Teaching Goals

I aim to foster a love for music in every child and a confidence in their own abilities. My role is to support and encourage your child in their music adventure.

In each lesson we will progress at the correct speed for your child, while instilling a sense of fun, adventure and exploration into the world of music.

Lessons will cover musicality, technique, aural (listening to music) and theory. The best way for students to learn is through exploring, being creative, and having fun. I regularly use games to reinforce theory.

For the love of Music!

I provide students with music they love to play as well as encourage them to explore a wide range of styles and periods of music be it classical, jazz, popular and more.

Communication

The relationship between the student, the parents and the teacher is an important triangular relationship. Each plays an important part in the success and fulfillment of the student in his/her musical journey.

I am always open to discussion about your child’s piano adventure.

I will occasionally provide information bulletins – called ‘spotlight series’ – highlighting an area of interest to parents and/or students. Keep an eye on my studio facebook page Skerries Piano Studio for regular snippets of musical interest.

In order to increase your awareness of your child’s musical journey I provide end of year reports/overviews.

Exams

Many parents worry about the pressure of piano exams. Perhaps there is a worry that exams will take the fun out of piano. This would indeed be a worry if the piano repertoire was restricted to the exam curriculum. However, once the exam pieces are firmly embedded in a holistic approach to music, covering a wide repertoire, this need not be a worry. I cover a wide range of exam boards (RIAM, LCM, Trinity) in order to find the correct style for your child as different styles suit different students.

It is up to parents and the student to decide whether exams are desirable. On the plus side, exams can provide a measurement of progress made and a sensible structure to ensure that all elements of the piano programme are being followed – scales, repertoire, aural, musical understanding.

Furthermore it can be very satisfying for a child to have a shiny, official-looking certificate stating that they are as good as they thought they were!