Laurel K
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical
Laurel K
Instruments: Piano
Styles:
Classical
Where I Teach:
In Your Home
My Studio
Ages Taught: 5-80
ABOUT
Degrees / Training / Special Info:
Bachelor Degree: University of California at Los Angeles, Course Work: California Institute of the Arts, Course Work: Julliard Adult School
Awards:
Atwater Kent 1st Place Piano Performance
Frank Sinatra Award 2nd Place Classical Music Performance
Cal Arts Concerto Competition
Overview:
I am a performing artist who loves inspiring and helping others in their musical journeys. My rigorous classical background and broad musical interests allow me to find ways to encourage both beginning and advanced students, no matter what their musical interests. I tailor studies to individual students, as everyone has music inside regardless of training and specific abilities. My background includes professional recitals, chamber music, orchestral piano, and collaborative work. I undertook advanced piano studies with renowned pianist Aube Tzerko at UCLA, where I earned a piano degree after winning every music competition at the university. My approach is to build a foundation of achievement so that students are strengthened in theory, sight reading, and improvisation along with the discipline of piano technique, all with the goal of helping students achieve relaxation, deepened musicality, and joy.
EXPERIENCE
While my primary focus is performance, I have taught piano since I was 10. My approach is tailored to the individual student. While I love teaching classical repertoire, I use the student's current musical passion -- be it rock, jazz, pop, theater, or classical -- as the key to opening a pathway for artistic development, technical confidence, and understanding. I begin by teaching chord progressions, which permits immediate immersion into theory, technique, improvisational skills, and confidence.
METHODS USED
I create custom lesson plans graded to progressively build the student's confidence, introducing something new at each lesson. If students fall in love with a piece well beyond their current capability, I don't usually say no; instead, I help them master the challenges step by step. I require students to learn scales; however, I avoid most technical method books. Instead, I invent exercises based on the challenges of a particular piece. My mantra is to practice for success, not to do a certain number of hours or drills; this is something I learned after practicing technical drills for several hours a day. I remain partial to the Liszt technical exercises. I also continue to use certain exercises I find useful and not too time-consuming. The Art of Practicing contains much valuable advice for the pianist struggling to translate the passion of music into performance.
LESSON STYLE
Finding what makes a student glow, sing, or dance is the key to my teaching. Nothing beats the joy of being able to perform a beloved piece in a relaxed way, knowing that you can make the hearts of your audience surge with excitement, to become serene, to soar inside. Music is magic and healing. That's why the story of Orpheus continues to inspire us. When I practice, the voices of my own teachers resonate inside me. When I help students bring that wonderful enchantment to life, I am happy. When I can help them understand theory and learn cultural context, I know that I am helping humanity. As a piano teacher of mine once said, "Music is a bottomless well."
PHOTOS & VIDEOS
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