Teaching philosophy

Teaching experience (private piano lessons):

Bard College, New York. 2017-2019

New York University - Steinhardt, New York. 2019-2020.

Private piano studio, New York metropolitan area and New Jersey. 2017-ongoing.

Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher and cultural critic of the 19th century, said that “without music, life would be a mistake.” I believe that giving young people the skills to boost and express their creative thoughts on a musical instrument is a crucial part of their general education. Learning how to voice personal emotions, and operate in an abstract language with the coordination of different rhythmic faculties and an understanding of sounds, will equip every student with highly valuable and transferable skills. 

I am certainly biased, but I think the piano is the king of instruments, which attracts students with its uniquely straightforward technique of playing different keys individually or simultaneously. One can be a soloist, or imitate a whole orchestra, and you will always be considered an important partner in accompanying other musicians: the possibilities are infinite.

I have gone through this process in my own education, and therefore think it is wrong to set one, impersonal standard to achieve. My students learn best, when they are encouraged to explore their distinctive talents to the fullest. Critique from the teacher is necessary for progress, but motivation, and a positive environment are equally necessary components, which lead to a sense of fulfilment. This includes being sensible to my students’ individual learning pace, and also their preferences for different genres of music.

I make it my goal to welcome every level to my studio – beginner, amateur, professional, the young adolescent, or adult. However, I believe that apart from being able to play the piano, it is essential to have a well-grounded introduction to music theory, Solfège, and some music history, and I try to tailor this information to my respective students’ needs, and incorporate it into a lesson. Knowing how important this is stems from my early training in clapping various difficult rhythms with both hands, singing in tune, and analysing the structure of a piece or song. I also think that freedom of expression comes with a solid piano technique, and I therefore help my students to train their fingers with various exercises, so that they can produce every imaginable color at the piano that comes into their minds.

Living in New York City gives access to a wealth of cultures, and I cannot emphasize enough, how enriching it is to go and see different kinds of concerts, and not just representations of so-called Western music in the main concert halls. Becoming an artist means developing an all-encompassing picture of the times and cultures, within which music was created.