I am looking for a piano teacher for my children, any recommendations for an instructor in Rhinebeck/Red Hook?
Mary K. replied:
We use Monica Lewin. She is really wonderful and able to differentiate based upon the different learning and personality styles of each of my children.
Jennifer N. replied:
Mark Meritt teaches the simply music piano method. Teaches in village of red hook.
Misty D. replied:
Judy Handman teaches in Hyde Park right near the Vanderbilt. She's not only a very experienced and patient teacher, but she has raised three amazingly talented children - one started Stringendo and two are top players in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic. She's donated 3 free lessons to the whale watch auction. You can go to the auction on Saturday and bid on them. Try her out for much cheaper than the regular lessons!
Mark M. replied:
I highly recommend that anyone looking into piano lessons compare not only teachers but methods. Despite what differences there may be among sets of books, or among what different teachers do with the books they choose to use, or how teachers may attempt to tailor anything for particular students, traditional methods are mostly the same as each other and are responsible for the stereotypical reputation of piano lessons as something that many kids complain about and that most people fail at. I taught traditional methods for about seven years before I learned about the Simply Music method and felt compelled to switch. It's truly a night and day difference, producing results that are a quantum leap beyond what traditional methods even consider possible. I only wish I'd learned about Simply Music much sooner. We take a completely different approach that gets students playing right away with pieces that would take months or years to get to in traditional lessons, learning the language of music in a way that's consistent with how our brains actually work best, and setting an ideal foundation for more advanced pieces and musical concepts later on. All this sets students as well as possible on the path toward becoming their own musicians. We also work with improvisation and composition right from the start, as well as accompaniment. These are among the most exciting and useful things for a musician, and yet they are often not even on the radar of traditional methods, either until several years into a student's lessons or, in many cases, ever. It's a win all ways around, and it means that when you compare your options for lessons, it's important to understand the ways in which you're comparing apples to oranges. I'd encourage anyone curious about the differences between Simply Music and other methods to take a look at this piece I wrote, which Simply Music liked so much that they ended up republishing it on their own blog. It talks about a number of the benefits of Simply Music over traditional approaches, even for people who may already have a fair amount of piano experience from other methods. http://blog.simplymusic.com/blog/2011/07/20/why-sm-lessons-are-easier/ -- and certainly feel free to contact me to learn more.
I'm looking for recommendations for a piano teacher for my daughter. Her current teacher is ill and may discontinue lessons. Any help is greatly appreciated.