Sylvie with her piano teacher, Dr. Mark Birnbaum, circa 2005From my first piano teacher, I acquired a foundation in theory and technique on which all my later musical development has been built. From my college music professors, I learned rules of harmony and voice leading— rules I didn't fully grasp until years later. My last piano teacher assembled these parts into a greater whole. Dr. Birnbaum's approach is less like an instructor and more like a director— like a stage director shaping his cast's enactment of a drama, Dr. Birnbaum uses allusion and suggestion to guide his students to expressive and engaging rendititions of pieces.
I believe all these elements— technique, analysis, performance— have their place in a musical education. In teaching beginning pianists, I hope to provide some introduction to all these aspects of playing and comprehension. For rock keyboardists who have strong performance skills but lack theoretical knowledge, I can help you to develop the reading and notation ability to play from scores and write down complicated ideas. See what you can learn in private piano instruction >>
|©2015 Sylvie Yannello|