Ian D
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical, Pop, Rock, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Showtunes
Ian D
Instruments: Piano
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Rock, Folk, Country, R&B, Musical Theater, Showtunes
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 6-80
Bachelor Degree: Muhlenberg College
Greetings fellow students!! I am a dedicated piano instructor who enjoys nothing more than seeing students progress and get better. After graduating high school in 2002, I attended Muhlenberg College. While there, I studied Music Theory, and had the good fortune to play piano in the school's Jazz Improvisation Ensemble, led by renowned bassist and former Modern Jazz Quartet alum Charles Fambrough. Upon graduating in 2006, I studied under another great bassist in his own right, the late, great, Ashton Fletcher. While in his Master Combo Class, a sax player in the group happened to mention that the big band he played in had an opening for piano player. And so, in 2007, I officially joined the Reisterstown Jazz Ensemble, a seat I held until 2011. Since then, I have also been fortunate to play in restaurants and hotels in the Baltimore area. All these experiences I feel have aided me in say way, shape, or form.
My teaching career officially began back in 2007, when I was hired to work at a small, family-run music school in Laurel, Maryland. It was in this test lab that I began to formulate an approach to learning piano quite different from the more traditional ways the instrument was commonly taught. I found that, by giving students a more solid foundation, they were able to be more self-sufficient and independent, allowing them to progress further than they would have otherwise. The true reward though, is when you put a new song in front of them they've never played before, and they can already play it!! The transformation is always an extraordinary and fun one to watch.
I firmly believe a solid foundation is the key to success. And that is why, I have spent the past 15 years (and counting) developing and hand-crafting a SIMPLE, EASY-TO-FOLLOW, STEP-BY-STEP approach to learning piano, designed to get students playing songs on their own, often times within a matter of a few short months. The process can sometimes be a bit slower in the beginning, but often leads to more long term, ongoing success. Indeed, there's nothing more fun to watch than when a student looks at a piece of music they've never played before, and can already play it (even if they don't know they can beforehand)!! And therein lies the magic.
If there's anything I've learned over the years as a piano teacher, it's that every student develops and progresses at his or her own pace. My job, if doing it well, is to work with them, at THEIR pace, while at the same time, encouraging and pushing them forward. Just as some baseball managers are regarded as a player's manager, I like to consider myself a student's coach. That is, a teacher who is in the student's corner, supporting them, encouraging them, believing in them, no matter how much they may struggle, or how many bumps in the road they may face along their musical journeys. Positive encouragement and confidence, combined with consistent practice and hard work are the keys (no pun intended) to developing and honing this skill. I believe very strongly in every student, and their abilities. Indeed a positive mindset and a dose of confidence can go a long way. And that is what I try to instill in my students every day.
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