FAQs
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
Normally, I give you a call just to hear what your story is and what you'd like to accomplish with piano lessons. I normally recommend using the Hanon exercise book, and the Alfred series because I grew up on them, am most familiar with them, but I also think that the Alfred series gets the student progressing faster than the other books I've seen. If students want to use the other books they already have, that's fine as well, but I prefer Alfreds. Hanon is a book of exercises that gets their fingers moving and more coordinated. People can usually physically play better than they can read, so these exercises allow people fingers to start moving before they would be able to read the equivalent notes.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I graduated from Brigham Young University in Commercial Music. My main focus was actually composing, but I had invaluable experience, using my sight reading and music theory skills by playing in BYU's Ballet and Modern Dance classes. For Ballet classes, I would literally sight read binders of classical ballet music for the dancers as they danced in class. This helped improve my sightreading skills even further as I performed under pressure. When I played for Modern Dance classes, I played with no music at all, so I used my music theory to know what to play. All these skills are things I can teach how to do. I composed numerous pieces for the BYU Philharmonic Orchestra, BYU Women's Chorus, Jazz Ensemble, and Concert Bands. I also won two National Student Emmy Competitions in Hollywood at the College TV Awards in Hollywood for music I wrote to BYU's animations in 2010 and 2014.
- What types of customers have you worked with?
I work with all types of students, kindergarten to retired couples and everyone in between. I've worked with complete beginners, and fairly advanced students that are looking to sight read better, or learn music theory and see how that applies to their playing, or in creating music. Although I see many patterns develop, every student can be different, so we try and cater every person's progress to their ability, expectations, and pacing.