Teaching Philosophy

Enjoyment opens the door to learning.  Learning music theory WHILE playing musically creates a joy and discovery of music that lasts a lifetime. 

Interest in the repertoire is the best motivator for students.  Practicing the piece they want to play -- even by rote -- allows me to teach musical concepts that are crucial to being a pianist. 

It is important that musicality, the feeling and expression of the music, is developed early and not after all the notes on the staff are learned. As pieces are learned by rote, so is musical theory incorporated.  Students learn to transpose those rote pieces, to internalize the heartbeat of the music, to read and to play by ear. And while these concepts are being learned, students are enjoying the process of making and playing music.  This in turn creates a lifelong love of music.

My expertise is motivating students.  I can't motivate them all myself.  This takes the student, parent, and the teacher to make lessons successful.  

Teaching Conceptually

Teaching is not telling. Teaching is discovering, experiencing, and creating. 

I strive to cultivate excellence in every aspect of piano lessons, teaching the concepts needed to a sensitive musician: the proper balance between melody and accompaniment, accurate reading of notes and rhythms, proper fingering for the best musical sound followed by ease of execution. 

That being said, one of the most important concepts is discovery learning: asking questions and having students think on their own rather than merely giving instructions and corrections.