There is no single ideal age to begin lessons, but at this time I am accepting students ages 6+.

Yes! I do try to schedule adult students before 2:00 p.m. to accommodate for my school-aged students. I also offer flexible lesson packages for adults whose schedule doesn’t allow for weekly lessons at the same day and time.

Other after-school activities tend to meet more frequently and require less time outside of scheduled meetings. Learning an instrument, however, is a bit different—students need to budget time not only for their lesson but also for consistent practice between lessons. While the amount of at-home practice time will vary from student to student, plan to spend 2–3 hours per week outside of the lesson itself during the initial stages of learning piano. Beginners should aim for around 30 minutes a day, including on their lesson day. Two 15-minute practice sessions split throughout the day works well for the youngest beginners!

A well-maintained acoustic piano or full-size (88 keys), fully-weighted keyboard with a sustain pedal are required to take lessons. An adjustable piano bench is strongly recommended. If you don’t yet have an instrument at home, I would be happy to help you find one.

A studio recital is held at the end of the Fall and Spring terms. Adjudicated performance opportunities include: Sonata and Sonatina Festival, hosted by the Athens Music Teachers Association each fall; eFestival, an online festival hosted by the Athens Music Teachers Association each spring; and the Athens-Oconee Federated Festival each spring. Performance in festivals is not mandatory. Generally, students should play in at least one recital for performance experience before participating in festivals.

In addition to a face-to-face weekly lesson, tuition covers a whole host of behind-the-scenes things like:

-lesson preparation time and curriculum planning

-membership in professional organizations, including local, state, and national music teacher associations

-subscriptions to journals and publications that keep me updated on current best practices in piano pedagogy

-continued education, workshops, and conferences

-an ever-growing studio music library, including studio-licensed material that helps keep music costs low for students

-expenses like office supplies, printing and copying supplies, computer software

-instrument and maintenance costs

-recital costs and preparation

-and more!

Music is my life’s work—my education and training center around music education as a full-time career, and I make ongoing investments to further hone my teaching practice.