitions after learning "Payam Method"

60 Minutes - Newsmakers Piano teacher's students sweep national competitions after learning the "Payam Method" .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-60-minutes.jpg'); } By Bill Whitaker, Bill Whitaker 60 Minutes Correspondent Bill Whitaker is an award-winning journalist and 60 Minutes correspondent who has covered major news stories, domestically and across the globe, for more than four decades with CBS News. Read Full Bio Bill Whitaker, Rome Hartman Rome Hartman Rome Hartman's journalism career spanned nearly 50 years. He spent half of that time producing more than 150 segments for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes Sports. Read Full Bio Rome Hartman May 24, 2026 / 7:00 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google It's a fairly safe bet that most kids taking piano lessons don't like them. That was certainly my experience; I took piano from age 5-12 before quitting in frustration. The scales and sheet music and strict teacher just got the best of me.Now along comes a piano teacher named Payam Khastkhodaei. The 32-year-old son of Iranian immigrants says he's come up with a new method of teaching that has students loving their piano lessons.What makes this near-unknown worth a 60 Minutes story? Well, his students are sweeping national competitions. He's won over a legendary tech innovator and an Oscar-winning composer. They'll both tell you why they've joined his musical revolution, but we think you ought to hear from Payam first. Payam Khastkhodaei: Piano's not supposed to be fun. It's supposed to be strict, it's supposed to be stressful, it's supposed to be, like, this very intense instrument you're learning. And we're like, "Why? Like, why can't it be fun? Why can't we actually enjoy the songs we're learning? Our students don't just learn piano, they love piano. And that's one of the biggest keys to it.Payam Khastkhodaei: Can you play a little bit for me right there? Same spot. Now, can you play a little game? Can you show us how...