Piano Lessons in Austin, TX

Instruments: Piano Violin Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet Drums Synthesizer Recorder Electric Violin Fiddle Orchestral Percussion Music Keyboard

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Well yes, it was my first band director. Granted that I had already chosen to be in band as an elective in middle school, I had never really played an instrument before and my musical knowledge was practically nonexistent. But his approach towards teaching was simple enough for me to make the connection between learning how to properly hold my instrument and obtain a decent tone from it all while learning to read music. But my first band teacher also provided time during lunch and after school in which to practice, and whenever available, he would help with my intonation, articulation, breathing skills, and even dynamics (volume) and this encouraged me to keep practicing which only results in an upward-spiral of skill building! towards continued musical progress!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
I have students as young as 3 and some of my students have special needs. However, you certainly know your child better than I do: What is their temperament like? I have but one rule: You have to WANT this...if this musical interest is not made a desired priority ahead of perhaps other extra-curricular activities, then the student will not put outside practice into this and it will become a downward-spiral. Vice-versa, with my positive energy and enthusiasm, I can keep any willing student engaged for a 30-minute, 45-minute, or even 1 to 1.5 hour session.

When will I start to see results?
I focus on making goals--set an objective for each day! Instead of time being the measure of effort, set a goal for both skills and performance! For example, one needs to practice exercises just to maintain current skills...so include this in your regular practice repertoire and focus on HOW to play them properly. But focus on a song...break the piece down into sections (if it is a whole page or longer in length) and focus on individual measures at a time. With each attempt, determine what errors are occurring and WHY--then, by process of deduction, you will rule out mistakes and improve your odds of accuracy until you are so familiar with WHAT to do that you can play this properly 10 times out of 10! Thus, every practice session should yield results...each session is one small building block towards successful performance of a song and mastery of your instrument!

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Find a place where you can focus and pick a routine time in order to develop the habit of regular practice. Instead of practicing for a designated amount of time, make a goal (e.g., Today I am going to work on this song, and I will finish when I can play it correctly 10 times out of 10 attempts!) If the song is multiple pages in length, then focus on just one section of it per day and break it down into measures. Various exercises such as scales and other rudiments need to be practiced in order to maintain skills. But always make time (even if it's just 5 minutes) for playing just for fun! I strongly encourage this!

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