Lessons
Hello!
I teach piano, flute and acoustic guitar to all ages. I've been teaching for 30+ years and love watching my students learn and master the universal language of music.
Piano
I'm classically trained on the piano and teach classical, pop, jazz and rock. I can take children as young as 4 years, as long as they know the alphabet up to the letter G and can count up to 10. I teach my students to read music and when they're at an intermediate level, I teach them chord construction and lead sheet playing if they express an interest. I teach all aspects of music theory and highly encourage children to begin music lessons on the piano before learning a wind or string instrument.
"Miss Debbie began teaching my daughter piano from when she was in pre-school through the present day - 6th grade. My daughter has developed a love for music and appreciation for the value of practice and commitment. Miss Debbie's patience and kindness has not waivered throughout these many years. She is a professional teacher with an uncanny ability to nurture music in all ages and abilities. My daughter has progressed from "Happy Birthday" to Nirvana songs and voluntarily and happily plays piano throughout the day. She is now a percussionist in the Middle School band and hopes to form a "garage band" with her friends. I cannot say enough positive things about Miss Debbie and highly recommend her."
Johanna
Flute
I'm classically trained on the flute and studied with Paige Brook of the NY Philharmonic Orchestra in my high school years. I majored in music at Ithaca College where I studied flute with Hanoch Tel-Oren of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra. I encourage parents to wait until their child is in 4th or 5th grade to begin flute lessons. Correct flute playing posture is difficult if a child's arms aren't long enough to hold the instrument comfortably. That being said, I'm open to beginning students on a curved head joint (Suzuki) flute if they insist on beginning at an earlier age.
"Both my children started playing piano with Debbie when they were 6 and 4. Debbie is patient and caring. She truly understands children, takes the time to get to know them and is devoted to helping them grow as musicians who have a love and passion for music. Debbie adjusts her lessons based on both children's ages and attention spans. She was flexible and understanding as we navigated between in-person and virtual lessons during the COVID lockdown. Both my children have truly developed a love and passion for piano and music so much so that my oldest now takes flute lessons with Debbie and my youngest is begging to take guitar lessons. Our experience with Debbie over the last 3 years has been remarkable and we're looking forward to continuing for many years to come."
Tasha Kennedy
Guitar
I'm primarily a folk, light rock and worship music player and those are the styles I teach. I teach acoustic guitar and if needed, can help a student transition to electric guitar after they've mastered guitar skills on the acoustic. Students need to be able to hold chord shapes on the fretboard without too much discomfort. In my years of experience, this is usually at age 8 and older. If a student is too young and doesn't have the finger strength to hold chord shapes, they can get discouraged and quit too soon. Waiting until their hands are strong enough usually guarantees success. They enjoy lessons and are much less likely to quit.
"I met Debbie when my son was 6 months old and we attended her toddler music class at the Gardiner Reformed Church. When my children became older, I sought Debbie out for individual lessons for them. My son, Josh, started guitar lessons when he was 8. He is now 15 and a guitar wiz! He enjoyed Debbie's ability to find what type of music motivated him in order to teach him guitar skills. Debbie was always very gentle and patient with my son as he was navigating his way.
My daughter, Ella, has been taking piano lessons since she was 8. Now at age 12 she is growing as a player and enjoys the time she spends with Debbie. She practices almost every day because she wants to!
On a personal note, Debbie has been consistently kind and supportive during some difficult health and family emergencies over the last two years. She always manages to check in on my children’s emotional wellness and she's a great support to them in more ways than music. We've been blessed to have Debbie in our life for the last 15 years in a musical and spiritual way."
Amy Carr