Brandon A. says, "In case the review is too lengthy and I bury the lead, the names Travis (didn't get the last name) and Marc Bernal are the main take-aways from this post. Travis, my advisor, took the drivel I wrote in my interview and linked me up with a solid pianist and instructor, Marc Bernal.
I am 36-years-old, and guitar is my weapon of choice. While I'm just a hobbyist, with no desire to perform or work in sound/music, I've branched out into bass, synths, samplers, and other areas of audio manipulation over the years. Everything was self taught, so it was finally time to pull the trigger on some real music lessons, and piano seemed like the optimal choice. And while my time taking lessons was short lived due to a local instructor contacting me for in-person lessons, my time was certainly not wasted with StookU.
Based on my written interview, Travis searched for mentors/instructors to best fit what he felt would fit my vibe on the piano. I was not disappointed. In just 4, 30 min. lessons with Marc Bernal, progression was evident. My speed, dexterity, and awareness of keys in general showed observable improvement.
Despite a few technical hang-ups in the beginning, no problems occurred during any of the lessons. And the technical issues were more on my end than Marc's. Mr. Bernal was always punctual with a great attitude and an eagerness to share his knowledge of the instrument. It's clear Marc is not only passionate about the piano, but passionate about showing others what a versatile and elegant instrument it is.
This might sound like I'm laying it on a little thick, but people underestimate how important these traits are for anyone who teaches anything. And it should be noted that I'm a solid student in most regards. However, I believe even someone that isn't excited as I am about learning new things, would stand to gain musical prowess from this. Attitude is everything, people!
Before I conclude this review, I'd like to shout out Travis one more time. As an experimental, genre-hopping, wanna-be-multi-instrumentalist, the information I gave him in my interview must have been difficult for him to navigate. But he did. That was some solid instructor/student matchmaking.
One last thing before I submit: StookU takes an interesting approach to music lessons, and I'm personally a fan of it. Any thing bad I might have to say is more reflective of growing pains of a young company than a shoddy business model and/or practices.
It's totally worth a shot. At least try a month. I'm confident there will be progress."See more
