Piano with Christina C.

Christina has played piano since the age of 3! She was given a piano for Christmas and never looked back. She has taken private lessons starting at age 6 and went on to the prestigious Ithaca College to major in Piano Performance. She also holds a B.A. degree in Psychology from Montclair State University. Although her plan was originally to travel the world performing, she decided that her passion was teaching the joy of music to others, and has made that her life. Christina has 15 years of teaching experience in professional music studios in NJ. She began at Elisabeth's School of Piano, which has now grown into the Ringwood School of Music. She now teaches at Garden Street Music in Hoboken, Espressivo Piano in Livingston, and Finger Power Music in Edgewater. She teaches lessons to all ages and levels from beginner to professional. She can teach all styles, but specializes in classical. She follows a tried and true method of teaching including scales, arpeggios, Hanon exercises, as well as incorporating lesson, theory, and solo/fun books to ensure that her students have a well-rounded music education. Above all, Christina makes learning fun. She makes sure that her students are happy with what they are learning and gives them a choice as to what pieces/songs they would like to learn to accomplish their lessons. She makes lessons especially fun for younger children by bringing stickers and fun projects to lessons to encourage their progress. Christina has also extended experience working with children through accompanying for choirs and musicals. Christina is a fun teacher who makes learning how to play piano easy. *** Lesson Details *** I am a fun teacher and easy to work with, while also making sure that we cover a certain amount of learning material in each lesson. I follow a plan in my lessons based upon scales, Hanon exercises, music lesson books such as Faber and Faber "Piano Adventures" or Alfred lesson books, theory and sight-reading, as well as ear training work. I also make each lesson fun! I like to give students a choice of what song they would like to learn as their "fun song" while also working on "learning material" crucial to their musical education. I use stickers for the younger students for extra motivation, and allow each student to work up to his or her own ability. I encourage them to be the best they can be, without putting too much pressure on them. Above all, I make sure that the learning experience remains fun and relaxed. Each student learns at his or her own pace and I make sure that each student works up to their ability. Generally speaking, after 3-6 months of working with me as their piano teacher, a student will know the basics of hand placement on the keyboard, reading music, note naming and recognition, and be able to read and play music at a simple level. *** Studio Equipment *** I have a Yamaha keyboard with 88 fully weighted keys that plays and feels exactly like a piano. *** Travel Equipment *** I expect the student to have a piano or keyboard available for lessons and for practicing in between lessons at their home. *** Specialties *** I am classically trained, but have experience in and can teach all genres. I follow a plan in my lessons based upon scales, Hanon exercises, music lesson books such as Faber and Faber "Piano Adventures" or Alfred lesson books, theory and sight-reading, as well as ear training work.