Private Piano Instruction
Private piano lessons are a wonderful opportunity for a child or adult to explore an interest in music. My goals in providing students with music training include fostering a love for music while developing a healthy means of self-expression and building self-confidence. It is my objective to develop a foundation for musical interest by providing an individual, systematic music study program tailored to the learning style of each individual student. This will include theory, ear training, sight-reading and developing performance repertoire. Most importantly, I strive to make the lessons a fun, enjoyable experience that prepares the student for effective practice at home leading to musical success.
In an effort to keep students motivated and give them the opportunity to meet others who share their interest, I host piano parties filled with games that test my student’s musical knowledge. The students are divided into teams of similar ability and participate in games that test their note reading ability, rhythm recognition, aural awareness, musical definitions and much more. In addition, the students perform for each other in a very casual environment so they can gain more experience performing for others without the pressure of a formal recital. My students look forward to attending the piano parties and often leave having learned something new.
The annual spring recital is a very positive experience for my students. I combine the use of a beautiful grand piano and a very modern Yamaha Clavinova keyboard to create an exciting and interesting performance program. The students work hard to prepare for their performances and enjoy the audience applause following their performance.
My membership in a variety of organizations allows my students the ability to participate in judged performance events. My students have always received superior scores along with ribbons, trophies and certificates for their accomplishments.
For more information about Amy, please click on Background
If you would like to be contacted to discuss private lessons for yourself or your child, please go to contact
"The great thing about Amy is her willingness to listen to parent's goals and plan her lessons for her students accordingly. My desire is simply to make music a part of my children's lives. Amy provides opportunities for students like my children as well as for students whose goals include composing or competition."
Mary, parent of a 4th year student.
Music Research
A McGill University study found that pattern recognition and mental representation scores improved significantly for students given piano instruction over a three-year period. They also found that self-esteem and musical skills measures improved for the students given piano instruction.
Source: Dr. Eugenia Costa-Giomi, "The McGill Piano Project: Effects of three years of piano instruction on children’s cognitive abilities, academic achievement, and self-esteem," presented at the meeting of the Music Educators National Conference, Phoenix, AZ, April, 1998 www.menc.org
A Harvard-based study has found that children who study a musical instrument for at least three years outperform children with no instrumental training – not only in tests of auditory discrimination and finger dexterity (skills honed by the study of a musical instrument), but also on tests measuring verbal ability and visual pattern completion (skills not normally associated with music).
While it is no surprise that the young musicians scored significantly higher than those in the control group on two skills closely related to their music training (auditory discrimination and finger dexterity), the more surprising result was that they also scored higher in two skills that appear unrelated to music –verbal ability (as measured by a vocabulary IQ test) and visual pattern completion (as measured by the Raven’s Progressive Matrices). Furthermore, the longer and more intensely the child had studied his or her instrument, the better he or she scored on these tests.
Source: Science Daily, November 5, 2008 www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/11/081104132916.htm