As a mother and educator, I deeply value how music connects us to our world, others, and ourselves. My focus is on these connections and how they benefit all areas of personal development. Piano lessons are an excellent foundation for beginning musicianship, all areas of learning, and above all, enjoyment! 

The teaching method and materials are the key. My teaching method is centered around musical literacy -- to understand the language of music and all its elements: visual, aural, intellectual, and kinesthetic. The goal is not simply for the student to imitate music they hear, but to understand the written music. Students will learn new songs each week so that they are continuously encountering new musical patterns and becoming efficient readers. For young beginners, I teach primarily from the Faber Piano Adventures series, with songs from a variety of genres, including classics, jazz and blues. For the intermediate student, my philosophy of teaching is to continue to develop music literacy and to create independent musicians who can encounter new music on their own and enjoy it! At this level, the repertoire of music leans more classical, which provides the foundational musical patterns we encounter in all styles of music. However, the repertoire is still varied, including folk, jazz, blues, and modern. Students continue in the upper levels of Faber Piano Adventures, with additional advanced pieces of study in the Faber Piano Literature and Piano Sonata series. Additionally, we often find special pieces to study that are chosen by the student.

Is my child ready for piano lessons?  The best age to start is when your child has an interest in piano lessons, can focus on tasks for twenty minutes or more, is beginning to read and has a willingness to practice. These milestones are often met half-way through kindergarten year, or after kindergarten year (rarely, do I start lessons before Kindergarten or 6 years old). The process for teaching young children is organic: designing the lesson to meet the child's learning level and style. Ultimately, to create a joyful and developmentally appropriate lesson, I focus on the most important factor for young beginners: that piano lesson time is enjoyable, and the instruction and material is engaging -- neither too easy or too hard. My goal is that your child looks forward to piano lesson time! 


I look forward to hearing from you!