Piano Lessons in Stamford, CT

Instruments: Piano

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Set aside a realistic length of time and a particular time of the day (e.g., early morning, after school/work, after dinner, etc.) that you can dedicate to your practice. This can range from 15 minutes to an hour or longer depending on your availability and goals. It is best if you could make your practice a part of your daily routine. Make sure that your mind is focused on your practice. Other thoughts might come to your mind. Acknowledge them and then focus back on your music. Do not practice mindlessly. Practicing without complete awareness and focus might help your fingers remember the routine but will not allow you to have control. This can cause problem when you are performing in public as anxiety can be best conquered with control, which comes when you are able to fully focus your thoughts on the music and your particular vision of the piece.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
See if your child is interested in listening to music. Does she/he like to play toy instruments, sing or dance? Observe your child’s reactions to music at home. Take your child to live performances and let her/his imagination grow. Ask your child if she/he would like to play the keyboard. Ask what songs or pieces she/he would like to play. Would she/he like to practice and play a little every day? Your child’s response can help you determine if she/he is ready.

When will I start to see results?
In order to answer this question it is helpful to be aware of what you mean by result. If you review what you have learned during your lessons and then practice your instrument with focus, you will learn! This, I believe, is a measureable result! For example, you may note that you have a renewed appreciation of music and the performing process almost immediately after your first lesson. As you learn, you gradually become aware of musical structure, rhythm and melody. Your practice may help you focus more. With practice will learn new pieces every week. If your goal is to accumulate a repertoire of pieces that you can play at will, you can achieve this through focused practice within the second or third months. The more you practice, the more polished your pieces will become. To achieve the goal of maintaining a repertoire of polished pieces you need to find a balance between practicing the old pieces while you learn new ones. This process includes working on memorizing, polishing your performance and developing your own sense of musicality. An alternative is to keep learning new pieces and letting go of the ones you have already learned until you reach pieces that you feel are worth maintaining as a part of your repertoire! So, my answer to this question would be that you can see results following your very first lesson!

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
As a 3rd grader I was lucky to have a music teacher who was an opera singer. She was young and attractive, kind, inspirational, and extremely well loved. We all had recordings of her performances that we cherished and listened to often. We also often sang the songs she taught us at choir practice. Loving those songs and singing them were my initial introduction to the world of musical performance. Two years later I began taking piano lessons at the music conservatory. At the time I was full of thoughts about my choir teacher and what she had taught us. I knew that she was classically trained and began her career as a student at the same conservatory I was now attending. At the conservatory, my first piano teacher was very similar to my beloved choir teacher. She, too, was young, enthusiastic and kind. Practicing and going to my lessons became a part of my life from that time forward. Pretty soon I could not imagine my life without them! I believe their inspiration stemmed from their love of music, beauty of their personality, kindness and enthusiasm.

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
I began taking piano lessons after my family purchased a grand piano. The piano we acquired belonged to an accomplished musician who was a beloved teacher at the conservatory. This is how I ended up going to the same music school and taking theory lessons from him. I remember I was extremely excited and proud of holding my piano textbooks, knowing that I could read the notation that one inside. Learning music notation made me feel as if I belonged to a rarefied club. As I grew older I considered my piano lessons as an integral and special part of my life. I could not imagine living without the instrument. It was around this time that I began developing an earnest interest in classical music. I received my first classical musical recording as a gift from an aunt. It was a Russian recording of Chopin Preludes and introduced me to the enchanting world of Romantic piano. I have been a fan ever since!

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I remember I was proud of the program I worked on as part of my audition concert at NYU. My program included Beethoven’s Sonata Opus 101, a few Chopin etudes, and a complex Bach fugue. The process of preparing those pieces was a transformative experience for me. My most significant accomplishment in music, however, came a few years later when I began to study ethnomusicology. This allowed me to recognize the role cultures play in the construction and interpretation of music. The ways the musical cultures of various people help us understand those people who produce and consume music. In this, the writings of Alan Merriam, John Blacking, and Charles Seeger were especially significant to my intellectual development in music.

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