FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Private lessons: Regular fulltime students pay $120 monthly (2016-2017 rate) or by the term with a discount. Some part time slots are available for adults only. Recreational group lessons (limited spots available) are $140 for a seven week session.
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We focus on the basics for a couple of weeks as I explore the student's interests, and consider which of the many piano teaching resources will be the best match with a particular student. When working with adults and older teens, the process is collaborative, combining what the individual knows about him or herself as a learner with the teacher's experience and expertise to create a positive learning experience. When the student is a child, the best scenario for experiencing joy in making music and gaining the skills necessary to play piano is a healthy partnership between parent, teacher and child. Hence good communication is important--I respect and value parental input.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My education and extensive experience in teaching all ages has a variety of sources. My first college experience as a religious education major/music minor provided both knowledge and practical experience in teaching a variety of age groups, as well as training in curriculum development and lesson planning. The music minor strengthened my grasp of music theory and history, building on 10 years of pre-college piano and high school theory class. My knowledge of piano literature expanded as I continued my piano studies during the four college years. Several years later I enrolled at USM as a music education major with piano as my primary instrument (at USM in Gorham), and filled in some gaps in my previous education. More recent education in the last decade includes a Pedagogy Conference at the New School in Princeton, NJ, state and national music teachers' conferences, and two conferences on teaching Recreational Music Making for Adults. I participate in the activities of the Maine Music Teachers' Association and participate in several online piano teacher communities. I have learned most about teaching, however, through actually teaching, and continue to grow as a teacher every day.