Freshstart Piano Teaching Philosophy
(Cliffs Notes Version) 

Cultivate excellence

Independent learner

Comprehensive music education

Multi-key approach

Discovery learning

Technical proficiency

Adaptive expectations and learning styles without compromising excellence

The important benefits of each of these in the full teaching philosophy below

Piano Teaching Philosophy (Over-achiever version)

We believe the most important goal in piano lessons is fostering an enjoyment for music that lasts a lifetime. In order to nurture and develop that appreciation for music—not just piano specifically—we believe students need to become musicians in their own right.

To teach a student to become a musician, we constantly strive to cultivate excellence in everything that’s done in piano lessons and teach the concepts needed to be a sensitive musician; the proper balance between melody and accompaniment, accurate reading of notes and rhythms, and proper fingering for the best musical sound followed by ease of execution. 

A thorough exploration of all the different keys on the piano from the beginning will also be emphasized by utilizing elements of the multi-key approach. We believe it’s important to get students comfortable with the black keys from the beginning because it lessens frustration and anxiety with playing pieces involving sharps and flats later on. 

We believe another area we want our students to excel at is reading. The ability to read music quickly and effectively will help the student learn music on their own, furthering and maintaining their enjoyment and ability to play music even after lessons have stopped. 

Good technique will also be a point of emphasis so that we lessen the possibility of struggles with a piece due to technical deficiency in the future. 

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"Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn." 
-Benjamin Franklin

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We teach our students through discovery learning, by asking questions and having students think on their own rather than merely giving instructions and corrections. Through our piano teaching philosophy, we also hope to improve our students in their academic endeavors, to have them transfer the discipline needed to learn piano into school work. 

With all the different aspects of piano playing we want to emphasize on, another important part of our teaching philosophy is flexibility. For students with aspirations to be performers or who aren’t sure, we provide ample opportunities to perform in front of audiences, whether it’s through regular studio recitals, small informal students-only studio classes, or participation in various festivals will be encouraged; however, we don’t believe in competition in music. 

Different learning styles will also be accommodated in my studio, so an analysis of a student’s learning style is important. We’ll learn the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student and adapt to it without compromising excellence, to both nurture the strengths and strengthen the weaknesses. 

This flexibility also involves assigning a variety of repertoire that caters to each student’s preference in musical genre. This will help in the enjoyment part of our teaching philosophy. We believe that the interest in the repertoire is the best self-motivator for students. Getting students to practice the piece they want to play makes it easier for us to teach the musical concepts and other aspects of music that we emphasize.