Piano Lessons in William Penn Annex East, PA

Instruments: Piano Voice

My teaching experience began when I was in my undergraduate program, as I began teaching private and group lessons at a local Performing Arts Center. I encourage my students to establish a consistent practice schedule in addition to their lessons, as it offers paramount support to the material being studied, reinforces and conditions the instruments, and greatly contributes to the progress of the student. I strive to provide an exciting, fun atmosphere for the student while ensuring each lesson accomplishes the preset goals we have set. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Bass Guitar

I am a trumpeter, multi-instrumentalist, and composer/arranger in the Philadelphia and New York regions. My primary instrument for the past 16+ years is trumpet; I also regularly perform on assorted brass, electric bass, and vocals. I hold a Master of Music degree in Jazz Performance from the University of the Arts; and a Bachelor of Science in Music degree concentrating in Jazz Studies and Theory Composition from the State University of New York at New Paltz.I have appeared on many albums during the past few years including my own debut solo album. Read More

Instruments: Piano

In piano lessons, I use traditional methods and will add in music therapy techniques to make the lessons fun. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Violin Viola Keyboard

Music is deeply personal; one must get to know each student's own personality, interests, and connections to music. Early on (both in the teaching relationship and in each lesson) one must assess where the student is, as to technical and musical growth, and with the music at hand. Then one finds, models, explains and encourages the next steps the student can achieve. Clear guidance and dialogue about what will happen outside the studio (listening, practice, rehearsal, performance) helps turn the weekly cycle of lessons into an upward spiral of progress, achievement, and reward. Read More

Instruments: Piano

I keep a "Piano Homework Assignment" Word document for each student on my laptop which I can then email to you after your lesson is over for reference during the week.  A usual assignment would consist of a "Warm Up" section where we focus on hand position or scales or technique, a "Lesson Book" or "Repertoire" section where we work on new pieces or songs, a "Theory" section for written assignments, a "Fun" list for pieces we are done with but want to keep playing just for fun and then a number of special sections depending on student interest.  Special sections might be things like - improvisation, composition, playing by ear, recital or competition prep, exam prep, sight reading, ear training, etc.  I'm comfortable in few method series but I prefer Faber Piano Adventures for typical beginning children and The Music Tree for very young beginners.  I try to make sure each student has a piece they love every week. Read More

Instruments: Piano

Lou has worked as a jazz and pop pianist/keyboard player and teacher for over 30 years. In addition, he was a music teacher in the School District of Philadelphia. He studied with numerous jazz and classical teachers, including Jimmy Giuffre, Roland Hanna, and Frank Wigglesworth. He is currently studying the Taubman approach to piano- a system that teaches an ergonomic approach. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Organ Double Bass Keyboard

Therefore, strong emphasis is placed on being able to become calm, relaxed yet thoughtful and imaginative when playing. I also believe that a lesson serves four purposes. 1) Learning 2) Modeling 3) Experimenting and 4) motivating. True learning; however, occurs between lessons, so the most important thing is to motivate students to want to practice between lessons. This is the most important challenge -- for this reason, no matter how intense the lesson gets, it is important that students leave the lesson feeling confident and good about themselves NO MATTER WHAT. Read More