312-789-4185
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24 Years
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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Chicago . Whether you are looking for beginner guitar lessons for your kids, or are an adult wanting to improve your skills, the instructors in our network are ready to help you now!
Instruments: Piano
I am passionate about teaching the piano, an instrument that I love. I connect well with students and adapt my teaching style to their learning preference. I have been playing the piano for over 30 years. I also play the keyboard. I am able to teach both piano and keyboard; learning the piano and the keyboard is essentially the same, it just requires a different touch and the keyboard can create more sounds. Read More
Instruments: Piano
I mostly use the Faber Method Series for beginners through early intermediate. After leaving themethod books or in supplement to the method books Iteach classical and/or popular pieces. Read More
Instruments: Piano
I enjoy sharing my knowledge of music and teaching piano. I am patient with the students and let them progress at their own speed. With children, I also play musical themed games to keep their interest. I get along very well the the students and enjoy teaching them. I mostly have the student play at least one song from the lesson book along with one page from the theory book. Read More
Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Synthesizer French Horn Keyboard
As an instructor and musician I have explored a huge variety of different musical styles froma roudn the world, as well as the cognitive fundamentals of learning. I try to preapre my students with learning tools that will allow them to continue improving even after my time as their instructor is over. I focus especially on building an understanding of how and why to acquire strong fundamentals, so that we can collaboratively drive their learning. Read More
Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin Viola
As well as 14 years of classroom music education teaching spanning grades K-12 in choir, general music, and orchestra...I have over 18 years of experience in teaching private music lessons in piano, viola, and voice. It has been a wonderful experience getting to know students from all walks of life with unique interests as well as unique goals. From learning how to simply count and name notes to learning the hardest viola concerto, I am there every step of the way for my students. Read More
Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo
I do not believe in the "cookie-cutter" teaching method, which means that I do not utilize the same teaching method with every student. I realize that each student is a unique individual with different learning preferences. With each student, I design a different approach that caters to the student's needs. Also, I do not have a set curriculum and with each student, I will set up an individualized plan. Some method books I use include: Faber Faber, John Thompson Piano Course, and the Suzuki Method. Read More
Instruments: Piano
Alfred Publishing piano courses (both older and newer), Faber and Faber, Bastien, Edna Mae Burnam, and the Hal Leonard course have all been among my pre-published methods that I have used over the years. I have also adopted some technic content from elsewhere. For example, the Zion Conservatory of Music, where I taught from 2004 to 2018, uses a couple of different customized scale patterns for first- and second-year students. A book I have used with intermediate students is a Conus Russian piano method edited by James and Susan McKeever, who taught the Parkside piano pedagogy courses. Read More
Instruments: Piano Organ
How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
I generally audition a student and have them either sight read a composition or play something they have done in the past. Afterwards, we talk about basic musicianship and technique requirements. The student needs to know something about a composer and why that composer composed in a certain style, the period the composition was composed, and a brief analysis of what's happening in the music. If there is a specific theme that is worth mentioning, I will have the student give me their ideas and why a particular composer chose that theme.
When will I start to see results?
I recommend that a beginning student take at least three months to see how they like the piano and give them a chance to explore diverse styles. Not every beginning student will aspire to be a classically trained pianist. You may have someone who likes popular, rock and roll, jazz, and even the more contemporary. Three months is a fairly good indicator if a student likes what they are doing and plan to continue. Piano competitions are encouraged as part of their educational development and this is set up by age levels in communities.
Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
I had two piano teachers in music that inspired me years ago when I started in music school. Before starting college, a lady at my home church in West Virginia prepared me for my audition at West Virginia University before finishing high school. I memorized and played the "Sonata Pathetique" by Beethoven which I did all three movements of the work. The entire music department at the university heard my audition and afterwards was told my artistry was wonderful and that came from Herman Godes who was my principal teacher.
Why did you choose your primary instrument?
It was my mother who encouraged me to learn the piano which began at age 6. Besides playing the keyboard, I was a gifted singer as well and received voice instruction in a local boys choir and did that until age 14. All through junior high and high school, I was selected as an accompanist for the choirs and received the musicianship award upon graduation from high school. Then through my college years, I was fortunate to study with some of the finest teachers in the world who were world class artists.
What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Spend at least 30 minutes a day for small children focusing on technique, sight reading, simple solo pieces, and basic fundamental theory. For more intermediate and advanced, anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour. I remind students not to focus on too much at one time. Divide up the session into segments and spend most of the practice on styles and techniques.
Occasionally, I may introduce a recording of a piece and have the student listen and then give me feedback on what they heard and how it should be analyzed.
24 Years
Since We Started
41,456+
Happy Customers
10,769
Cities with Students
3,123
Teachers in Network
Trusted as the industry leader, for over 21 years the teachers in our network have been providing Piano lessons in Chicago to students of all ages and abilities.
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