FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Usually, someone either gets referred to me from a colleague or a current student, or finds me on a professional listing somewhere: [Northern] Virginia Music Teacher's Association (specifically, VMTA.com)--or they come across my professional-studio's own site (PKAPianoStudio.org); or the Steinway Teachers Directory [either the print or online edition]; or on, for another example, the National Music Teacher's Association site. And, at times, I'm found through Thumbtack! The prospective student (or his/her parent) and I discuss goals for the prospective student,my teaching style, etc. [often via email--and sometimes over phone], and we arrange a [free] meeting at the studio, just to ensure that the prospective student feels comfortable taking lessons from me. This also gives me a chance to interact with the student in a way that allows me to form a good idea as to how to begin teaching that particular student, with his/her own individual abilities and needs. Shortly thereafter, I hear back from the prospective student or her/his family member, and we set up lessons, which begin within a week or so, usually! Of course, working with "new" students is a process that doesn't really end, truly. I'm always learning from my students how to refine their lessons to keep them engaged, content with their progress and efforts--and I never hesitate to adjust my teaching to a student's ever-evolving learning capabilities and styles--in our great, mutual effort to help them grow as content, healthy individuals and (of course) highly skilled musicians.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I'm a conservatory-trained, professional musician, professional teacher (of piano performance, musicology/music history and theory--with undergrad and grad training, and degrees, from the 6th-ranked U.S. music conservatory, the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, in all mentioned areas. Afterward gradation, I continued performing and teaching. PLUS, I also became an Editor at a well-known music-publishing house specializing in pedagogical [teaching] music and method books [since acquired by Hal Leonard]. This professional/career experience--studying, reviewing, understanding, selecting for publication, and editing pedagogical music--has furthered my abilities as a music/piano/music-theory instructor to no end. But, more recently, my continued experience teaching my great variety of students, my continued experience as a performer of classical (mostly chamber-music) repertoire, and my great interactions with pedagogue colleagues at/from professional organizations has, even more greatly, made me the teacher I am today.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I *most commonly* teach ("serious") classical piano, music theory, and music history to a student in private lessons at my piano studio. I do this while putting students at ease and incorporating interesting and fun elements (as much as needed, in fact---and I love doing that). However, some students want to begin playing jazz, and as I have played jazz piano, I'm very comfortable teaching beginning-level jazz. As my formal training is in classical piano, however, if a student becomes exceptionally talented at jazz, I best serve the student by making a great referral for him or her. (On my recommendation, I can often get the student toward the top of the typically long waiting lists of excellent jazz piano teachers.)