David Voss - Piano Lessons

For new students, I start out by asking them about their past musical experiences, how familiar they might be with the piano or other musical instruments. This gives me a good reference for how familiar the student may already be with musical fundamentals and piano technique, so I don't spend time telling them information they already know. For someone brand new to music, I teach them the musical alphabet (ABCDEFG) and how it relates to the keys, the numbers of our fingers, and introduce them to how the piano works.

I have a Master's degree in music composition from Stony Brook, where I also studied piano with a doctoral student. The piano professor there, Gilbert Kalish, described me as a "A very serious and proficient pianist." Prior to that, I earned by Bachelor's degree in music theory/composition, where I also studied piano with the chair of the department, Catherine Kautsky. I have been playing piano professionally for over a decade and have been teaching for three years, preparing students for recitals and NYSSMA.

My standard pricing is $40 for a half hour lesson and $70 for an hour.

I first began teaching when I was in high school, substituting for my own piano teacher when she was travelling. Years later, after I graduated college, I began teaching again in Chicago, where I had a studio of approximately 20 in-home students. I've been teaching piano ever since and look forward to building a studio here in NYC.

I have done a lot of work with beginning students for whom piano is their very first instrument, some students being as young as 4 years old. I have worked with kids teenagers of all ages and ability levels, as well as adult students. I also have experience teaching special needs students as well, introducing them to musical concepts in individualized methods.

I recently played keyboards for a rock band at Pianos on the lower East Side, an opportunity for me to perform piano outside of a classical context. It's important to continuously stretch yourself as a musician and as a person, broadening your abilities and your comfort zone.

Being a good pianist and being a good piano teacher are two different things. Don't just assume because a teacher is incredible at playing the piano and has won a lot of awards in performance that they will be similarly incredible at teaching. Also, if a teacher offers a free trial lesson, take it! Your first interaction with a potential teacher can tell you a lot about how well the two of you are going to work together. Even if a teacher doesn't offer a free trial lesson, ask to meet them in person outside of a lesson context.

Oftentimes, the student may not have a clear picture of what their needs are. Rather, it's helpful for the student to have some idea of what music they want to play, whether that's classical, jazz, pop, etc. Also, if they have any musical goals they have their eyes on (competitions, auditions, being able to play a particular piece), that can also be helpful to know.