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25 Years
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Here are just a few of the many teachers offering Piano lessons in Philadelphia . 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 Flute Clarinet Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music
I'm a passionate and motivated instructor who loves working with students and sharing my love of music. I graduated from Temple University in 1988, with a Master's of Music degree in the area of Percussion Performance, and Jazz emphasis. During my career at Temple I had the opportunity play with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and at various venues including in New York at Carnegie Hall, as an example. I obtained my NJ Teacher Certification for the grades of K-12 in 2004, from Rowan University. Read More
Instruments: Piano Drums Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Djembe Acoustic Guitar
Learning a musical instrument is very challenging and for most of us it doesn't come naturally. It's unfortunate when students become frustrated too quickly in the process and decide to quit out of frustration. In my style of teaching, it's very important that students feel some level of success no matter where they are in their own musical journey. Often I will perform lesson materials in unison along with students to help them if they are feeling anxious or uncomfortable. Read More
Instruments: Piano
Sharing how to make music is a passion of mine. I earned my Bachelor's in Piano Pedagogy, and, as of May 2016, my MM in Piano Pedagogy from Texas Christian University. For the last 5 years, I have taught piano private and group lessons of all ages. Both lesson types are beneficial for students, since each has his own learning style. Private lessons allow the student to interact one-on-one with his instructor, and group lessons provide peer interaction to aid learning. Read More
Instruments: Piano Organ Keyboard
My approach to teaching is, basically, that playing piano should be enjoyable and fun so I tailor the lessons to the type of music in which the student has interest. I do, however, have a basic structure that includes reading music, finger dexterity and songs at the student's playing level. If there is an interest in contemporary music I have an "easy to learn" approach to chords and accompaniments. I also give lessons in music composition. Read More
Instruments: Piano Violin Viola
For the beginning student, I typically suggest a collection of specific studies from an array of sources, some designed simply for technique and others for the development of musical understanding. Naturally, these depend on the individual and their needs. I am most dedicated to facilitating the needs of each individual student and providing them the ability to express their musical ideas clearly and easily. For more advanced students, I will focus on honing technical proficiency and challenging them with new repertoire, preparing them for new musical opportunities, such as youth orchestras, chamber music, recitals, and competitions to further their growth. Read More
Instruments: Piano Violin Electric Violin
My teaching style revolves around a student's interests, and my lessons are modified and personalized for each individual. Every student has a different style of their own, and I work hard to help them develope their style. Learning music should never feel like a chore; it should be a form of self expression. Rather than using only lesson books to teach, i also provide them a blank and personalized lesson journal, in which they learn the foundations of writing, reading and understanding sheet music and music theory. Read More
Instruments: Piano
I have been teaching for 36 years, and I love when students have fun at their lesson and are excited about their pieces. In my experience I find every student learns differently, and so I have developed various approaches to solve a wide assortment of technical problems. I have expertise in correcting those habits and problems that frustrate students and lead to performance issues. I work well and have successfully taught children diagnosed with emotional and behavioral difficulties like ADHD and anxiety disorders. Read More
Instruments: Piano Organ Keyboard
Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
My students have won awards given by the New Jersey Music Teachers' Association, Arts 4 Teens, and the Haddonfield School of Performing Arts Students Competitions.
My students have received full music scholarships to Peabody Conservatory, Northwestern University, and NYU. Have been accepted to Princeton University as a music minor, and have received a grant for music study at Chicago University. Other students have been accepted as piano oerformance majors to Rowan University, Temple University, and the Berklee School of Music for jazz studies.
While not all my students entered the field of music, some have become teachers in their own right, a film score composer, and a well-known television performer as jazz pianist.
Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
John Thompson - it is comprehensive, address the basic issues of piano technique, and
helps greatly to instill a love of music in the student
Bastien - contains attractive music that students enjoy, teaches chords and theory as well
basic techniques
Hal Leonard - has a fine adult course that includes techniques, a sophisticated approach to
musicality, and progresses in simple but effective steps.
I will emphasize, however, that if a student has had some lessons and is already into a particular book, I generally encourage the student to continue in that particular method until it is finished. I then shift the student over to one of the above methods.
If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
My degrees, Bachelor of Music and Master of Science, are both in piano performance.
I chose the music degrees because piano performance was my strong suit. I was fascinated by the piano from an early age, and was playing piano be ear long before I took formal lessons. I also composed many small pieces for the piano before taking lessons.
My degrees included extensive study of music education practices, and a thorough groundwork in music theory.
I also have 40 credits toward a DMA in music composition from Temple University.
I also studied the organ at the Eastman School of Music and play professionally at a Roman Catholic church.
If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
Even while I was still starting piano I was always fascinated by the organ. I suppose I enjoyed the variety of sounds the organ could produce. When my parents took me to visit
a friend of theirs who owned an organ I would sit down at the instrument and stay there until the visit was over! Later, in high school, I taught myself the instrument, even landing
a job at our local church. I taught myself to use the pedals and learned Bach's Toccata and
Fugue in D minor on my own. It wasn't very good but later, at Eastman, I took formal lessons and within a short time was playing all the virtuoso pieces fluently. I still play the organ at a Catholic Church and enjoy it very much as my second instrument.
When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I decided to become a professional musician when I was a sophomore in High School. This was when I discovered that playing the piano could be a form of expression. I also realized the value of being able to hear a piece of music and then, with practice, be able to render it on the piano and enjoy the music as played by myself instead of someone else. I would ask my teacher if I could play, for example, Copland's El Salon Mexico, to which he replied I was not yet ready, yet, I went ahead and learned it on my own! I always enjoyed playing music that I already knew and I always try to afford my students the opportunity to play music that is familiar to them.
25 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 Philadelphia to students of all ages and abilities.
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