***My goal is to inspire and direct students to realize their full musical potential according to their own abilities.
All students are unique in that they use their own set of abilities to process and learn information. It is never my intention to judge a student's innate ability to learn piano. I only try to adapt to my students' unique learning styles and find ways to increase their capacity to learn as best they can by encouraging their strengths while providing activities that turn their weaker attributes into strengths. It is my opinion that every child should be learning a musical instrument as it is paramount to the intellectual and emotional development of any child. Please continue reading to find out more.
***I firmly believe that success is achieved through continued effort rather than simply talent.
When I was younger it was instilled in my mind that you were born with a talent. Well, the more I teach, watch the learning process in action and learn more and more I have found that the idea of “being born” with a talent isn’t true. I have witnessed many kids put forth consistent effort and end up playing really well. These same kids, by elitist standards, would not be considered naturally talented or “born with it” but yet they ended up playing advanced level music very well. Learning a skill is a simple equation: Time + Effort = Progress. Of course, the ‘Time’ piece of the equation is measured on both a macro and micro scale, meaning that there should be time spent on the skill on a daily basis as well as over a period of years. In my studio, daily practice over 10 years will always make a competent young pianist. We don’t learn a language overnight nor do we learn piano (or any other instrument) in a few weeks or even a few years. The ‘Effort’ piece of the equation is dependant upon a student’s awareness, focus and interest combined with the effectiveness of the teacher’s instruction. ‘Effort’ is “how we go about it” and it is the instructor’s responsibility to guide and direct the students to improve and refine their efforts. Everyone can learn how to play the piano it just takes consistency, refined effort and a good attitude always helps.
***To encourage my students, I keep a positive attitude and use effective and creative teaching techniques.
Music is an amazing language. A piece of music can portray so much whether it is an emotion, a character, a landscape or a fantastic story. It can transform the soul of all those in attendance. I use techniques that allow the student to understand and explore the different ways to communicate these ideas through the piano. The piano is an amazing instrument in the sense that it is capable of all kinds of rich sonorities. Exploring these different sounds keeps music fun, creative and expressive and also keeps students motivated as it gives purpose to their playing, especially when they are working on technical aspects of playing. It gives them something to work for.
I make a point to encourage and promote the idea of ‘continuation’ along with teaching the student how to practice because in the end if the student is doing the work and uses effective practice techniques good progress will be achieved. I also give students plenty of opportunities to perform. There is growth with every performance whether it is in the student’s home, at school, in a recital, at a festival or in my home in front of friends and family. Every performance provides the crucial positive feedback that all students need and, as a result, they will be more motivated to continue.
The best piano teaching environment and one that keeps students motivated is in a studio with one-on-one instruction, with no interruptions, with a high-quality piano and with an amazing piano instructor who has a passion for piano performance, teaching and makes a curriculum that fits the student versus trying to fit a student into a one-fits-all program.
***I recognize that learning piano helps develop skills that can be useful in other fields of study and I teach accordingly.
I understand that every student is not going to want to be a concert pianist. Some will end up being biologists, engineers, doctors, lawyers, teachers, writers, or whatever. I only try to instill the love and knowledge of music and help refine each student’s learning skills so they can make piano playing a skill to be enjoyed throughout their lives. Along the way, students develop their creativity and learn to think outside the box, so to speak.
I have heard and read studies about how learning an instrument increases a student's intelligence, improves test scores, academic achievement, etc. I have read (from many sources) that music is the only subject that activates every part of the brain at once (when playing an instrument). With all the experience I have in learning and teaching piano I can see how the positive effects from learning music are achieved. Students that work hard at learning music will work hard at learning other subjects. Music provides more opportunity for improved learning strategies. Students learn how to listen, evaluate their efforts, and problem solve in order to improve their skill. They learn self-awareness and self-reflection; how to recognize when their playing isn't exactly right and then work to improve and correct it. They learn that focused effort and repetition lead to giving an amazing performance; this leads to knowing and owning the pieces on which they are working. They learn that consistency is best and persisting is necessary and that there is always an ephemeral period of "struggle" when learning something new or difficult and that with constant effort and persistence they can overcome any obstacle. This understanding develops self-confidence. Along with this cognitive self-awareness they are also acquiring a corporal self-awareness. They learn to bring awareness to specific body movements that work together to create a desired sound. They learn to be self-disciplined because it is the key in making a lot of progress. All this said, students who don't practice and are indifferent to piano study, won't understand any of this. It is only understood through application and parents will see and understand it through the efforts of their child(ren).