Classical Piano Lessons in San Diego. Amazing Teachers.

B.A. Piano Performance, College of William and Mary, Williamsburg, VA 1981
M.M. Piano Pedagogy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 1986

I have been teaching Classical Piano lessons for over 35 years. I teach all levels and all ages, but children and beginning adults are my specialty. Lessons include sight-reading, technique, theory, and memory skills. I offer 1-2 recitals per year.

The goal of my teaching career is to celebrate the joy of life by sharing music together.

Nicki began playing piano at six. She had a passion for music and continued playing to play in the GMTA State Piano competition. After completing her degree at the University of Pennsylvania, she continued to play and teach.
Nicki has been an elementary school teacher for 10 years and loves working with children. She uses the Bastien method for her beginning students. She enjoys working with children who are beginning to learn piano. She likes to make her lessons fun and engaging.
Nicki teaches to share her passion of music. She helps her students to develop their ear, sight-reading, and comprehension. She works to create well-rounded students, sharpening their theory and expanding their musical skills. She lives in beautiful Carmel Valley with her son who is in high school and is a talented artist.

A natural teacher at heart, I teach Piano, Visual Arts, and Yoga. I earned my Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Teaching and my California Teaching Credential in the Visual Arts and have been teaching professionally since 2012. I began playing the piano at age seven and advanced to honors recitals of Certificate of Merit through the Music Teachers' Association of California (MTAC). I have experience teaching ages 4-65 and beginning through early-intermediate levels. Beginners are my specialty and I currently teach 12 piano students a week. I use a variety of materials like flashcards and book series to teach classical, jazz, pop, and sacred styles: Alfred’s Basic Piano Library, Bastien Basics, Bastien & Bastien, Faber’s Piano Adventures, FunTime Faber & Faber, Piano for the Older Beginner, Alfred Masterworks, and Hal Leonard Songs from Disney. Students have the options of borrowing my used books or purchasing new books.

My new students love the patience and personalization that I bring ...

I love teaching and providing the student with different types of styles and genres to learn from. If you wanted to learn classical then we would focus on that and learn in the most efficient pedagogical approaches there are, but if you wanted to learn jazz or rock then we would instead focus on the creative and improvisational side of learning. What a student needs is also based on who they are and what music they love, and with a good combination of fundamental principles and musical exploration the student is nurtured to be the musician they want to be.

Do you want to have fun and learn how to play the piano? Well, you can have both! As an experienced piano teacher of 10 plus years, I can help you get started learning the basics of piano playing, or help you learn more advance playing & technic. I offer lessons that are customized for each student's individual needs. I can help you learn to play your favorite song while teaching the building blocks of piano playing, like sight reading, playing by ear, theory, chords, and more! My goals for you is find joy in music and piano playing! I look forward to hearing from you soon!

I have nearly a decade of experience teaching piano students of all ages, and particularly enjoy working with beginners! I work with students on developing the musical fundamentals that will let them explore any genre they're interested in, whether they dream of playing Beethoven sonatas, keys in a rock band, or hymns at their church.

Note: Prices listed for this subject area are for in-studio and in-home lessons, regardless of genre. I am offering reduced online rates during the Covid-19 pandemic. These are available under "Piano" lessons.