About
I have had the privilege of learning from so many great people that I have been exposed to just about every personality and method/ approach to piano playing over the last decade+. While I don't consider myself equally prolific in all of these approaches, I do find that having many different resources in my tool belt helps. I am more able to adjust to specific students than I would be if I were to have grown up in only 1 or 2 schools of thought myself. I feel that between 90-95% of the time, I have been able to connect with each student in a way that they needed for progress. The best thing about me is that I have very strong ideas and values, but I do not use a one-size-fits-all method to enforce them.
This is one of the hardest questions to answer, because it is more of a feeling than a description. The simple answer is that I enjoy "all of it". The whole process excits me: Meeting new people, understanding them, working out plans and ideaas for their development, observing their progress over time, hearing them perform, etc. If I had to narrow it down however, my favorite thing is seeing a smille on a students face when something I said finally helped them "figure it out" after a week or more has passed of them feeling totally stuck. I love this feeling, because I have been on the other side of that and I think there is nothing more inspiring that a teacher helping you crack the code to move on to the next level in your developmet.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
Whether a student is coming to me fresh or as a transfer, my first agenda is to figure out his/her goals with the piano. It is important that I understand what those are before considering how I will teach, because the road to pop music is different than classical or even rock. I formulate my process based on the student’s goals. That said, I put a big emphasis on learning, at minimum, the fundamentals of Music Theory from the get go since knowledge of chords finds it’s way into almost every genre.
Additionally, I like to find out what type of learner (auditory, visual, etc.) the student is before determining an approach since that also plays heavily in how I present things. In summary, I take things on a case by case basis relative to the individual student’s personality and desires.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have taken nearly twelve years of private piano lessons from six primary teachers, four of whom were active or retired concert pianists. I also worked with nearly thirty other professional teachers between one and five times at music camps, summer festivals, competitions, and chamber music programs. In addition to this, I studied music performance at Seattle Conservatory of Music and briefly at the Colburn School Young Artists Academy. Most recently, I received a Bachelors Degree in Keyboard (Piano) performance Magna Cum Laude from the University of Miami: Frost School of Music.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Yes I do: 30 mins is $175 per month, 45 is $245, and 60 mins is $300.
I also offer 2 hour sessions for $400 to the students who may be more serious and want more time.
A month includes weekly seesions x4
How did you get started teaching?
In many ways it was always part of me. When I first begin piano lessons as a pre-teen, I was so excited about my study that I showed my friends, brothers, and parents, things that I was learning. It wasn’t a “lesson” so to speak, but within a year of beginning, I was already finding ways to communicate the language of music to others who didn’t know it. I started officially taking on students around the 2.5 year mark and time and experience took over to evolve me into what I am today. At this point, it feels so second nature that I would never consider not doing it.
What types of students have you worked with?
As of this summer, I have officially taught forty full-time students over the course of nine years. Their ages have ranged from 5 to 88 with the average being late teen or middle aged adult. Their interests have included the Classical, Pop, Rock, Jazz, and Hip-Hop, genres. I enjoy branching out to unfamiliar territory when that happens. I even had a blind student for a time which was a true learning experience in communication and helped me to think of certain aspects of music in a new way.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
1- make sure the teacher understands your goals and interest level.
2- make sure the teacher will meet you at the level, but still push you to always try your best.
3- personality is HUGE. There are hundreds (or even thousands) of highly talented people in this business so finding a solid teacher won’t be hard. That said, the personal connection you have with your mentor is one of the move important things you will ever come across in your study. It should feel two-sided where you both learn from and enjoy each other. Although the teacher leads, there must be a mutual respect.
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
1- How much time am I willing to put into this? (Days per week and mins/hours per day)
2- What is my motivation for wanting this? (Do I want to impress my parents/friends? Do I want a side hobby? Do I want to play for myself? Am I being pressured to do this? Etc. There is no right or wrong answer, but identifying your driving force is very important.)
3- Is this a hobby or a passion? (Do I want to really take the time and master it or do I just want to mess around and not worry about sloppy work.)
4-How quickly would I like to improve and what does improvement look like?