Heather received her classical training at the Hanna Kogan Conservatory of Music from 2002 to 2012. As a pianist, Heather has earned various awards. These include 8 years of National Auditions with the American College of Musicians, National Guild of Piano Teachers (NGPT). Through this organization, she earned the High School Diploma and Social Music Diploma. Heather also participated in numerous festivals and Certificate of Merit tests sponsored by the Music Teacher’s Association of California, San Diego Branch. She has also served as an accompanist for chapels at Westminster Seminary, CA, for church services at Oceanside URC, and for youth and family group events at New Life PCA. She is currently a member of the NGPT.

Teaching piano lessons allows Heather to combine a life-long love of music and teaching into one amazing job. She enjoys sharing her love of piano with kids and adults as they grow in their musical abilities together. Her musical goals in the future include exploring jazz piano, taking vocal lessons, and completing the Cal-Plan offered by the Music Teachers’s Association of California.



Heather’s goal is to provide a safe, fun environment for adults and children alike to grow in their love for and ability to play piano. Heather’s lessons focus on a combination of classical training and individual interests. The classical training works on technique, sight-reading, memorization, ear training, and theory. Because theory is the backbone of music, learning theory is integral to becoming a proficient piano player. In the long run, theory makes learning piano pieces easier and even opens the door to composing songs. Theory opens up a whole new way of understanding and appreciating the multitude of pieces within the classical world. Some of the individual interests she has helped her students pursue are learn how to compose, learning how to play music from guitar chords, and learning pieces the student picks out. Heather is patient and eager to learn what is best for each student.

Growth in musical abilities does require consistent practice. Heather helps her students set clear, doable goals to make practice easier. If the student is a child, she will also work with the parents to set appropriate goals. These goals will often include performing in a recital, audition, or other competition. Performing helps push the student to the next level, allows them to share their love of music with others, and teaches them confidence in front of people. 

Heather offers annual recitals as well as national auditions which are sponsored by the NGPT. Students are free to participate or not based on their personal needs and preferences. Heather does highly encourage her students to perform. While it can be difficult to get up in front of people, performing offers many wonderful benefits. These include increased confidence speaking/performing in front of others, concrete goals that further personal and musical growth, and the chance to inspire and be inspired by other musicians. For kids, performances look great on college applications, help in winning scholarships, and provide credentials for future music-related jobs such as piano teaching.



For in-home piano lessons, students will need a working piano, a notebook for homework assignments, and a willingness to learn. Heather lets her students know what piano books they need after the first lesson. For online piano lessons, Heather is flexible in figuring out which format works best for the student, whether it’s TakeLessons, Zoom, FaceTime, etc. All a student will need is a laptop or tablet set up slightly behind and to his or her side for best keyboard view. Heather does offer a shared-screen experience, so that if she needs to point out something on the music, she can do so. Homework/practicing assignments are entered on a shared Google Doc.

Generally Heather has a policy that at least one parent/adult must be at home when she is teaching in-home piano lessons to kids. When she is teaching an in-home piano lesson for an adult, there must be at least one other adult in the house. If the parent/adult has an emergency and really needs to leave, he or she can feel free to talk to Heather. Thanks for understanding!

Although there are certain piano books Heather prefers, she picks books based on the needs of each student. Her book selection will depend on each person’s level, interests, and skills. If a student already has certain books, then Heather will consider using those in order to save money. Heather does tend to like "Piano Adventures" for beginners and "Basics of Keyboard Theory" for theory books. These can be purchased on Amazon or at your local music store.