Suzanne began teaching her first piano students while she was still in high school. After graduating from the University of Missouri with a degree in Elementary Education, she taught first grade in St. Louis before moving to Vermont in 1992 and began to take on piano students again. Her love of teaching still shines through as she tailors instruction to each individual student. From the earliest beginner to more advanced students, she strives to incorporate music theory, sight reading, technique, improvisation, and expression at each level. Most Sundays you will find her at the piano at Panton Community Church. She also volunteers as the Choral Director for the Addison County Gospel Choir.
RATES
Lessons are $25 per 30-45 minute session.
Please contact me regarding available time slots.
NOTE: Currently, my schedule is chock full, but please contact me if you would like to be added to the waiting list.
WHERE ARE YOU LOCATED?
I teach in my home, 154 Green Street, Vergennes. My piano is just inside my living room, visible from my front door.
CANCELATION POLICY
Please email, text me, or leave a voice mail if you need to cancel a lesson. I will not charge you for a missed lesson, but I do appreciate your consideration.
PRACTICING
Students are expected to play through their scales/chords and assigned songs 5 times each day. This may only take about 10 minutes a day for beginners, increasing with more advanced students. Five days of practice per week is expected.
For more about encouraging that practice routine, please read my blog, “The Practicing Battle: How Do I Get My Kid to Practice?”
HOW YOUNG CAN STUDENTS BEGIN?
I usually like to wait until 2nd grade/7 or 8 years old. The cognitive skills required to read notes on a staff are very similar to reading letters and words. Knowing if a note is on a line or in a space in Treble or Bass Clef is akin to consistently knowing the difference between a lower case “b” and a lower case “d.”
WHAT BOOKS DO YOU USE?
Depending on the student, I may use a combination of the Alfred series, John Thompson, Faber, Hanon, and standard classical pieces. Additionally, I try to find songs that will interest and challenge that student: pop, jazz, hymns, etc.
DO YOU TEACH SCALES & CHORDS?
You bet I do! From the very first lesson, I begin teaching the major scales and chords around the Circle of 5ths. Learning scales is a fantastic way to work on dexterity and technique, as well as right hand/left hand independence and coordination, while at the same time learning key signatures and the relationships between chords. Students will play songs from a chord sheet (improvisation) as soon as they know a few chords.
Mastering all 12 major scales & chords usually takes a couple of years of piano lessons. Generally, the first year we work on scales that start on white notes (C, G, D, A, E, B, F); the second year we learn the scales that start on black notes (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb). The third year I usually review them all while beginning the Hanon exercises to fine tune technique. Fourth and fifth-year students are usually ready to learn the chromatic scale and begin minor scales. All of this serves to gain a greater understanding of the math behind the music, while perfecting agility and form.