CMZWAHLEN STUDIO At COTTON PLACE

First, my students make my service stand out. When they arrive, they can't wait to sit at the piano and don't want to leave.

I am a classically trained pianist. I studied with Ocy L Downs, the Grand Dame of Piano in Portland, ME. She emphasized technique. I also studied with Maria Balling, an Austrian Professor and adjudicator in Boston, MA. Before WWII, she was a protege of Toscanini.

Although I am classically trained, I do not teach one method to all my students or limit them to one musical genre. I emphasize technique and fingering; it's your roadmap on the keys. Learning artistry means using expression to tell a story with sound. Playing technique without artistry is the same as listening to someone read a story in a monotone.

My students successfully auditioned to play the keyboard for their school's jazz band and performed in other school ensembles and musical events. They prepare for a fall and spring recital. When one recital ended, they asked when our next one was. They loved it!

Since 2006, I have enjoyed working with children, teens, and adults of all abilities and personalities. I have successfully worked with students who struggle with attention deficit by making up exercises or games to help them focus. I have also worked with stroke victims who, at one time, played the piano and wanted to play again. It works. When a student who couldn't focus one day sits at the piano and performs the entire piece by memory, the smile on their face says it all.

What I enjoy the most about my work is watching my students learn to love music. I often hear a parent say, "Before you were my son or daughter's piano teacher, I had to drag my son or daughter to the piano to practice. Now they are eager and go by themselves." My joy is teaching students the music they love and never thought they could play.