Larissa Sokoloff Studio

I assess the strengths and weakenesses in a student's learning areas, and address these outside the curriculum books that students study.

There are music instructions on each page of the book which the parent can read at home to the student or use as a guide in practicing with a young child. There is also an accompanying workbook to reinforce basic musical concepts--the workbook involves writing, but also some ear-training exercises that I practice with the student and that are excellent in developing aural skills.

I use the curriculum books to help students orient themselves on the staff and keyboard, and understand how they are organized. Learning different hand positions, becoming familiar with the layout of the keyboard, recognizing musical patterns, and reading music by identifying relationships between notes rather than by rote--all lie at the core of learning music for new students. My role lies in growing these skills and knowledge effectively through exercises outside the books.

During the lesson we play the piano, practice rhythm through counting and clapping, work on proper hand position, and coordinate rhythm and counting with playing. Students also learn new pieces at each lesson--in the beginning the pieces are short but they present a realizable goal that brings a sense of achievement to the student, and the teacher too!

A graduate of the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School, I received a Bachelor’s degree magna cum laude from Harvard University. I subsequently graduated from the Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University with a Master's degree in Piano as a Pi Kappa Lambda Honor Society member. As a Fulbright Scholar I pursued piano studies at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, Hungary. I am also a recipient of an Artist Diploma from the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music. 

I have been teaching piano for 18 years while pursuing an international concert pianist career. I have performed as soloist and with orchestra throughout the United States and Europe, appearing in concert venues in France, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Russia, and Switzerland. Highlights of appearances in the United States include performances at the Phillips Collection in Washington, DC, the Ravinia Festival, the Harvard Club of Boston, the Sarasota Opera House, the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, and the Down Town Association in New York as part of the “Harvardwood Presents” series.

A competitor in numerous international competitions, I am a recipient of a number of international awards, including the Halina Czerny Stefanska Prize granted by the Masterplayers of Lugano, Switzerland. I also received a Special Jury Prize for the "Pianist Possessing the Most Remarkable Expressive Skills" from the Ettore Pozzoli International Competition in Seregno, Italy, presented by jury chairman and Italian pianist Maria Tipo. I am also a winner of the Nena Wideman International Piano Competition in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Please inquire.

I started teaching as a Lecturer in Piano at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music Preparatory Department in Cincinnati, Ohio, while pursuing a degree in piano performance at the school. I found that my own playing and performance experience allowed me to better understand challenges facing students. It also worked the other way; I found that teaching gave me greater insight into my own playing and made me a better pianist.

All ages and levels, starting from age four; also students with learning disabilities. i have also worked successfully with adult students, both beginners and experiened players.

An 8-year old student won a competition and performed at Carnegie Hall. Even though he didn't know what Carnegie Hall was when I first mentioned it to him--of course his parents knew the venue--his excitement about performing gradually developed, and it was wonderful to see him strive to improve his playing to the best of his ability in preparation for his performance.

Find a teacher with a broad range if experience, who is willing to give you their full attention and the time that you need, and has a genuine interest in your learning about music and the piano. 

How a teacher addresses problems that lie outside the scope of the learning materials. Does a teacher just teach "the notes" and what the book already presents? What elements of playing does the teacher encourage?