Piano Lessons with Jana
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About
I work very well with all levels of musicianship and can prepare a student for college auditions as well as inspire the hobbyist and dabbler. I enjoy working with neurodiverse students of all ages and abilities! I believe that music reaches into our core being, strengthening our belief in each other's kindness and beauty.
I love sitting down one-on-one with a student and focusing on that individual's musical self. It is a privilege to watch students' fingers learn to express what they feel and think. I love helping students bring life to the printed notes on the page and recognize themselves in the music.
Overview
Hired 27 times
Business hours
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Services offered
Subjects of interest
Fundamentals (pitch, rhythm, chords, etc.)
Harmonization
Counterpoint
Music subjects (notation, analysis, ear training)
Level of experience
No experience
Beginner
Intermediate
Advanced
Instrument student plays
Piano
Violin
Guitar
Drum
Reviews
Customers rated this pro highly for punctuality, and responsiveness.
Exceptional 5.0
24 reviews
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Mindy S.
Apr 30, 2014
Hired on Thumbtack
Our 5 year old daughter started lessons with Jana 3 weeks ago. Jana is very energetic and keeps the lesson moving for a 5 year old. She incorporates all the elements of music into her lessons such as rhythm, melody, voice, etc.. She comes well prepared and my daughter loves her lessons.
Piano Lessons
Katherin K.
Mar 12, 2014
Hired on Thumbtack
I found Jana after sending out an APB for a piano instructor with experience teaching brain-damaged students.
Run-of-the-mill lessons just weren't cutting it for my daughter, who has mild cerebral palsy. I'd been heartbroken to see the spark go out of my kid, who has so much music in her heart but but was burning out on the old routine of drilling scales and following the dancing elves.
Though well intentioned, our previous teachers seemed to feel they weren't giving us our money's worth unless they nagged us to practice every day and perform in a recital every term. (Not that I have anything against daily practice and recitals, but they were just the wrong approach for this physically tentative child, who was already overloaded with special ed and physical therapy.)
Thankfully, things began to look up when I read Jana's proposal. Not only was it clear that Jana had a working knowledge of neuromuscular disorders, but more importantly she "got" that I was trying to enrich my kid's artistic soul without adding to her stress level.
I must confess that, even in spite of the wonderful written proposal, I was nervous leading up to the first lesson; and, given our previous experience, so was my daughter.
But within minutes of Jana's arrival the house was ringing with music and laughter. Of course, Jana's enthusiasm and easy nature won my daughter over instantly. But behind the fun it was clear to me that a great deal of preparation and thought had gone into the lesson. Jana had combed my daughter's Walkman playlist for a catchy song with a straight-forward chord progression that my daughter could play along with on an electronic keyboard that a musician friend has been storing in our basement. Jana brought a portable boom box and a list of program codes for our keyboard. Within minutes my child was producing genuine, "cool" music. No more dancing elves!
At the risk of sounding maudlin, my daughter and I actually wept for joy after her first lesson with Jana. It was such a relief, after a year of tedious school bureaucracy and occupational therapy, for this child to once again feel that she was creative, talented and in control.
We are now two months in, and my daughter still looks forward to every lesson. I've even begun to catch her practicing on her own, without prodding, just for the sheer pleasure of it.
When Jana submitted her original proposal to me, she had suggested that at some point my daughter might like to jam with school friends. As lovely as that sounded, I was skeptical at the time, because my daughter's friends are fairly experienced musicians, and when they had invited her to play in the past she'd expressed terror at the thought. So you can imagine my surprise and joy when, out of the blue, my giggling kid bragged to me the other day that she was working on a tune to play for her friends AND (the ultimate sign of kid confidence) mulling over potential band names!
I wish you and/or your child the same joy. Hire Jana--she is one in a million!
Piano Lessons
Katherine K.
Mar 10, 2015
Hired on Thumbtack
Jana is a fantastic and enthusiastic teacher. She is innovative and always coming up with new ideas to help my 5 year old learn piano. We miss having her come to our house for lessons, but she has a fantastic music room and my daughter loves discovering all the instruments. Jana uses a variety of instruments in her instruction, so lessons are more than just piano, they also create an in depth understanding of music theory.
Piano Lessons
Natalie W.
Sep 10, 2014
Hired on Thumbtack
Jana is a phenomenal musician and teacher. One of her many strengths compared to some of the other instructors I've had is her ability to break down what you're not doing so effectively--then she gives you concrete exercises and advice to solve those problems. Early on in your "attacking" of a piece, she gives you ergonomic advice (finger choice, positioning, etc.) so that you're able to play more comfortably and expressively, the way the piece was meant to be played. I've never had a teacher who has such an eagle eye and is so incisive with advice. She can really "see" (and hear) what's happening and break it down for you.
If you're getting down on yourself and your perceived lack of progress with your music, Jana is always encouraging. I've found her to be positive and professional, with a great sense of humor. I'm sure she's great with kids. If you're an adult student, as I am, prepare to grumble at yourself as you see her merrily sight read a piece that will take you weeks or months to master. She's talented, of course, but really, she has a talent for teaching. So fantastic. I love her!
PS--I was only planning on contracting with her for when my other teacher was on vacation, but I'm keeping her on indefinitely.
Piano Lessons
Irene S.
May 12, 2014
Hired on Thumbtack
Jana is amazing with my son, who is 5 years old and has Down syndrome. He's always responded enthusiastically to music and rhythms, so we were excited but a little bit apprehensive to see how he'd respond to the "structure" of a lesson. Jana was incredible: she moved from one concept to another quickly, but in a way he could follow 100%. She's really incorporated "play" into learning, and we couldn't be happier.
Piano Lessons