Piano Lessons in Carver

Music is such a great gift and every child, adolescent and adult should have the opportunity to learn with a teacher who can nurture their abilities. That is my goal and has been for my entire career as a piano and organ teacher, organist/choir director and professor of music theory and music history at the conservatory and university levels. I also taught elementary music for 13 years and enjoyed teaching children using the Orff and Kodály methods. I see each student as a unique individual. My task is to gently lead and guide them to achieve their musical goals and have fun on the journey! I love to discover each student’s learning style and the kinds of music that they want to or love to play. I have been using Piano Maestro with beginner and advanced beginner students. I have seen tremendous success with it. Some students prefer to learn pop songs and chord charts right away, so I take a different approach, teaching them chords and how to realize them. There are other students who simply want to learn to play classical piano using traditional published books and materials. I often incorporate beginning or intermediate levels of music theory and, when the student is ready, improvisation. Learning to play from memory, sight reading and learning to play by wrote or “by ear,” are equally valuable to a well-rounded musician. The most successful students are motivated to practice regularly, and I am keen to encourage that. On the other hand, life happens and some weeks don’t have enough time for practicing, so I pivot and make the best use of the lesson in order to keep the student moving forward. Above all, I want the student to be enthusiastic and eager to play music. That is the most important element in a successful piano teacher and student relationship.