My most important goal as a piano instructor is to help my students find their own musical passion and to develop the skills and personal discipline that will help sustain them in a lifelong musical journey. There are many musical roads to travel, including playing for personal enjoyment, accompanist, soloist, ensemble player, and styles that can range from classical, theater, jazz, and many others. I structure lessons to meet the individual needs of each student.
My musical journey began when my parents decided to trade in a car for a spinet piano for me to use. My first piano lessons began at age 13 and my first teacher wore at least one ring on each finger! She had spent most of her early musical career as an accompanist to silent films. As I grew up I studied with one other teacher and played for local girls clubs and other organizations. During college I tried out several majors until I finally realized that music was my true calling, and gladly embarked on academic study at California State University Sacramento where I graduated with a B.A. in Music.
I have studied piano with Dr. Jean Savage and later with Brenda Tom, who was the principal pianist with the Sacramento Symphony. Over the years, in addition to my teaching, I worked for three dance studios, and performed with local theater groups, including the Davis Music Theatre, American River College, Old Eagle Theatre, and the Sacramento Children's Performing Choir. Recently I have begun playing in some chamber ensembles as well. For the past several years my husband and I started a piano/cello duet (PianoandCello.com) for hire at events and celebrations.
I am frequently asked how long a student should practice each day. The answer depends on the level of the student, the length of lessons, and the difficulty of pieces. I typically encourage non-beginner students to practice daily at least long as their lesson time, with one day off a week.
I strongly encourage my students to seek out performance opportunities in order to test their own abilities and share their talent with others. I hold recitals at my home generally monthly and encourage my students to participate in a recital at least twice a year.
I also encourage my students to play in duets and other ensembles because it offers applied experience as an accompanist--an important role for many pianists. Additionally, working with other instruments gives you additional interpretative framework to consider, e.g., playing with a stringed instrument like a violin or cello can provide a different outlook on phrasing.