Online Piano Teaching Chronicles: Personal Piano Training
Zoom Piano Lessons Were a Hit!
Despite the unprecedented challenges of the COVID lockdowns, I daresay remote teaching was a resounding success. I managed to harness the technology to deliver the educational content that my students needed and I felt able to connect with each of them on a personal level as I accompanied them on their musical journeys. And the word “personal” is key, because when I thought of the one thing that I consistently responded to as a learner, it had always been the human connection between me and my mentor. Teaching shouldn’t merely be a transactional exchange of information or practical training but a shared striving toward deep personal growth.
In Summer 2021 I enlisted the help of a friend and colleague, Selena Pistoresi (go check her out, she’s awesome!), and began to think out loud of how to shape my own piano business brand, and I had the epiphany that I wanted to take a “Personal Training” approach, inspired not only by my previous piano teachers, but also a fitness coach I had in the mid 2010s. Here, let me explain further.
Kettlebell Swings and Piano Strings
ClackFit! The small personal training gym that I went to for a number of years in the mid 2010s.
In 2015, my friend, Michelle got me a groupon for a small fitness gym - ClackFit - in San Jose, California, run by a man named Yusuf. Up until that point, I had been so dreadfully inconsistent with my exercise habits, and I thought this might be the fire in my rear I needed to get in shape. So I began attending the 6am group class on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. It was brutal. It was exhilarating. It could be a slog. And it was a TON of fun!!! There were typically no more than 3 to 6 of us, and Yusuf had a list of exercises we had to get through. But here’s the thing: they were easily modified and could be tailored to the goals and injury management of each of the fitness trainees. Yusuf constantly checked in with each of us in the course of the hour, making sure we were addressing the muscles that needed work and ensuring that we maintained proper posture to avoid mechanical injuries. He fostered a sense of community and fun without compromising on demand of the training.
Yusuf had a quote on his gym wall from the Greek stoic philosopher, Epictetus which read:
“No great thing is created suddenly.”
And that principle which guided his approach to exercise was also incredibly applicable to musical education, which takes exceptional perseverance to reach the desired end of mastering the body to produce beautiful sounds. Those three years that I spent training at Yusuf’s gym were the fittest I have ever been, and the best money I have ever invested in my health. My time at ClackFit inspired me to take on a similar approach to piano teaching:
Build a logical practice plan!
Focus on each individual member’s needs and goals.
Create a supportive community.
This trifecta of actionable steps, personalized mentorship, and human connection would generate motivation and lead to results. After the COVID lockdowns, I realized I could accomplish this through virtual piano lessons as well as traditional, in-person instruction.
Online Piano Workshop
Thus, Personal Piano Training was born - a brand focused on online music lessons for adults. The only things needed were curiosity, motivation, and reliable internet. I started to post more on instagram to generate a following and connected with fellow musicians and teachers around the world. I was still in an experimental phase so I thought I would set up a free online piano workshop in masterclass format. Basically, a few participants would submit their own videos of a piece that they wanted to improve on and I would lead a group discussion. It was an opportunity to test out how a zoom piano group class would work out and get valuable feedback on how to improve. This is where I first learned to make sure to use “original sound” on zoom. Thanks Josephine! The experience was extremely fun and edifying.
A snapshot of the first Personal Piano Training Workshop!
Instead of describing how exactly it went, check out these couple of excerpts from that very first Personal Piano Training Workshop on my youtube channel:
Pedal in Czerny? (featuring Natsha Siri)
Bach Upside Down (featuring Brendan McGrath)
Since 2020, online teaching has been a consistent part of my freelance musical work alongside my sessional teaching at the University of Alberta. My exploration with it continues and I am eager to see the future of Zoom piano lessons for me, my students and my colleagues. But on a more personal level, developing proficiency with teaching virtually was crucial in helping me navigate a couple of personally difficult years. I’ll say more in the next installment of Online Piano Teaching Chronicles.