Louisiville Piano Lessons
About
I have decades of professional experience performing internationally, as well as experience teaching all age levels from young children to adults. I especially enjoy the challenge of tailoring my teaching to the individual learning styles and goals of each student. I encourage creativity through composition, songwriting and improvisation. I have taught music theory and composition at the college level, and teach many different styles of music. I have taught many students with special needs, including students with autism, Down Syndrome and cerebral palsy. I believe anyone who is motivated can learn, and that musical expression is everyone's birthright.
I earned a BA in music from Yale University and a Masters Degree in Piano Performance from University of Louisville, where I achieved distinction in three different musical areas by winning the composition prize, the concerto competition and the Hankins Prize in musicology. I toured for years internationally as a concert pianist under the auspices of United States embassies and binational centers. For decades I have conducted orchestras, choirs and bands, including the Symphony Orchestra of Guayaquil, the largest city in Ecuador. Besides classical music, I have extensive experience in other styles as well. For example, I was Music Director of the Bakersfield Melodrama and Vaudeville Theater in California. I toured with the famous Motown group The Platters as their keyboardist. At Yale I directed the jazz and pop vocal group The Duke's Men. My compositions have been performed on live radio by Metropolitan Opera stars Elizabeth Batton and Garrett Sorenson, who won a Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. I have performed with world-renowned and Grammy award winning Native American artists. I have received grants from the Kentucky Arts Council and Spalding University for music composition, and commissions from the Louisville Youth Choir, as well as from multiple other organizations and individuals.
Music comes from a source greater than ourselves, and I get to share it by channeling that source when teaching or performing. It's like passing a flame. Seeing someone grow in technical and expressive capability is exciting, and it's thrilling to be an essential part of that growth.
Highlights
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Typically at a first lesson, I discover the student's level of accomplishment and personal goals for study. Based on those two things, we come to agreement about how to design a program that feels right for the student's preferred ways of learning and available time. I prefer to have the student always bring a notebook, in which I write detailed notes for guidance between lessons.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have a BA in music from Yale University, a Masters Degree in Piano Performance from University of Louisville, and six additional years of graduate training in composition and musicology from University if Louisville. I have decades of experience teaching privately and in classrooms at private and public schools, all grade levels from PK through college.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
For in-person lessons, I charge $35 for half hour lessons, $50 for 45 minutes, and $60 per hour. If the lessons involve me traveling to the student's house I add $10. Lessons online are $5 less.
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching high school band in Bakersfield, California in my mid-twenties. I already had been teaching piano privately for several years. For four years I lived in Quito, Ecuador, where I taught music at Academia Cotopaxi, an international school.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with students of all ages, in classroom settings and individually. I have worked with gifted students, typical students, and students with challenges such as Down Syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy.