Dana G  
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk

My teaching experience began in 1979 when I assisted my master instructor with group lessons. Area residents quickly hired me to teach their children soon after. For the past 34 years, I have taught private lessons in my home studio part-time. It was not until the past 6 years that it became a full-time position for me. I strongly believe in teaching music from the masters to modern music. I strongly encourage my students to try all genres, knowing that they will gravitate to one or more. I know that performance is an important part of learning an instrument so I offer bi-annual recitals as well as an opportunity to play at an annual festival for adjudication and to enter in competitions for cash awards and scholarships. I also believe that no student is too old to learn music! You can learn at any age, I am always looking to take on new students and share with them my love of music!

For the youngest students, I begin with Music for Little Mozarts or John Thompson method books and a lot of music related games. Flash cards assist with retention of musical terms and notes. I also provide worksheets to help reinforce what the students learn. Later I add exercises to help with rhythm and agility. Older students I begin with John Thompson method books or Bastien method books, theory books, and exercises. As students progress, I add a book of piano solos and adjust their exercises. For all of my students, we search for piano solo material they like and work on those pieces while we are working in lesson books. I firmly believe that if they have a fun piece of music that they select, the student will be more likely to practice regularly.