Michelle P
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Funk, Bossa Nova
Michelle P
Instruments: Piano
Styles:
Classical, Jazz, Blues, Gospel, Funk, Bossa Nova
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-15
Bachelor Degree: Lee University
I'm a very passionate and motivated teacher that wants nothing more but to see my students not only succeed in music but grow to love it as much as I do. In December 2021, I graduated from Lee University with a Bachelors in Science in Music Business and a minor in Music and Worship. For me, one of the greatest joys as a musician is being able to see someone discover themselves as a musician. During my time at Lee University, I've had the great opportunity to perform with the Small Jazz Ensemble as well as Big Band and Hilltop Worship. I made it a mission for me to get acquainted with as many different genres of music to make myself a more versatile musician as it will be of great benefit in the future.
My teaching experience dates back to a few years ago when the pandemic struck I was trying to figure out what to do with all my extra time. I ended up teaching a few kids at my home church about proper vocal technique and stage presence. From there I started to teach piano lessons to friends at school once everything with covid started to settle down a little bit. I discovered that showing the student about a concept helps them understand it a lot more than just talking about it. I encourage my students to play the music that they want to learn and as a result of that they become more comfortable on stage when they are playing something they love!
For beginning students, before they even touch the piano, I like to talk about proper posture on the piano. Whether or not the student has proper posture or not, it will really affect how comfortable they are which will then affect how they play. Once the student has gotten the hang of proper posture, I'll go over very simple exercises to practice proper fingerings and then we'll go over other exercises to go over dynamics. I don't want to put a lot on a beginning student because they are in the stage where the most growth happens and I find it very important to go at their own pace because it will affect them for the long run. For more advanced students, I like to figure out what they are most interested in playing and then I would go from there on how to guide them.
It brings me great joy to see a students face light up when they've finally reached their "aha!" moment where everything clicks for them. I've learned that in order for this to happen, it's better to help them little by little and then let them go on a journey of self discovery but still be there when they have questions every once in a while. I've also learned that in order to even be at a place where you can help your student, you have to be as prepared as possible so you know exactly how to teach your student the right way. I've learned that it's easier to be overly prepared than not at all.
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