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 Teaching Philosophy 

Girl Playing Beginner Piano

TEACHING PHILOSOPHY 

 

Miss Deborah believes that in order to play any kind of repertoire (whether baroque, classical, romantic, or pop), you also need to understand and work on the fundamental principles of piano technique; body movement/rhythm, basic music theory understanding, and ear training development.  These fundamentals are introduced naturally and easily as the student progresses and to augment both technique and skills in execution, as well as providing a better understanding of the music to allow different levels of interpretation.

 

Along with warm, encouraging instruction, students can be inspired to look forward to lessons, improve and progress over time, and truly enjoy the music that they play, a gift that stays with you for life.

The First Note

 

It can be intimidating meeting a new teacher and having your child begin music lessons on top of their school responsibilities and often long days.  I make every effort to have lessons be an interesting, enjoyable, and non-stressful experience.  I do expect students to practice every day, but encourage parents to allow students to assume ownership of this effort (including making their own corrections) as soon as possible. This can make a tremendous difference in the student's motivation.  

Teaching In Harmony

 

I use a selection of different graded materials to help your student advance as fast and as far as they can.  As students progress, they may learn pieces from the classical repertoire as well as popular piano standards. As students mature and begin to develop their own interests and tastes, they may enjoy supplementing their repertoires with selections of their own choosing.  And for some older students,  the opportunity to play piano versions of popular music of their own choosing is an important element in retaining interest in lessons.

The Future Sounds Good

 

Technique, music theory, sight-reading, ear-training, the scales, chords, and arpeggios, along with memorization are all part of a comprehensive music education and are integrated naturally as the student progresses according to ability and age-appropriateness.  Once the student has reached an intermediate level, they can advance to simplified and original versions of classics - classical, romantic, baroque, and pop. 

Piano Teacher Saratoga
About The Curious Pianist

 

Miss Deborah is a Bay Area native and classically trained pianist with a particular interest in teaching young children.  Growing up in the house as the daughter of piano teacher herself, Deborah spent years listening to other students before beginning lessons herself and was a witness to a long trail of different students and personalities.  She often had to practice at odd times and find pianos away from home at school and college as a way to get enough of her own practice time as the home piano was in constant use!  Deborah began teaching in early adulthood and throughout college.   As a long-time student of the late Julia A. Sorci, she received her High School Diploma of Music from the National Guild of Piano Teachers Auditions (a division of the American College of Musicians).  As a second-generation piano teacher from a family of musicians, she is fascinated on how positive experiences in music lessons become a cherished part of an individual's identity, especially later in life.  A former software engineer at Hewlett-Packard and mom of two grown musical sons, Deborah's other interests are ballet and Scottish dance, gardening, and her small herd of mischievous guinea pigs.

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