I grew up in the West Indies. This explains my easy -going, "no problem" attitude. I have performed as a piano soloist at various venues around the world ( churches,hotels, cruiseships, concert halls ) Despite having had classical piano training via Trinity College of Music and the Royal Schools of Music at an early age, I have always appreciated music of every genre. So as a child I took the responsibility of learning to play other styles on my own. It quickly became obvious not only to me but to my fellow classical students that I had a huge advantage over all the other students in the real music world, because I could appeal to a much wider audience. Over the past 30 years I have stayed true to this concept in all things musical ( including teaching ). I have performed at many different venues all over the world ( fom hotels to cruiseships,to concert halls.). I have also taught many students around the world. Not every audience likes the same type of music so the performer has to be versatile. Similarly, not every student likes the same kind of music so the teacher should be able to adapt. The same thing applies to teaching methods. The same method doesn't work with every student. Instead of using existing method books which may or may not contain music that the student can relate to, I like to use the favorite songs of the student. Once the student makes known his/her request I then create an arrangement of that particular song and tailor it to suit their level ( beginner ,intermediate,advanced ). This ensures a high level of interest and motivation on the students part. For those students who insist on using method books I'm OK with that too ( So the traditionalists are welcome too). I am very familiar with all the major methods including Suzuki,Kodaly,Orff and Dalcroze. All aspects of musicianship are taught in my class ( sightreading,transposing,theory,technique,memorization,playing by ear etc.)
EXPERIENCE
Despite having had classical piano training via Trinity College of Music and the Royal Schools of Music at an early age, I have always appreciated music of every genre. So as a child I took the responsibility of learning to play other styles on my own. It quickly became obvious not only to me but to my fellow classical students that I had a huge advantage over all the other students in the real music world, because I could appeal to a much wider audience. Over the past 30 years I have stayed true to this concept in all things musical ( including teaching ). I have performed at many different venues all over the world ( fom hotels to cruiseships,to concert halls.). I have also taught many students around the world. Not every audience likes the same type of music so the performer has to be versatile. Similarly, not every student likes the same kind of music so the teacher should be able to adapt. The same thing applies to teaching methods. The same method doesn't work with every student
METHODS USED
Instead of using existing method books which may or may not contain music that the student can relate to, I like to use the favorite songs of the student. Once the student makes known his/her request I then create an arrangement of that particular song and tailor it to suit their level ( beginner ,intermediate,advanced ). This ensures a high level of interest and motivation on the students part. For those students who insist on using method books I'm OK with that too ( So the traditionalists are welcome too). I am very familiar with all the major methods including Suzuki,Kodaly,Orff and Dalcroze. All aspects of musicianship are taught in my class (sightreading,transposing,theory,technique,memorization,playing by ear etc.)