45-Minute and Hour-long Lessons Available
Benefits of piano study
Music is art, and art is reflection. Making music enriches of quality of life, allows us to express our most profound human experiences and emotions, furthers development of personality and creativity, and stretches us toward our highest potential. In a world where we are bombarded by images and sound bites, making music allows us to engage our ears and souls reflectively. Our music-making is uniquely ours. Other benefits of studying music include development of critical thinking and problem-solving skills, focus, perseverance in striving toward long-term goals, organization and time management skills, and confidence. These are skills that contribute to success in virtually all aspects of life. Students of all ages can benefit from piano study, whether their ultimate goals is to play familiar tunes for pleasure or to perform on stage or in piano competitions.
My role as a piano teacher
My job is to structure each student’s learning experience and to help make the process of learning to play the piano rewarding and enjoyable. I tailor my instructional content and select repertoire to address the individual goals and needs of each student. While being able to read music is a necessary and fundamental skill, there is much more to playing the piano than reading the notes off of the page. Music is, first of all, sound. While being able to read music is a necessary and fundamental skill, there is much more to playing the piano than reading the notes off of the page. Whenever I am introducing a new concept, I find ways to help my student experience the sound first—through singing, movement, or imitation—before I introduce the musical notation, and well before I introduce the terminology for that concept. By teaching through sound or experience first, students are able to produce highly musical sounds from the very first lesson. They are then ready to produce that sound in response to musical notation. It is my responsibility to help students develop a large library of musical sounds, learn to make informed choices based on the principles that govern how and when sounds are used, and develop the technique to bring these sounds out of the piano. It is crucial to nurture healthy and effective piano technique right from the beginning of study, since patterns that are established early are the foundation upon which more advanced technique is built. While there are universal principles of piano technique, every person has a slightly different physiology and needs to implement these principles in slightly different ways. Additionally, there is often more than one way to play a particular piece or musical passage. Therefore, technique must be tailored to each individual student. It is vitally important to help students develop a strong kinesthetic connection with how their bodies work to produce sound. I promote comprehensive musicianship, including the ability to play repertoire in various styles, knowledge and application of music theory, and development of functional piano skills. I assist my students in becoming independent learners by teaching them
problem-solving skills. Asking questions to lead students to awareness of why certain musical or technical solutions work in a given context helps students understand the underlying structure and logic of musical interpretation. I strive to act as a facilitator to learning, helping students find their own practical solutions to musical and technical problems. Not only are students motivated when they are active learners, they are empowered to try out different musical ideas and technical solutions as their skill level increases. My goal is to help students learn to interpret musical scores to connect with the meaning and expressive content of the music to find their unique artistic voice. My ultimate goal is to make myself obsolete, equipping each piano student with the tools he or she will need to enjoy a lifetime of healthy, rewarding music-making.
problem-solving skills. Asking questions to lead students to awareness of why certain musical or technical solutions work in a given context helps students understand the underlying structure and logic of musical interpretation. I strive to act as a facilitator to learning, helping students find their own practical solutions to musical and technical problems. Not only are students motivated when they are active learners, they are empowered to try out different musical ideas and technical solutions as their skill level increases. My goal is to help students learn to interpret musical scores to connect with the meaning and expressive content of the music to find their unique artistic voice. My ultimate goal is to make myself obsolete, equipping each piano student with the tools he or she will need to enjoy a lifetime of healthy, rewarding music-making.