Piano with Ian D.

Please note: Due to the current pandemic, anyone that would like to do studio lessons will need to have been vaccinated, and present their vaccination card at the first lesson. If the student has not been vaccinated due to age, the person bringing them must have been and be able to show proof. Your understanding and cooperation is greatly appreciated. I have been playing piano since the age of six. Originally classically trained, I made a change to learning Jazz after hearing it on the radio one night while still in high school. I began my teaching career in 2007, providing private piano instruction to beginners at a small, privately owned music school in Laurel, Maryland. After the school closed it's doors in the Fall of 2011, I continued working with many of the students privately. It is these efforts I continue to this day. Having the opportunity to work 1 on 1 with students and see their progression and development on a week to week basis is a truly, rewarding experience that I feel fortunate to be a part of. *** Lesson Details *** Although the approach you take with each student will be different, basic standard requirements will consist of: 1) Being able to locate notes on the piano in relation to middle C 2) Being able to recognize notes on the staffs and play them in the correct locations on the piano 3) Scale theory- understanding how scales are constructed and being able to play at least 2 octaves of all 12 major scales with both hands at the same time 4) Chord theory- understanding how triads and eventually seventh chords are constructed 5) Sight reading- there is a "trick" to this, if you will, a way to go about approaching tunes that I've found makes them easier to digest 6) And for those interested, we can give the lessons a more Jazz-oriented approach (lessons would then more heavily emphasize scale and chord theory, syncopation, and learning Jazz standards) Remember, we are all students. Instrument teachers, instructors, coaches (whatever you want to call them) do not represent an end to the learning process, but rather a continuation of it. We're all trying to improve, develop our craft, build up our chops, practice new and uncomfortable things, and expand upon our abilities of what we can do. I have heard from Jazz pianists in their 80s say that they are still learning, still trying to get better. I think that's an important thing to keep in mind as you begin this journey. The journey never ends, it just extends and continues. You'll never run out of new things to learn. The only thing you can strive for is to be the most competent you can be at your instrument. Your playing ability at any point along this journey is only a mere reflection of who you are at this moment in time. So make this moment the most meaningful it can be. The journey begins here. *** Studio Equipment *** Full Sized, Fully Weighted Electronic Keyboard in living room Comfortable sitting area in waiting room for parents *** Specialties *** music, piano, jazz piano Jazz