Piano lessons & music theory lessons

devoted to online teaching

The piano lessons and music theory lessons take place online via Zoom or Skype. My pupils from my region can come to my studio for lessons. For video lessons from all corners of the world.

My studio is equipped with a modern Seiler concert grand piano (model 208 Professional) and a Roland Fantom 8 synthesizer. My music studio has all necessary recording equipment, so that there is the possibility to make good quality sound and video recordings. This enhances the quality of video lessons enormously.

I give piano lessons online using Zoom or Skype. As for myself, I prefer Zoom, because it gives the best quality sound and video. Also the connection is usually more stable. You need a laptop or a tablet which you can set up next to your piano, so that you can see me clearly during the lessons. A phone is too small to see me properly. After a while an external USB microphone is an advantage for better sound quality. If I can hear the sound from your side better, then I can teach you more about sound quality. And also, built-in microphones often reproduce the sound poorly when many notes are played or in strong playing and this isn’t desirable. One webcam is sufficient if you have set it up correctly from the side, so that I can see your whole upper body well and your hands too. It speaks for itself the importance of a stable internet connection, recommendable using a cable, but if there is no other option, a stable WiFi connection works well enough.

In principle, an online lesson is the same as a lesson on location. During the corona crisis, I made a lot of good experiences in online teaching. It promotes the student’s independence on several points, which has a positive effect on independent practice at home.

At my studio I have set up various cameras with which I can show what I mean from different angles. I also set up three microphones for optimal sound, two for picking up the piano sound and one for picking up my voice. Further I use an iPad pro and an app called Forscore on which I can read your and write your score. After the lesson I can send a PDF with my remarks made during the lesson.

Online piano lessons are for anyone, both kids and adults. 
Finding a good piano teacher is sometimes quite a challenge if you are dependent on your geographic location, online you are no longer restricted to your area. I have even students from China having online lessons.

Since October 2019 I have been a member of EPTA (European Piano Teachers Association) and am therefore registered as an official grade exam piano teacher. This means that my piano students can register through me to participate in the national grade exams by EPTA.

The exams consists of a playing part in the form of a mini concert and a theory exam. The exams already start at a simple level A1 and you can progress via A2 to B1, B2, C1, C2, D1, D2, E1, E2 and finally to grade F. For more information, visit the Dutch site www.eptanederland / graadexamens.nl or the European site https://epta-europe.org/, there you can find the links to other countries EPTA websites.

Of course it is never obliged to do examinations, but for kids working towards something, can be a stimulating factor.

You learn step by step the technical aspects of piano playing, for example how to use fingers the right way, about arm movements, the sitting position at the piano and how it effects your playing. Beginners will learn to read notes and learn which fingerings to choose in simple piano pieces. I make use of different available piano methods, such as John Thompson, Hal Leonard, Bastien Piano Education, Faber Piano Adventures or Alfred’s Piano Method. And a very nice series for very young beginners is Dogs and Birds Piano Books. In this method, the notes are given animal names that are sung along while playing. Very well designed method and works very well for young beginners (only available in English). I do not use the same methods with every student, some methods start with reading notes on the staff while other methods start from finger numbers fixed on a predetermined position on the keyboard. The more you progress the more we we leave methods behind and work from repertoire pieces. I wrote my own method with technical exercises from elementary to highly advanced exercises. These are important and can be fun too. Further we pay attention to different techniques of learning to speed up your learning process to make faster progress. 

Sing the melodies that play on the piano, this is essential for a good musical memory and makes you feel the music more naturally. You’ll learn about interpretation and how we come to an interpretation of a music piece. You’ll learn about the different playing techniques, for example legato and staccato techniques, playing with the weight of the arm, about finger articulation, applying dynamics (playing stronger or softer) and creating different shades of color on the piano. And much more…

Of course, having fun in music is the main goal. Therefore a good teacher is important, because a good teacher will help you to learn more effectively. This will take unnecessary struggle away resulting in a more fun learning experience.

This is a difficult question, because it depends on how far you have progressed and what you want to achieve. For beginner piano student, a minimum of 30 minutes of practice a day is recommended to make progress and prepare for the lessons. Practice more and you will get more done. A correct and concentrated way of practicing is very important, and a lot of attention is given to this in the piano lessons. Advisable it is to practice at regular times during the day. Practicing can be a lot of fun if you experience progress, so keep up the regular practice. It may sound contradictory, but the further someone has progressed, the more time it takes to learn a new musical piece, because the works get often more difficult. A beginner will be able to learn a few new songs in a week’s time in only 30 minutes of practice a day, but for a professional it can take several months for learning a new work by Liszt or Rachmaninov.

If you have the aspiration for entering the conservatory, 2 to 6 hours of practice, depending of how much other school work you do, is the norm. Professional pianists study at least 4 to 6 hours a day. When I was still a student at the conservatory, 6 or 8 hours practice a day was like a normal day. For a professional pianist, it may take for example 100 up to 150 hours to learn a new Beethoven sonata very well. This music is difficult, deep and complex, a lot of attention is paid to musical details. Yet easier pieces can be sight read from sheet without too much effort.

Learning to play the piano takes not weeks or months, but takes years. But from my experience, and I’m sure many pianists experience, I can tell, it is never boring, always interesting and fun to learn more and more!

Of course I have my teaching style, but I always respond to the needs of every individual student. I teach kids differently than adults, a beginner needs a different approach than does a very advanced pupil. Then every student has his or her individual personality on which I naturally react in my teaching. Every lesson is a search for the best way of reaching the pupils understanding. 
Attention is given to the aspects that are important for the progress of the student in a particular stage in the development. Thereby I try to take into account the wishes of students in looking together for music the student feels most attracted to. This is however not always possible, because I try to give a broad musical basis. Particularly with kids I leave nothing out.

You have come to the right place for this. During my teaching in China I was teaching piano students at the conservatory of Wuhan. If you wish to take an entrance exam at one or more conservatories, we shall first make together a realistic study plan in order to achieve the desired goal. It is important to know a certain repertoire, and very important to have the focus on the right place. Additionally I can offer lessons in music theory (harmony, music history, etc.) and ear training.