About
With a master of music degree from Rice University, Sarah has honed her teaching skills through many years of experience. Sarah graduated from Belmont University with a piano performance and piano pedagogy degree and moved to Houston to attend Rice University in 2013. Upon graduation from Rice in 2016, Sarah began teaching music at Lone Star College and Houston Community College, in addition to teaching private piano lessons.
Currently, Sarah lives and teaches in the medical center area. She maintains a studio of 20 private students. Local students are given opportunities to participate in recitals and competitions, if they wish. Students who wish to take lessons online can do so from around the world - all that is required is a good internet connection and a keyboard or piano at home.
Currently, Sarah is advancing her own education. She has been admitted to the Doctorate of Education in Music and Music Education program at Teachers College of Columbia University. This degree is mostly online with a short commitment in New York City in the summers. Sarah is looking forward to continuing to learn and has loved being a student again during this first summer of online classes!
I love working with students of all ages and ability levels. I have worked with several students with special needs and helped them explore fine motor control and critical thinking in the context of piano lessons. I understand that not all students will take piano lessons for five or ten years. In my teaching, I seek to give students musical skills that will continue to benefit them if they choose to play a different instrument in middle or high school, or choose to become a hobbyist later in life. Most importantly, we have FUN in piano lessons! I incorporate many games and fun activities to help keep little ones engaged.
I look forward to meeting you and helping you on your musical journey.
Highlights
Reviews
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
First, I assess what the student already knows about music.
Second, we go over some basic skills - how to sit at the piano, hold your hands, etc.
Third, we start playing music right away! The first few lessons might seem slow moving, but the student begins playing familiar tunes within three lessons.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Doctorate of Education - Teachers College of Columbia University - Degree Candidate
Master of Music - Shepherd School of Music - Rice University - 2016
Bachelor of Music - Belmont University - 2013
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Payment will be on a fixed monthly payment system. The cost of lessons will be $35/30-minute lesson, $50/45-minute lesson, and $65/60-minute lesson. There are 52 weeks in a year, and typically 47 lessons are taught per year. (We take 3 weeks off for Christmas, 1 for Thanksgiving, 1 for spring break.)
47 x $35 = $1,645/year
Divided up into equal monthly payments - $137/month
Following the same math, here is the rate for longer lessons:
45-minute lessons - $195.80/month
60-minute lessons - $254.60/month
How did you get started teaching?
I started teaching piano lessons in high school. My private instructor at the time had a group class where she taught her advanced students how to teach young beginners. We then taught a few students a week on our own and had a supervised lesson with her once a month. She would watch us teach and give suggestions so that the young beginning students got the best education possible. Since then, I have consistently enjoyed teaching, even if it's only a few students!
What types of students have you worked with?
I have worked with beginners as young as four years old, and adult students as old as seventy years old! It is never "too late" to learn how to play piano.
I have worked with students who are in accelerated classes at school and students in special needs classrooms.
I have worked with very shy students who prefer a lot of piano playing and little talking, and students who love to tell funny stories and appreciate joking throughout the lesson.
Piano lessons are for everyone! One of my strengths is learning how to relate to new people and making them feel very comfortable, regardless of their age or experience level with music.