I started taking piano lessons somewhere around age 9. My teacher's name was Mrs. Markewiecz and I'm fairly sure that my parents picked her because she was the one they could afford from the list provided to them by the local music store. We had lessons in her screened-in front porch. She was a kind, but no nonsense sort of teacher. As I improved, she got a little tougher on me.
I remember her fixing tea in her kitchen while I played the piece I was to have memorized. She took my sheet music with her. I honestly thought she wasn't listening but then she would come back with my music. It had checkmarks over every note or rhythm or dynamic marking I had missed. The goal would be to have her erase those checkmarks next week.
I loved Mrs. Markewiecz and I am so grateful to her for teaching me to pay attention to the details. She made me a good listener and she helped me learn to critique my own playing.
But she'd be so surprised if she could see me teach now!
First, I teach online. Instead of coming to my house, my students log in from their own instruments in their own homes. We play music theory games and watch YouTube videos of great pianists and I send them recordings of myself playing so that we can play duets virtually.
We laugh a lot. They show me their pets and introduce me to their non-musical siblings.
I like to think my teacher would be pleased that although my approach is different, I still make notes of the things they need to fix and hep them set goals that will improve their playing and inspire a life-long love of music.
Registration for Fall Lessons is open now. Email rhonda@berlinmusicstudio.com for more information.
