From Holly L.
David Chang Music - Online and Brooklyn, NY
I wholeheartedly recommend David Chang Music for anyone looking to learn to play the piano in the most efficient manner possible! In 6 months time, I went from being a complete piano beginner (albeit with 6 years of flute under my belt) to performing One Summer’s Day by Joe Hisaishi in front of an audience at a NYC concert venue.
David’s strategy of working on a goal piece from the start is highly motivating, especially for someone like me who put off learning the piano for a decade because I didn’t want to spend the first couple years of piano lessons working on chords / finger techniques / basic melodies. With David, you’re able to work on your dream piano piece from Day 1.
In addition to focusing on a goal piece, David’s multi-layered strategies include methodically working through very small subsets of the piece, using logical notation on the sheet music, memorizing the piece from the start, spaced repetition, etc., all of which contributes to an accelerated pace of piano learning. I never imagined I could progress so fast in 6 months - I barely thought I would be able to play with two hands together, let alone a whole piece from memory!
Initially, I wanted to try in-person lessons, but I’m glad that I decided to take lessons as part of his online Pianist Collective. With his strategies, you truly can learn to play the piano remotely. And not only that, you’ll also have a wonderful community of like-minded, passionate piano teachers (shout out to Tristan and Isidora!) and students who will inspire you to further your piano goals. The Pianist Collective also gives you numerous opportunities to practice performing, which was a big part of how I was able to gain enough skill and confidence to perform at the in-person recital. Performing can be terrifying, but David’s methodology will help you manage performance anxiety.
Finally, besides the strategies and the community, what I’m amazing by is David himself. Not only is he a highly accomplished and talented pianist, but he’s a very effective, dedicated, understanding, and knowledgeable teacher and mentor. David has a very profound understanding of human psychology / motivation, and he has a lot of techniques on how to build the mindset and discipline that will help you realize your piano goals. Many, many of his lessons can be applied to all aspects of life, not just piano!
I’m incredibly grateful to be a part of David Chang Music’s Pianist Collective. There’s so much more I could say about David and the Collective, but I just recommend that give it a try yourself!
