FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
The first consultation lesson is $20, which allows the student to figure out if I am the right match for them before committing to something longer term. Although my usual fee is $80 an hour, I will consider needs on a case-by-case basis and am open to negotiating a rate that is sustainable for both parties. If you are dedicated, money should never be the barrier for musical fulfilment!
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
During the initial consultation lesson, the student gets a chance to know me, and I get a chance to learn what the student is hoping to get out of lessons. We can discuss the student's experience with music/piano, any particular goals, and what role they would like piano and music to play in their lives. If they have past experience, they may play something for me so I get an idea of their abilities, and we will work on that, as we would in a normal lesson. If not, then I will explain some fundamentals and give them some exercises to begin with. During the early lessons, we also discuss longer term goals and areas of interest (i.e. music history, piano technique, theory, chamber music, learning by ear, learning repertoire quickly, sight-reading, composition/improvisation, historical performance, favorite composers etc.)
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the Juilliard School as well as a Professional Diploma from the Royal Academy of Music in London. I started taking private lessons at age five and began performing in national and international competitions when I was ten. I also studied composition and improvisation at the Yamaha Music School until I was eleven, at which point I turned my focus to solo classical piano. I began private teaching as a teenager, and continued to work one-on-one with various types of students throughout my career. I have also taught ear training for Juilliard college and graduate students, subbed for Juilliard secondary piano classes (for students majoring in other instruments), guest taught music appreciation classes at a local elementary school, and gave interactive, interdisciplinary performances in venues around NYC. I coached chamber music for students aged 10-15 at multiple summer music festivals. Although most of my work is performance related, I find working with developing pianists one-on-one to be some of the most rewarding and thought-provoking experiences.