I specialize in online lessons for adults who are just beginning all the way up to the late intermediate/early advanced level.

I focus on learning the piano with primarily classical repertoire. If you fall into this category, you would very likely enjoy working with me and would do well in your study.

I do not have much experience with improvised music, jazz, or chording. I enjoy popular music, and am willing to work with you on this.  If you would like to play more popular music, please book a free consultation with me so that I can better assess your needs. I do not have pre recorded lessons for popular music, but would be happy to work with you in live lessons after a consult.

Please note that I generally will decline to be your instructor if I determine that I am not a good fit for you due to interests, hardware limitations, or other reasons.

Due to the required use of technology, the minimum age at which I recommend starting online lessons is at least 10 years old. Students will need to be able to view their assignments online and operate their own equipment.

Younger students generally require a more hands-on approach in regular weekly lessons. Although these can be done online, the presence of a parent to be involved with and help during lessons is an absolute necessity. I recommend starting with lessons from someone who specialized in working with younger children, and then making the transition to online lessons later. I know a number of qualified teachers, and would be happy to recommend someone for a younger child.

STUDENTS MUST BE AT LEAST 18 TO CONTACT ME DIRECTLY. IF YOU'RE UNDER 18, PLEASE SHOW THIS PAGE TO A PARENT.

Yes!! Besides the obvious benefits of convenience and safety from shared germs, another very important benefit to online lessons is that students are more likely to develop independence much earlier compared to in-person lessons. Students are required to count for themselves, find their own starting positions, set their own metronomes, along with many other things. Even though this can seem inconvenient at first, it is very important that the student can confidently navigate these issues on their own. You will become more proficient sooner by learning to do these thing early on.

Yes. Online lessons are not for everyone. Students using online lessons will need to be very engaged. The student will need to count for themselves, mark their own music, and check online assignments. I consider these issues to ultimately be for the good of the student, but they do make lessons a bit more involved. Independent learners tend to flourish in this type of environment.

Online lessons are best suited for the types of students who would already be seeking the answer to their music questions on the internet or through YouTube. For people who truly desire to learn and enjoy technology, this is a great system. However, some students (especially younger ones) require the face to face engagement found in regular piano lessons to be successful.

I would hope that my students will come away with a love for not only the regular playing of the piano, but of a love for the whole learning process. There is a fair amount of work that goes into learning a piece, but what is learned from that piece can then be translated to other music.

It is impossible to replace the feeling of making music with your own hands. It can become very addicting in a good way. It is something that you will be able to enjoy and share with family and friends for a lifetime.

I require at least 24 hours notice in the event of any rescheduling or cancellation of lessons. If a student cancels or reschedules during this 24-hour window, the lesson will be forfeit.

In the event of unavoidable conflicts or emergency situations, please let me know as soon as possible and I will reschedule the lesson for a future date without penalty.

If for any reason, I am unable to attend a lesson, I will also reschedule your lesson without penalty.

The studio membership is an alternative to live lessons and includes access to the same instruction in the form of online courses. This membership is another way to experience my teaching style in a more flexible and cost effective format.

Becoming a member grants you access to hundreds of pre-recorded piano lessons using a very similar curriculum that you would experience in person, especially at the early levels. Pre Recorded lessons are available in full HD(1080p video) with very high sound fidelity, using the same presentation as live lessons. Switching from membership instruction to live instruction is intended to be seamless.

Students who combine live lessons with membership are referred to as hybrid students. This approach to lessons is unique to PianoPlayingMadeSimple and is the most cost effective and flexible option.

I recommend that all students below the advanced level become “hybrid” students. This is a unique offering and an amazing way to cost effectively accelerate your piano learning. In addition to my creative approach to teaching each student as an individual, it is what separates me from other online instructors.

The Studio Membership is a separate entity from my live lesson services. However, they do work very well together.

You do not have to be a member. However, if you choose not to be a member, you will need more regular lessons since you’ll only be getting instruction in a live environment. You should expect to attend lessons weekly as a nonmember.

If you are a member, you can have lessons at any frequency! Some students still choose to meet with me weekly, while others meet with me once a month or so. In this scenario, our lessons would be more similar to piano coaching.

The membership provides you with on-demand access to the same instruction that you would receive if you were studying with me directly. I have taught these pieces many times to many different students. Each time I am discussing the same concepts and skills. By creating a database of these lessons, I have made the process much more efficient. You have the option to fast forward or replay as much as you need.

The membership will save you all kinds of money by replacing multiple live lessons with lessons that have been created and recorded while still providing you with a very realistic experience. The membership is designed to be a self-guided approach to the same piano education that I offer privately, using the mics, cameras, and overall set-up.

Hybrid piano study is a term associated with students who join the piano membership and also attend live lessons. These students are essentially alternating between real time and prerecorded instruction.

In this study model, the student will use the course content as their main path of study, while still attending live lessons via Zoom perhaps once or twice a month. This allows the student to work at his or her own pace while still getting the advantage of live feedback on a regular basis.

Students who use the hybrid model offered by Piano Playing Made Simple will enjoy substantial cost savings and  much greater flexibility for study compared with traditional piano lessons. It should be noted, however, that this will only work for self motivated students who are willing to be thoughtful about their study and save their questions for their lessons.

Students have the freedom to choose when and where they take their lessons. This allows for a great deal more flexibility with scheduling, billing, and even the content covered in a live lesson. Hybrid students have the ability to select from content to choose what is most useful to them at any given time.

There can sometimes be issues with latency and disconnects. I will usually add some time to the lesson or in the event of a major issue, reschedule some extra time at no additional cost so that students always get what they pay for.

In addition to the benefits of not having to spend time/gas money traveling to a teacher, students also benefit from not having to worry about sharing germs should either the instructor or other student be ill. Online students tend to develop a greater degree of independence much sooner. Students are required to count for themselves, find their own starting positions, set their own metronomes, make any necessary notations in their music, along with many other things. Even though this can seem inconvenient at first, it is absolutely essential that students master these things. Studying online will facilitate this process.

Online lessons are simply more efficient. Both student and teacher can begin the lesson with materials out and ready. Students can use time previously spent on travel for warming up or more practicing. There are many benefits from taking piano lessons online.

The reason I teach as much classical repertoire as I do is because the skills that you acquire in working with this type of music will basically ensure that you will be able to pick up almost any other type of repertoire and be successful with it.

Classical music actually includes repertoire from several different historical periods and has quite a large variety of different sounds and styles–not everything sounds like Mozart and Beethoven (although this is some pretty cool music).

I recommend aiming for 20-30 minutes per day when you are in your first few years of study. Once you are more advanced, you will likely want to increase your time up to an hour or so. If you have to choose between long practice sessions and frequent practice sessions, I would advise opting for more frequent sessions. You will make better progress by practicing shorter sessions more frequently than you will with fewer but longer practice sessions.

My job is to coach you on spending your practice time effectively and to help you develop routines that work for you. However, with that said, no practice = no results.