Piano Lessons in West Sayville, NY

Instruments: Piano

My teaching experience dates back to even before my college days. I began to teach both in private lessons and institutions to various age groups. I was teaching during my undergrad and grad studies, and now I am a full-time teacher. I do teach both classical and Jazz. I am specialized in Jazz, but I have a very strong classical background (I studied classical piano during my undergrad even though my major was jazz). Read More

Instruments: Piano

Nothing kills enthusiasm in the long run like rote teaching. With a complete beginner, especially a young child, an abstraction like music can be overwhelming if not presented in a structured manner. For that reason, I generally speak at length with the parents and explain that the preparation work takes several lessons. I begin by introducing young students to the keyboard and familiarize them with both black and white keys quickly. Read More

Instruments: Piano Cello Bass Guitar Recorder Double Bass Keyboard

My primary goal with all of my students is to help them make great music that is true to themselves. I also try to stick with a sound-before-symbol approach to learning music. What this means for my teaching is a focus on training both the ears and technique. I always prefer a more personalized approach to teaching, working with students to find repertoire that speaks to them and improves their musicality and technique. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Acoustic Guitar

I begin assessing where the student's current level is by having them sing a song of their choice for me. Depending on what we need to work, I will spend the lessons focusing on certain areas to improve (e.g. breath support, jaw/neck tension, posture, pitch, range, diction, phrasing, etc.). Each week, the student will be assigned things to work on during the week that we accomplished in the lesson. Read More

Instruments: Piano

My mantra is to practice for success, not to do a certain number of hours or drills; this is something I learned after practicing technical drills for several hours a day. I remain partial to the Liszt technical exercises. I also continue to use certain exercises I find useful and not too time-consuming. The Art of Practicing contains much valuable advice for the pianist struggling to translate the passion of music into performance. Read More

Instruments: Piano Voice Violin

Having worked with a variety of musicians, I now know that a real teacher needs to be a human of great discipline and compassion. I sincerely believe in a healthy and holistic approach to teaching. This is why I am always concentrating on the mental and physical well-being of my students first. I pay particular attention to mental readiness, self-confidence, and stage-fright control. For instance, I offer my students some breathing exercises or ask them to write a good self-critique as homework. Read More

Instruments: Piano Organ Accordion Keyboard

As a young performer I was under the tutelage of the acclaimed educator Dr. Frank Porto for over 10 years. As my music mentor, Dr. Porto guided me to dozens of wins in many classical and pop music competitions. As I entered my teens I started to gain more interest in jazz and popular music but still retained my love of classical music. I studied jazz with renown jazz educator John Mohegan. Read More