About Me
Thank you for stopping by - My name is Kristen and I am the teacher behind the lessons.
How it all started
Piano lessons were a part of my life for as long as I can remember - from late elementary until my senior year of high school. When it was time to pursue my college career, it was a bittersweet end to my piano education. A part of me was relieved - "Yay! No more lessons on Mondays!" Yet, from that point on throughout those years in college, there was always an ache in my heart being away from a piano. During times of boredom, sadness or curiosity, I would find the piano rooms in the music building and spend hours with this long-lost friend.
During my last year of college, and during months of unemployment and countless job rejections, I found a piano teaching gig on Craigslist "just until I graduate and finally get a job." Eight years later, I now teach under my own name, and I'm free to embrace my passion for music and mentor kids who share the same love.
What piano means to me
The piano is my tranquil home, where I am free to express my feelings of happiness, apathy, sadness, and all the rest. There are pieces that bring me back to certain emotions and moments in my life; there are songbooks that I've shared with my two sisters that bring a joyful nostalgia. I love hearing a beautiful song and having the ability to see its musical anatomy on simple white pages.
"When words fail, music speaks." - Hans Christian Andersen
What teaching means to me
I find true reward in helping children and teens discover their musical potential. There is nothing more satisfying than when a student exclaims "A-ha! I finally get it!" or before we begin our lesson they eagerly tell me, "I can play the whole song now!" From simple five-finger melodies all the way to Beethoven’s Sonatinas, I love seeing the growth of my students and nothing makes me more proud than when they realize how much they have achieved and far they’ve come.
I find it vital to give unconditional encouragement to my students, especially during their times of frustration or doubt. When me and one student are able to complete a difficult song, or when I’m able to coach someone through a nerve-wracking talent show, it is through these moments that I know that I'm making a small difference in a child's life.
"A teacher is one who makes [her]self progressively unnecessary." -Thomas Carruthers