Piano with Kate P.

I participated in every musical activity I could find while growing up: choir, concert band, jazz band, marching band, and rock bands. I decided to focus on classical clarinet performance in college, but I also continued studying piano and bass. I graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 2007 with a degree in Clarinet Performance. In high school, I taught private clarinet lessons to younger students. Teaching helped me become a better player and leader. Since 2007, I have been teaching elementary general music in Chicago Public Schools. Around the same time, I began teaching private piano lessons as well as clarinet lessons. Private lessons allow me to tailor each session to the individual student. There are many ways of learning, and at least as many ways of teaching. My goal as a teacher is to pass on lessons of patience, creativity, appreciation, confidence and dedication to my students. I hope my students will apply these lessons to their musical studies and throughout all areas of their lives. Music has been an incredibly powerful force in my life, and it is my passion to share the benefits of music through instruction and performance. ***Lesson Details *** I want my students to leave their lessons with skills and confidence that will help them in all areas of life. It is important to me that I give my students the ability to keep learning outside of our lessons. I believe that music is an art form that can be enjoyed by all! Working with beginners is my specialty. I understand that each student learns differently, and finding the right method for my students is very important to me. The fundamentals learned in the first year of piano benefit any new musician, and can be applied to other instrumental studies. Piano and clarinet lessons begin with an assessment of ability and setting of goals. I prefer to use the Faber and Faber piano series with most of my piano students. All lessons are a combination of theory, instrumental/performance technique, and ear training.