Lessons with Melissa

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Introduction: Hello! My name is Melissa, I'm a musician; I play piano, violin, guitar & compose music. I play the cello & viola by ear. I have played the piano for 29 years, & violin for 20. I have experience playing in the orchestra, chamber music & piano accompaniment. I've played violin for Regionals, Solo & Ensemble competitions where I've earned medallions. I played both piano & violin in the Youth Symphony of San Antonio as a young musician under the direction of Carla Wright, (1st violin 3rd chair) for several years, including rehearsals in yearly string camps. I competed in a contest hosted by Trinity College of Music London, where I received a certificate for 1st Place, judged by Juilliard graduates Robin & Peggy Abraham of Northside Music. They've been friends and mentors to me for several years now. I have been teaching for 9 years & work with individuals that have no experience to advanced. I offer a free introductory lesson. Lesson plans are discussed as I learn my client's goals, learning style & expectations. Clients will learn what they can expect from me as well. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Please don't hesitate to call or text, & I'll return your calls promptly. Please don't forget to leave a name & number if you leave a message. I look forward to meeting you! Thank you & Good Luck! *Update: I now offer lessons over Zoom as an option, for your comfort during this time. :) -Melissa-

Overview

Hired 14 times

Background checked

1 employee

10 years in business

Payment methods

This pro accepts payments via Cash, Check, Credit card, Google Pay, and Zelle.

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Reviews

Customers rated this pro highly for value, work quality, and professionalism.

Good 3.8

6 reviews

66%

17%

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Steven E.

Nov 9, 2020

Hired on Thumbtack

Melissa is an incredibly talented pianist. She was extremely professional, patient, knowledgeable, thorough, and attended to my individual needs as a student to help me achieve optimal results. Her lessons are adaptable to what works best for you personally as the client. She inherently understood that everyone learns differently, and she therefore incorporates, employs different learning tactics into her lessons. She gives visual, audial cues to learn by, and truly caters to the individual depending on what techniques work best for you. I was truly impressed with the efficacy of her teaching & her attention to detail as well as her calm, poised demeanor throughout the lesson. I could tell she’s extremely zealous for playing/teaching the piano, and she does both extremely well. You can tell she’s in her natural element whilst teaching. I believe she is one of those people who were just born to teach/play music. It’s apparent not only in the results achieved from learning under her guidance, but you can literally feel the joy that she derives from merely sharing her love for music with another person. It’s difficult to put in words, but I could tell that she was elated after I completed the small duet at the end of the second lesson. She gave a free introduction, and we actually played over the hour marker multiple times at no extra charge. She was punctual to respond to my inquiries, and was very sincere, patient, and her styles of teaching were versatile as well as adaptable to what worked best/what I desired to learn first. Ever since my father passed away I’ve been yearning to relearn piano: as I took lessons many years ago as a child. Her attention to detail, her focused yet joyful attitude, and her understanding of/adaptability to the simple fact that everyone learns uniquely, the free introductory lesson, and her inexpensive prices makes her the best piano teacher one could possibly hope to find. She was very welcoming, personable, & down to earth as well. I highly recommend Melissa to anyone in need of beginner/intermediate/or advanced piano lessons at an affordable price. I cannot thank you enough, Melissa! It means the world to learn piano again, and reconnect with my dad in a way that’s not possible otherwise. I wouldn’t take lessons from anyone else! :p 🎼🎶🎵

Details: 26 - 44 years old • Yes, the student can read music • 0 - 2 yrs of formal training • Jazz • Yes, the student has a keyboard • 60 minutes • At the pro’s location

Piano Lessons

Prabha S.

Sep 1, 2015

Hired on Thumbtack

My daughter is taking piano lessons from Melissa and we are very happy with her teaching. very patient and flexible schedule too.

Piano Lessons

Brandi G.

Mar 30, 2018

Hired on Thumbtack

She seemed nice enough when I spoke to her to schedule a lesson. She said that she would send me her address but never did, and didn’t respond to my message. Also I explained to her that I couldn’t afford more than two lessons per month and she was very pushy about wanting to have weekly lessons. I understand the importance and benefits of more frequent lessons, but it’s just out of our budget right now. I had to just keep telling her that we can’t afford it, which was kind of embarrassing. I’m hoping that’s not the reason she’s ghosted me.

Details: 6 - 9 years old • No, the student cannot read music • No formal training • What the teacher recommends • Yes, the student has a piano • 30 minutes • Willing to work around teacher's schedule • The piano teacher travels to me

Lessons with Melissa's reply

I apologize for not getting back to you Brandi. The reason I was adamant about the weekly lessons is that I have a great passion to see anyone I work with succeed & be excited & happy with their progress. I was asking to see if you would at least be able to make it, meanwhile doing my math so I could work with your budget somehow, including factoring in some additional lessons for you free of charge. It was a misunderstanding & I never intended to embarass you & I apologize for not taking that into consideration honestly. I know you didn't understand my intentions for asking, & I should have explained my reasoning. Working with each individual is always a learning process for me & for that I do apologize. In regards to "ghosting", I had a very unexpected & tragic loss only 5 days prior to this reviews post date. The father of my 2 children passed away, who was my best friend & musician partner. It was all I could do just to keep it together & I had to quit teaching for a while to go through the process of such a thing without losing all my clientele. I informed those who I'd been working with that I'd be taking a break & I apologize for not getting back to you to explain. 2018 was a very difficult year. It's been 2 years now & I've finally decided its time to get back to doing what I love. I made the mistake of trying to keep working & it was honestly too much at the time, & I let 2 clients down unintentionally, when I should have been open about my situation immediately & taken a break. I know this is a very late reply, & I hope you accept my apology & I hope this sheds some light on things for you, & also I hope it explains my 2018 reviews that are unsatisfactory. Thank you & good luck. -Melissa

Piano Lessons

Shannon P.

Nov 18, 2014

Hired on Thumbtack

Excellent teacher for my daughter

Piano Lessons

Sylvia C.

Oct 23, 2018

Hired on Thumbtack

Details: 45 - 64 years old • No, the student cannot read music • No formal training • Classical • No, the student does not have either • 30 minutes • I travel to the piano teacher

Piano Lessons

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Melissa Creek

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Contact me please, I work with everyone! :)
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
An introduction is very important for both myself & potential clients. This gives us both the opportunity to meet, discuss any background experience if it applies, talk about goals, & discuss lesson plans. I have a few books & some sheet music available to do an introductory lesson. This allows me to get an idea of the learning style of an individual. I'm interested in the personal goals of each individual, so I make it a point to find what music they enjoy listening to & would want to learn in the future so we can both come up with a more personalized lesson plan. I explain what is expected from the individual as a student (such as practice time & theory application) & what can be expected from me, & I'm open to suggestions or personal preferences as well. I (We) just take it from there & keep moving forward!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I play piano, violin & guitar. I played in the Youth Symphony of San Antonio, 1st violin: 3rd chair. I played piano accompaniment with YOSA at UTSA where concerts were held. I've played piano for about 30 years now. I participated in Chamber music & was 1st violin: 1st chair in a String Quartet, we performed the Brandenburg Concerto as part of a YOSA concert, which was extremely enjoyable. I've competed in regional as well as solo & ensemble for both piano & violin as a young musician. I also participated in a scored competition in Austin sponsored by the Trinity College of Music London & received a certificate for winning 1st place. I was judged by Robin Abraham, a Juilliard graduate & owner/ founder of Northside Music, who has grown to be a mentor and friend. I put my heart into what I do. I go the extra mile to help my students reach their goals.

Lessons with Melissa

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