Information for Students

What makes a successful music student?

-enthusiasm for music
-discipline and commitment to regular practice
-openness to learning and trying new things
-willingness to make mistakes
-regular access to a piano

At what age should children begin lessons?

The best time to start learning is different for every child, but for most, the ideal age is between 5 and 7. While beginning piano students do not necessarily need to be reading, it is imperative that they know the alphabet, have no trouble counting, and should be on their way to reading words.

Other important factors are the personality and focusing ability of the child. Young students should be able to sit and be engaged for half-hour lessons, with the ability to focus both body and mind. Most importantly, they should be ready and willing to commit to learning music as a discipline, in addition to being something fun. A large number of my beginning students have been in kindergarten and first grade. It is a terrific age to begin, and I very much enjoy this group.

Do you teach adults?

Most certainly! I have taught adults from the post-college age to 75, both beginners and adults who are coming back to something they left as a child. It is not too late to learn or relearn! Many adults are surprised by how much they remember once they dive in. It may take more patience, since adult ambitions are high, time short, and fingers a bit less agile, but the depth of learning and musical understanding can be richly rewarding. If you can put in the time, there is much that can be accomplished.

The Classical Tradition

I am trained as a Classical musician, and it is the tradition in which I teach. It does not mean, however, that students would not have the chance to play other types of music. Learning piano through the classical perspective means:

1) gaining an uncompromised foundation in note-reading
2) building a foundation in theory and harmony, most of which is used in other musical languages
3) employing physical (finger/wrist/hand/arm) techniques to serve the fullest expressive capacity of the piano.

This foundation empowers students with tools that would be valuable for future studies in other instruments or other types of music, not to mention, opening up the immense body of work written for the piano itself.

My students being recognized at a recital in October 2006.