All Things Piano: Andrew Cotts

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT live in Johnson City, Tennessee, despite what the URL says. When I was setting up my profile on this website, it wouldn't actually let me enter the name of the town where I DO live. It would only let me select cities from a pre-determined list. I got on Google Maps and measured the distances, and of all the cities listed that I COULD choose from, Johnson City was the closest to me, so that's what I went with. WHY it wouldn't let me type in where I live, I don't know. But I live in Boone, NC.

Since this whole virus thing started, I've been teaching piano lessons online via "Zoom."

Although music is widely beloved as an art form for its ability to evoke emotions in us, there is very much a science to it. I personally find the math and science of music to be fascinating, as well as empowering. Learning the patterns inherent to music, and then being able to sit down and play is like learning a super-power. It stays with you your whole life, and adds richness to it. This is what I aim to pass along to my students.

I started plunking piano keys around the age of 3, and I've never stopped since. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and I've been teaching piano lessons since 2013. From 2013-2017, I taught at the IUP Community Music School, where I had an average of 30 students per week. (Private lessons) Since 2017, I've left the community music school, and have been teaching on my own. I've had students who were 5 and 65 years old, and everywhere inbetween. We've explored classical, rock, pop, country, blues, metal, jazz, TV themes, movie themes, and video game music.

I'm also a proficient guitarist, bassist, and singer, and have been in over 6 bands since 2005.

You can find me on several sites, listed below.

My "wix" website:

https://musicman11389.wixsite.com/1358

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-cotts-21539a9a/

Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/user/Musicman11389/videos

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AndrewCottsPiano/

I also have an "Alignable" account.

My approach to music is rather mathematical. Having studied and practiced it for years and years, I inform people that it really is one big pattern. When someone witnesses a musician who performs something impressive or moving, I'll often hear the witness say something like, "They're so talented...I could never do that." And I'm here to say that musical ability is MORE a SKILL than a TALENT, and that it can be LEARNED. The only catch is that it doesn't happen over-night. It does take years, and it depends on how much time you're able to put into it.

The majority of the average adult American's life is arguably spent working and sleeping, so even if you're dilligent about practicing music, you might only be able to practice for 30 minutes a day, if that. In that case, then yes, it might take months or years before you can sit down and "jam" on something.

I think the "talent" factor applies more if a person is exposed to lots of music from a young age. Studies done on how our brains develop from infancy to adolescense support this.

I love sharing the "secret hidden patterns" with my students. There are specific thresholds that, once crossed, open up many new paths for the student to take, and greatly enhance their playing ability. It is my hope that the student finds this whole process both fun and empowering, because being able to just sit down and play anything, be it Beethoven or Billy Joel, really does feel like having a super power. If you stick with it and get good enough, the reward of that super power lasts your whole life. I love seeing my students go from playing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to the "Maple Leaf Rag," and everything inbetween, like grasping new concepts along the way.