Piano Lessons in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA

Instruments: Piano Flute Piccolo

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
I encourage younger students to practice each piece 5 times a day. I switched to this method of practice after watching my own children whittile away 20 minutes on the bench achieving very little! Once the student is past the first couple of books, I encourage them to start breaking the difficult parts into 2 or 4 measures, and practice them slowly, 3 times perfectly, with a metronome if needed. Then, they can increase the metronome 1 tick at a time. Doing this over a few days, produces remarkable results!

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
After teaching a variety of younger students, I find that once a student can read, they are ready to take lessons. This age is quite subjective, from 4 to 8 really. But, generally, once a child can read, they can sit for 10-15 minutes in order to practice. If we start much earlier, the parent would most likely need to sit with the child during practice, which is usually not practical.

When will I start to see results?
This is usually in direct proportion to the student's practice and attendance record! If the student is practicing 5-6 times a week, and attending lessons regularly, then we can expect to progress through the book at an expected rate. Missed lessons and no practice means that we will spend much time reviewing during the lesson, which is discouraging to the student and the teacher. That said, sometimes review lessons are needed, which is a normal part of teaching. You should expect your child to be playing recognisable melodies sometime within the first 6 months of lessons.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Music was a part of my family life as my dad plays the trombone and directed the choir at our church for many years. I had a variety of music teachers when I was young, and played in the band and orchestra from the time I was in 5th grade through my senior year of highschool, and into college. I find that each teacher had something to give, so I tried to learn a little from each. One taught the importance of slow metronome practice, while another emphasized musicallity, another improvization, and so much more!

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
My older brother started playing the piano when I was 6, and so of course I wanted to play as well! I was so excited to start music lessons while I was 8 years old! I enjoyed it at first, but there were several bumps along the way once the music started getting hard. I'm so thankful that my parents encouraged me to stick with playing the piano, as I eventually majored in it in college. But, my favourite instrument during my childhood was the flute. I enjoyed the pretty sound, but there is nothing like the thrill of playing in a band or orchestra, with all the instruments around you, while you make music together!

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