Choosing a Teacher

If you read my previous post, you could infer how important it is to choose the right teacher for yourself or your child.  Things to consider include,

• what style of music is to be learned,
• practical experience the teacher has,
• performance opportunities available,
• ages and levels the teacher specializes in,
• location,
• fee
  

If you are a beginner or have a child who is a beginner, do not underestimate the value of choosing a degreed experienced teacher.  Why is that you might ask?  Any beginner's first teacher lays the foundation for technical advancement (i.e. playing fast and evenly), musical appreciation, and inherent motivation to continue and therefore have music as part of their daily life.  If any one of these things are lacking, your child may easily lose interest and quit.  But..."I'm not expecting my child to become a concert pianist/professional musician/music educator, etc", you may counter.  From personal experience, I will tell you that neither of my parents expected me to become a piano teacher/professional musician.  In fact, my father aggressively discouraged me from it.  The question then remains, "Wouldn't it be wonderful though if your child had that choice?" Instead of being woefully behind in many aspects of a musical education and facing daunting odds to becoming a professional, your child would be adequately prepared to audition for a music school, earn a scholarship, and live a fun, fulfilling life!
From the My Story blog post, you can see how many teachers I had before even reaching the college level.  Did I succeed even though I did not have one teacher lovingly guiding me through appropriate, graded repertoire and attending to my theoretical and academic aspects of my musical education?  The answer is yes, but it has been a challenging, daunting, and difficult journey and of course, I wish it had been easier. 
So in answer to most of the questions listed above:
Q.  What Style of music do you teach?
A.  Classical and popular (but notated popular)  I can read a lead sheet (melody with chords) but do not believe this skill is easily accessible to those who cannot read at all. I do not teach jazz or gospel music even though I have a great appreciation for both styles.

Q.  What practical experience do you have?
A.  I have taught piano for over 13 years.  The teacher I am now is vastly better than the one I was 13 years ago or even 10 years ago. 

Q.  What performance opportunities are available to my child?
A.  Seasonal recitals as well as seasonal assessments from other music professionals.  These assessments come in the form of written comments from opportunities such as Achievement Day, National Federation of Music Clubs Junior Festival, and Royal Conservatory Development Program.

Q.  What ages and levels do you specialize in?
A.  I specialize in teaching beginners, intermediate level pianists, and advanced level pianists.  In the past, I have taught pianists age 4 -65+ but I truly believe my talent in teaching lies with ages 5-18.  I am definitely open to teaching the parents of my students and would encourage that if you have no prior musical education.

Q,  Location?
A.  I am conveniently located in Denver between the Park Hill, Stapleton, and Montclair neighborhoods.  Technically my neighborhood is called East Colfax or East Montclair.

Q.  Fee?
A.  Please contact me! 

Finally, I do not believe that I am the perfect teacher for every student.  I hope that in your interview process you choose to talk to other teachers besides me.