Debby Saint Piano Lessons

     if he or she has already been playing piano, I ask them (I know I should be saying "he" or "she" instead of "them") to bring their most recent piano books.  I ask them to pick two or three recent pieces to play for me to help me discern if they can play well at that level, if there is need for review or backing up a bit, if we can start moving forward at the present level, or if we should jump ahead because the present level is too easy for  the student.

     If he or she has never played piano, I ask them if they have played piano on their own, and if so, would they like to play something for me--a made-up song or something else.  I then open up the beginning-level book, and we start with the concepts of low sounds and high sounds depending on which keys a person is playing and the recognition of groups of black keys.

     I took piano lessons on and off from age seven through my senior year in high school.  At age 13, I began accompanying some teenage singers in my small country church.  I began playing the organ for the Sunday morning service in my senior year (The church had grown much larger and had needed to build a new building.)  and also during the following year.  (I worked for a year before going to college.)

     I took piano lessons during my entire four years in college.  I accompanied the women's chorus for three years and also travelled for three summers as accompianist for music teams representing the college.

     After college, because of my involvement in church music, various members of my church began asking me to teach piano to their children.  Eventually, teaching piano became my fulltime job.

I charge $16 for a half hour lesson.  If a student would want a 45-minute lesson, the cost is $22. 

     As mentioned above, because of my involvement in music at my church, various members began asking me to teach piano to their children.

     I have had students who quickly grasped musical concepts and were able to easily translate that understanding into their fingers.  I have had students who were attentive but for whom translating the concepts into their fingers was difficult.  (In some cases, I think there were varying degrees of dyslexia.)  I had a few students who were ADD.  I have had a couple of students with rather severe learning disabilites.  (One stayed with piano, but the other student stopped after two years.)  I also taught a Down Syndrome student. 

     In the fall I attended a five-hour band competition.  It was quite enjoyable to hear the various pieces being played, see the marching formations of each band and the dips and swirls and patterns of the color guards, and then at the end to view the excitement of each band as they received ratings and awards.

     Look for someone who plays piano well and who ENJOYS playing piano; someone who is able to make concepts understandable, able to be on the student's level; someone who expects the student to consistently practice; someone who has a good knowledge of piano repetoire, of good pieces available in the student's area of interest.

Am I willing to put in the practice time to make good progress?