Piano with Karen S.

I hold a Bachelor of Music Education Degree from Misericordia University in Dallas, PA. I have studied piano with Gisa Adler at New School of Music in Philadelphia, PA. I taught public school in the Conestoga Valley School District in Lancaster County, PA and I have taught private piano for over ten years. I love music and I love teaching - seeing my students progress and reach their goals. I believe music should be a pleasant experience and a demanding and ill - spirited teacher can ruin a student. I am NOT one of these. You will find me patient and supportive. *** Lesson Details *** To be an accomplished pianist you must learn all the basics well. These include music symbology which enables you to read music so you can translate it into the sound on the piano. In order to play the music written on the page you must train your fingers to do what you need them to do - so you will have finger exercises and scales to practice to enable to play pieces/songs you like. In order to accomplish all this we will use a piano method designed to teach you these things little by little so you won't get overwhelmed. One step at a time towards your goal - self enjoyment, being the life of the party, accompany the chorus, play the songs you hear on the radio or perhaps even become a renowned pianist on stage or in the theater. Whatever your goal you will need to practice and you must have a piano or at least a keyboard. The method we use will depend on the student's age, reading level, past experience with piano or other instruments and I will take into consideration your goals. If you are interested in popular music there will be a point (when you are ready) when you will be able to add this type of music to the lesson music. How quickly you grow musically depends greatly on the quality of your practice time - thus you will determine your rate of progress. *** Travel Equipment *** I like to purchase new materials myself for the student based on their needs at the time. They need a decent notebook for listing practice items. I usually have the method book, with note-speller for beginners, theory for more advanced, and additional pieces (non-method) as appropriate. Hanon is a staple. I use various other materials to remedy finger technique and rhythm issues as learned from my teachers and those devised by myself. *** Specialties *** I prefer to use a variety of materials. At the first lesson I assess reading ability, interest, physical ability and attention span to determine what materials are appropriate for the student. All students will learn scales, finger exercises, pieces and theory. I have used Thompson, Schaum, Pace, Fletcher and Alfred in my teaching - and frequently a combination there-of.