TEACHING OFFERED
Please note: all lessons are offered remotely (over Zoom or Skype) due to the COVID pandemic until further notice. In-person lessons are expected to resume in early 2021.
PRIVATE PIANO LESSONS & COACHINGS
Traditional lessons typically meet one-on one weekly for one hour, depending on students’ needs. We work together to establish priorities and goals with a focus on repertoire and integrated musicianship. Available for long-term lessons, short-term recital or competition preparation, chamber music, and more. Learn more about my teaching philosophy.
MUSIC THEORY AND AURAL SKILLS
Are you a beginner who wants to learn more about the fundamental building blocks of music? Want to improve your critical listening skills? Or are you an advanced musician with an interest in, say, Schenker, schema theory, or formenlehre? We can do that! I have more than 15 years of teaching and building curricula for musicians at all levels—from beginners to doctoral-level conservatory students. Whatever your current skill level, you’ll fit right in.
HISTORICAL IMPROVISATION
Some time ago I co-founded Classical Music on the Spot as a place to share knowledge about historical improvisation. I have taught improvisers at all levels—from the earliest beginners to those working on fugues, sonatas, and cadenzas. It is enormously fulfilling as a teacher to see my students learn to “speak” in music as improvisers. Try it—you’ll like it!
KEYBOARD SKILLS
While all piano-playing involves “keyboard skills” to a certain extent, our goal here is to develop a fundamental baseline of practical skills including scales and chords, harmonic and contrapuntal patterns, literacy and fluency in multiple clefs and notational conventions, transposition strategies, systems for score and clef reading, and improvisation. It’s a lot to cover, and these are lifelong skills. Within a few short months you’ll notice that listening, memorization, and general orientation at the keyboard are all transforming for you. Whether you are a keyboard player, conductor, composer, teacher, or recreational musician, these skills will serve you well.
COUNTERPOINT
How do musical lines interact with one another? How do composers think in prototypes, and what are the important historical approaches to understanding music? How can we begin to think in manners similar to Mozart, Beethoven, or Bach? We answer these questions and more through a deep dive into practical counterpoint study. I meet you at your current level and we make progress through work at the instrument, analysis, critical reading, and composition. This is not dry, textbook stuff—this is counterpoint reimagined!
TUTORING FOR ENTRANCE/COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS
Few pressures can weigh as heavily on students’ minds as the preparation for upcoming exams in music theory and history. Thankfully, you needn’t travel the path of entrance, placement, or comprehensive exams alone. As one who has designed, given, and graded literally hundreds of these exams (and took them once upon a time!) I am intimately familiar with strategies to help you to do your best. Don’t waste time worrying about what to study and how to study it—let’s make a plan to polish your skillsets!
CUSTOMIZED COMBINATIONS
Are you interested in a variety of topics and/or skills? Do you want integrate your playing and musicianship with, say, keyboard skills like score-reading or figured bass, or perhaps improve your listening skills? I gladly integrate these topics, and we can customize our sessions to reach your goals. Let’s have a conversation.
WHAT MY STUDENTS SAY
As an adult student, I brought years of self-education, basic skills, ability to read music, and accumulated questions to Johnandrew. Over the past half year, he addressed my technical issues and has presented effective strategies to improve. In addition to being a virtuoso pianist, Johnandrew has university level expertise in teaching music theory and piano performance. Johnandrew communicates effectively during virtual lessons and provides video clips that reinforce his teaching points. A motivated student with a background in the piano will be well-rewarded studying with Johnandrew.
-G., current student
I have learned so much from Johnandrew. He is a teacher whose rich expertise and insight is shared in every lesson. You cannot go wrong in connecting with him to open up new vistas of musical skill, knowledge and inspiration. Definitely don't feel I'm in a cookie cutter lesson experience. It is always unique and fascinating. And I'm actually playing pieces I have yearned to play for years. It has been and continues to be extremely valuable to me as a musician. While there are many teachers out there, my comment would be If you are looking for someone who can take you far and bring vibrancy to your music journey, look no further than here. It's the place to be!
-R., current student
“The presentation of the material more than met my expectations. Content was presented very well. Amazing.”
-S., former student
"This course was excellent and gave me many, many ideas and resources for a long term study of improvisation. Better than any other other improvisation instruction I have ever had!"
-A., former student