I am a certified teacher of piano, continually certified by the National Music Teacher Association since 2018.

I have tried to anticipate the answers to most of your questions on these pages. If there is something I have missed, please send me an e-mail.

Pianist for Hire

If you are interested in hiring me as a solo pianist (specializing in classical music) or piano accompanist (specializing in accompanying vocalists) in the Greater Seattle area, please send me an e-mail.

What students and their families are saying about Karin:

"Just wanted to say a quick thank you! - piano lessons are often a highlight of my week, I'm really enjoying working with you and feel like I'm learning tons. I think I still had a hang-over-slight-dread of piano lessons from when I was a kid, and I'm learning that it doesn't have to be that way. And I'm blown away by all these different theory and fingering techniques that I had never heard of!"

"I've really enjoyed the lessons...and your teaching. You provide encouragement when needed, enthusiastic appreciation of progress, point out the problem areas and guide me through them and when I feel really stuck, you always have just the right exercise to help me overcome the sticking point. When I started taking lessons I was not at all sure when I started how this would turn out, and it has happily exceeded my expectations. Thanks for being such a great teacher!" - Jeff G.

• • • "Karin has taught our 9 year-old son piano since January 2017. Karin incorporates games, tricks, and ingenious tips to teach theory and technique. She arranges outings to enrich her students’ musical education and exposure. She holds friendly competitions to motivate learning skills (e.g. scales), and arranges recital rehearsals to foster comfort with public performance. Parents are encouraged to attend lessons with children, so we get to observe her approach first-hand. At every lesson she observes or shares something with our son that impresses and inspires us all. My son is flourishing at the piano, in his interest, confidence, technique, and style. Though he may resist practicing at home sometimes, he’s always eager to have a lesson with Karin! She communicates clearly and is a pleasure to do business with. Karin McCullough has rightfully earned her reputation as a remarkable piano teacher!"

    • "Karin is a wonderful, inspiring teacher and musician. Karin's studio is tremendously organized. Both of these things are so important. In her teaching she is fun, personalized, knowledgeable and full of her love of music. Though I may have a rough, disorganized week of practicing, Karin starts where I am and I always leave my lesson feeling I've moved forward in my understanding and playing. I feel motivated to keep learning. I recommend her to other adults wanting to play piano and connect with music. (She also taught both of my kids for several years!)"

    • "Karin is a supremely gifted, creative, wise, and accomplished teacher and performer, who is able to help me solve all kinds of problems, and especially help me with performance problems."

    • "Karin is very patient and kind! I took lessons from Karin for 12 years, and even during weeks when I didn’t practice as much as I should have, she was always so understanding and excited to teach me. Karin always helped me explore and find new pieces that I loved, so lessons were always so fun. Aside from her care and compassion, Karin also taught me so much about music and music theory. Additionally, I gained a lot of confidence and appreciation for art that applied to all other areas of my life. Karin is extremely knowledgeable and talented - but is always very humble and uses her energy to uplift her students and put them in the spotlight. Karin is a wonderful teacher who I would recommend to anyone."

    • "Karin is extremely positive and supportive while working with my child. Her knowledge and obvious enthusiasm for teaching comes through with each lesson."

    • "Ms.Karin is incredibly passionate about music and her students. She is excellent at giving the kids the understanding of each piece of music at each lesson."

    • Strengths: "Her willingness to teach using music of the student's choice. Her emphasis on theory. Her expectations for improvement--and teaching to the level of the student, adding more techniques and instructions as the student learns. Her positive reinforcements for progress."

• • "My daughter has been taking lessons for 3+ years with Karin. Karin is upbeat, encouraging and knows her stuff!! She also allows parents to be present for lessons which are comfortably [given] in her front room- Of all my daughter's piano teachers??? Karin is the best!!"

"Thank you for everything you do--to see [my son] skipping into piano lessons on the last day of Christmas vacation last night was terrific. It is so good for [my children] to have your winsome instruction and friendship."

"Thanks for the marvelous intense-and-yet-nurturing, careful, thoughtful teaching you give [my daughter] every week."

"I love the plan you outlined...to see what [our son] would like to play, and I love that you are a calm voice for our quiet and self conscious soul of a boy. ;-) I can't tell you how excited I will be to have our house filled with the sound of his playing again!"

"[Our daughter] is loving her lessons so much that she plays in the morning before school and then again in the evening, totally on her own initiative. She was worried that once she finished the first lesson book, that would be it. I assured her that there are many years’ worth of music books to go."

"[My daughter] came away from her lesson in much better spirits than she had showed during the twenty minutes, or so, since I picked her up. She brightened right up with you. You have so much good energy, and [she] enjoys piano so much! Thank you for sharing your passion as a teacher, Karin. It truly is a precious gift."

"[My son] was so happy with his lesson today learning part of Fur Elise. I think he is appreciating the piano more and more as time goes on. How are things with [his younger sister] sitting in? She went one time and now she also looks forward to the lessons and daily asks me if we have piano today."

"[My son] really feels comfortable with you, and although he complained about practicing, he really does like the piano and feels good about his progress."

"You are making quite a difference in at least one...kid's life!! [Our child] came to you at the height of being bullied (for a couple of years for being "foreign" and having arrived from abroad) having lost lots of sleep and weight. It gave her so much needed joy and eventually helped her heal. You can't imagine what that meant at that point. Piano lessons were the highlight of the week. She is fine now and has moved on beyond that experience and is happy and settled at her school. Just thought you deserved to know. I will always be grateful that you found a place for her in your schedule."

"I thought you might be tickled to hear that [our son] has a small part in Love's Labours Lost at the UW and is playing the piano both live (off stage) and on tape during the production. It seems he was noodling around on the playhouse piano before rehearsal, the director heard him and decided it would add to the production for some of the music to be live...thanks for getting him to the point where something like this could happen."

"Just wanted to give you an update about [our daughter]. She plays piano whenever she has time (which isn't nearly as often as she would like). For a drama class at school she is going to perform Harlem Nocturne. The options for the class were to perform an interpretive dance, dramatically recite a poem, or play a piece of music related to the beatnik movement. She is so happy that you had her learn a bit of jazz along with all the classical music that she loves. Anyway, we were just talking about how much [she] appreciates all the piano lessons she had with you so I thought I'd let you know. You have been a wonderful teacher for [her], and I am grateful for all that you have shared with her. She has learned much more than just how to play piano from you. "

"Since our last lesson together I've been very busy at Western Washington University I want to thank you again for your wonderful lessons, they taught me more than music."

“You rock on how you teach these amazing kids. When I see you with my child, I'm amazed. I can't get her to focus on anything at home, but with you she zones right in. You are blessed with not only the piano/music thing but as a teacher...the most remarkable of all. I was in awe of you at the recital.”

“Thank you for becoming such a supportive, encouraging force in [my daughter]'s life so quickly!”

“[Our son] is taking the [full] hour tomorrow. He has been talking about it for 2 days....I have no idea how you keep him so excited about piano, but we are so thankful!”

“[Our daughter] is back to sitting down at the piano and practicing randomly during the day. Just about every morning before school and most evenings. It's great! Thanks for being a great teacher and influence on her.”