Piano Lessons in Peter Cooper Village, NY

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

I typically create my own lesson plans and try to cater them to the student. Most recently I've been working with trying to find a balance of teaching music theory and practical piano. When teaching theory, I often refer to Kotska's and Payne's "Tonal Harmony" for the order of the curriculum, and when it comes to exercises I will either write them out on the spot to demonstrate something to the student (I also feel it is important to SHOW the student how to MAKE music, ie. proper note notation, and symbol shape), or prepare them in advance if the content is more complex. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

My journey with teaching Voice was ironically during school! I had been in Choir since the second grade. Since then I worked hard to strengthening my instrument. I became section leader for Soprano section. That job required me to perfect each individuals tone so that we blended well as a choir. I began tutoring voice major on repertoire and harmonics. The combination of performing my own work kept my skills sharp so that I could assist my peers. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice

Singing lessons will be tailored to the individual student's goals, interests, and experience level, and I encourage all voice students to take initiative when it comes to how they would like to develop as singers, whether that be in pursuit of a performance career, pure hobby, or stress relief. These lessons are broken up into two focuses: the first half of the lesson will focus on breathing and technical exercises, learning to warm up the voice in the healthiest and most beneficial way. Read More

Instruments: Piano Violin Viola Electric Violin Keyboard

I like to be flexible and change up my method depending on each student's needs and goals. Most of the time, I start beginners off with a book such as A Tune A Day, Suzuki Violin School, String Builder, or the Hal Leonard. I also provide other handouts with exercises and additional material. After some time, I like to introduce new etudes and pieces that suit their current level but also provide challenges to help them grow. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Sharing the joy of music is what it's all about, but at the same time, everyone is different, so it's vital to nurture and encourage each student's natural abilities and inclinations, while showing them the way to new and wonderful worlds, and skills they didn't know they could master. As a teacher, two of the greatest joys are helping a student discover some of the beautiful magic of music that's already familiar to me, on the one hand, and learning from the student a new way of thinking about or hearing music, on the other. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Trumpet Saxophone Flute Clarinet Recorder

I love to see students grasp concepts.  It is extremely rewarding to see students understand a concept and be able to explain how neat it is to a parent or friend.  When I get a new student, I get to know exactly what their goals are.  We set long term goals, and we make progress by setting manageable short term goals every week.  I inspire the student to reach their goals by providing tools to help, and custom lesson plans that are fun and engaging. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Nothing kills enthusiasm in the long run like rote teaching. With a complete beginner, especially a young child, an abstraction like music can be overwhelming if not presented in a structured manner. For that reason, I generally speak at length with the parents and explain that the preparation work takes several lessons. I begin by introducing young students to the keyboard and familiarize them with both black and white keys quickly. Read More