TEACHING APPROACH AND PHILOSOPHY

Learning an instrument is one of the few activities that animates nearly the entire range of human abilities. Studying music not only nourishes the soul, but develops the intellect, improving perceptual and cognitive skills, executive function, and general intelligence. It engages the entire body and improves hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. It both vitalizes the emotions and enhances development of emotional self-regulation. Performing an instrument requires cultivation of a complete awareness and control of body, mind, and emotions while remaining receptive to the source of one’s creative inspiration.

Students of all ages can benefit from the study of music. I have taught students as young as 3 ½ and as old as 80, from complete beginners to advanced graduate school piano majors.  I bring 30 years of teaching experience as well as performing experience as a concert pianist to my Piano Studio. My training with some of the world’s foremost pianists and pedagogues (Arnaldo Cohen, Menahem Pressler, Theodore Lettvin, Pavlina Dokovska, Boris Slutsky) has imparted me with a thorough technical and musical foundation I strive to bestow upon each student.

Special attention is given to the development of proper technique, one’s physical approach to playing the instrument. There is no singular “piano technique” as piano technique is really a blend of various individual techniques a performer employs, like drawing from a toolkit, as the music, or expression demands. In general, however, I seek to nurture, over time, a relaxed, supple, tension-free, “natural” hand position and approach. The importance of developing a sound and healthy technique from the earliest learning stages cannot be over-stated as it promotes ease and fluidity in one’s playing, allows greater sensitivity, control, and musicality, accelerates the learning process, reduces the risk of injury, and grants one the ability to play more difficult music. By learning correctly from the outset, from a trained pianist with performance experience, one will also avoid the insecurity of realizing his/her technique is deficient once the repertoire reaches a certain difficulty level, or the profound frustration of spending months or even years down the line correcting an ingrained improper technical approach.

Another area of particular focus is the development of various practicing techniques. Lack of progress is the main reason students quit piano. Obviously, daily practice is necessary for consistent progress. However, daily practice may not be enough if the practicing isn’t done correctly. Both children and adults can be drawn to mentally lazy ways to get through tasks. I take care to show the student the most effective ways to practice so that they optimize their often-limited daily practice time. If one has limited time, working smarter, not harder, is essential. Furthermore, the practicing skills I convey are transferrable to a wide range of skills outside of piano, especially those with a kinesthetic component, and will serve one for a lifetime. Learning how to learn, efficiently, is a sine qua non to thriving within the ever-accelerating stream of modern life.

While there is a set of fundamentals of piano playing and music study that I insist all my students learn, my approach is tailored to each person. Effective teaching demands a sensitivity to the uniqueness of each individual and their circumstances. I believe that each person has at least some degree of musical potential. This innate potential can be most effectively actualized through dedicated, consistent, intelligent practice under the astute guidance of a highly trained, experienced, teacher and performer.

As a teacher, I dedicate myself to my students and their musical growth. I seek to foster a welcoming, positive learning environment that is nurturing, yet disciplined. A main goal for me is to build students’ self-confidence and challenge them to explore their highest potential. I seek to develop, not just their technical, musical, and analytical skills, but also their rich inner world. If my students decide to pursue a career in music, they will be well-prepared, if not, they will be imbued with the knowledge and skills necessary for a lifelong appreciation of the art of music and piano, of the ability to allow their inner muse to dictate the narration of a story without words, to convey a scene, mood, abstraction via a translation of the universal language into sound and rhythm.