Philosophy

My teaching philosophy arises from my experience as a performer, collaborative pianist, and teacher of group and applied piano at Rice University and the University of Southern California. Students need a well-rounded skill set to succeed and to ultimately become their own teachers on their musical journeys. In my teaching I strive to pass on the practicing strategies, self-assessment skills, and musical passion which I have found to be essential to success. 

With my students, I believe that I am teaching music and not just piano. I encourage students to attend all kinds of performances and concerts to develop a deeper appreciation for the joy that music brings. The whole world of solo piano, chamber music, orchestral music, vocal literature, choral music, as well as other genres like jazz are all open to us to explore if we only take the time to listen.

I teach my students research-based strategies like interleaved practicing, which can help them play more reliably because their skills are becoming more solidified with frequent revisiting and consolidation. My students learn how to practice at tempo using chunking and gradually expanding the section they are working on, which can drastically increase technical fluency at higher speeds. They learn how to outline and play only the main notes on certain beats in order to train the larger muscle groups how to move through a passage.