Holly E
Instruments: Piano
Styles: Classical, Pop, Gospel, Showtunes, Spirituals
Holly E
Instruments: Piano
Styles:
Classical, Pop, Gospel, Showtunes, Spirituals
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
BS, San Francisco State University, Biology MS, San Jose State University, Molecular Biology
2004 - 2008: Pianist and accompanist for church choir, Bodega Bay, CA 2008 - 2018: Pianist and accompanist for church choir, Pinole, CA 2017 - 2018 : Accompanist for youth choir
When I was in grade school, I took piano lessons for 5 years. In Middle School I played flute in our school band. I studied biology in college and then worked in an academic laboratory for my first career. I began to play piano for my local church when I lived in Bodega Bay in 2004. Just before welcoming our second son into the world in 2008, we had to relocate to the East Bay. Once there, I accepted an opportunity to play piano for a local church in the East Bay. I am still pianist at that church. I enjoy playing classical, gospel and pop music.
I began to teach piano in 2015 to my two sons who were 7 and 8 years old at the time. I then began to teach children of friends ranging in age from 5 to 11 yr old. I taught piano at a local YMCA from 2017 to 2019, teaching kids ranging in ages from 5 to 16 yr old. I have planned and produced recitals for kids 5 to 12 years old, which includes preparing each student over a period of months to master their pieces. Since the covid pandemic I have only been teaching online and producing recorded virtual recitals. My minimum goal for each child is to have the student develop their skills at the piano well enough so they can eventually teach themselves any piece they are interested in playing. I have experience teaching music to special needs kids, particularly kids with autism.
I enjoy teaching music to all ages of kids and have different courses to recommend based on maturity and musical background of the child. In general I recommend Faber's Piano Adventures. In general, the courses focus on keyboard performance, listening and pitch matching. Note recognition, rhythm and sight reading are also taught. These courses come with a lesson book and a workbook where music theory can be introduced. I endeavor to incorporate games and listening activities to boost fun. I also encourage the student to select a popular song or movie theme that they may work on in addition to their lessons. This provides long range motivation and is a great accomplishment once they master their pieces. Recently I have been incorporating preparation for exam certificate if the student is motivated to pursue that.
I utilize the lesson and workbooks as the backbone of the lessons. I use the metronome to develop rhythm and an appreciation for note values. Listening activities develop awareness of pitch and intervals. Flashcards, whiteboards and games reinforce all of these concepts. Additional motivational music from movie themes, popular songs, video game theme songs or from other music books are selected for the student to be working on in conjunction with their lesson books. Each student is allowed to work at their own pace, with the main goal being an increased love and appreciation of music.
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