Alexander K  
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical, Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, R&B, Musical Theater, Latin, Showtunes, Spirituals, Latin Jazz, Swing, Bossa Nova, Soul, Avant-garde

I began teaching privately toward the end of high school; since then I have taught various students with various interests and levels of experience. I have found teaching older and younger students to be equally rewarding (in slightly different ways). My favorite part of teaching is inspiring a passion for and interest in music. I don't force my own stylistic preferences on students--the sorts of repertoire we work on is largely up to them. If a student leaves a lesson feeling excited to start practicing and listening to music, then I've done my job!

My methods of course depend on the experience level of the student I'm teaching. For beginners, I typically have them work through the first Suzuki book and then go from there based on what it seems they're interested in. Beyond that, specific repertoire is going to be different for each student. I believe strongly in the importance of learning to read music and learning the basics of music theory as soon as possible in a student's development, so I spend some lesson time on that. Learning to play by ear is, I think, another important element in a student's success; I like to make sure every student can hum their songs as well as play them! Finally, it is extremely important to me that my students play in a healthy, relaxed way. As someone who suffered a repetitive strain injury from practicing a lot, I can personally attest to the importance of playing without unnecessary tension.