Quick info
I offer one-on-one in person piano lessons in the Cary/Apex area. Weekly 30 or 60 minute time slots Mon-Sat work best for me and I charge $40/hr. Students can expect a well-rounded musical curriculum and a purposeful (but casually-natured) learning environment. Anticipate a very enthusiastic and talkative instructor! Contact me
I offer consultation lesson free of charge.
Learning piano
There’s need for a wide range of skills – some not so clearly related to pushing keys – to be an effective musician. “Learning piano” itself is a misnomer; you’ll be learning about history, psychology, rhetoric, your body, and yourself.
I focus on these four areas in developing a student’s overall skill:
- Technique – The physical skills of piano playing: developing the ergonomics and coordination to play passages in an efficient manner, and executing musical markings and symbols.
- Interpretation – Using musical rhetoric to effectively express what one sees in a piece of music.
- Artistic awareness – This includes an awareness of how historical/stylistic precedent, the composer’s life, time period, and music theory contribute to how one plays a piece of music.
- Self awareness – Training students to be aware of their playing and be able to correct their own mistakes.
The first lesson
Meeting new people is always a treat to me because everyone is full of surprises! We’ll spend some time getting a basic idea of what you want from piano. I’ll likely play some music that you’ll recognize and we’ll talk about it.
If you brought any previous scales or music I’ll ask you to play it so that I can give feedback: this is my preferred lesson structure as opposed to a rigid “curriculum”. Complete beginners start with fundamentals and the physical side of piano playing, which necessarily includes scales and arpeggios. You’ll always have a say in what you play as far as pieces of music.
Again, I offer initial consultation lessons free of charge.
Why learn piano?
Any art – like music – is a multidisciplinary study of diverse interwoven subjects. Purposeful study of piano leads to growth in all dependent skills. While studying music, you’re not just learning how to play the instrument, you’re learning about practice skills (AKA study skills), patience, and critical thinking.
And of course, piano can be a lot of fun! Piano is a skill that stays with you and you can always come back to it.
My studio
I teach from my house located near Davis Drive elementary in the direction of Apex. Students will play on a 6′ Yamaha C3 grand piano in my studio room. A friendly beagle lives with me and sometimes wanders into the studio.
Studio events
Throughout the 2023-2024 school year, I will be trying out several “studio events” to give opportunities for students to get to know and interact with other piano students. Some will be dependent on the size of my class, but others like the recitals are already on the calendar. I will try to organize group events by age group. Participation in studio events incurs no extra cost.
Note: The events below depend on my studio size and interest. This means most will not be pre-planned. I will notify you at least 1 month in advance of upcoming events.
– Student teaching days
Something new I want to organize this year is making opportunities for students to get experience with teaching others. Willing students will be paired up and tasked with giving each other a piano lesson. Beforehand, I will give guidance about basic teaching strategies and help with a “lesson plan”. Both students will alternate roles as “teacher” and “student” on 2 separate days.
– Concert viewings
Live music is both enriching and fun! I may organize studio outings to local classical music concerts. These may be local music festivals or recitals.
I am working with the NC Symphony to offer tickets for an NC Symphony concert in Raleigh sometime in 2024. The limit will be 2 tickets per student. More info later.
– Guest speakers
I will invite musicians and ensembles to perform at my studio and give a short seminar about their experience and instrument. This is a great introduction to ensemble playing and other instruments.
– More TBD