Nov 14 • General discussion
Reviews of my teaching
I would like to share some reviews of my teaching:
Mark D.
Working with Rachel has revolutionized my piano playing. At the age of 62 in 2024, most of my training occurred in the 1970's. I had not been aware that there was a way to play the piano without stretching the fingers or twisting the arms at the wrist. Nor had I had a concept of rotation, where we use the large muscles of the arm to give power to a key strike rather than coming straight down onto the keys. On the one hand, when I have any kind of pain in my arms, I am now keenly aware that using these techniques alleviates the pain tremendously in a way I did not before know was possible. At another level, I find that there is tremendously less mental as well as physical stress in my playing overall. Having small hands, even playing melodic octaves was a stretch for me using my previous technique. Now with the concept of "lateral rotation", I no longer have to stretch the octave in order to play it melodically. I am learning to let go of one of the notes of the octave and allow my entire hand and forearm to travel across the piano. I now have the sense that my hands are literally "dancing" across the piano keys in a way that is much more effortless than it was before. I had to overcome the fear of missing the note I was moving to without stretching to "measure" the distance. Once I let go of that fear, which was/is a gradual process, I found that the fear was unfounded. Bless the young student who studies with Rachel and never learns a more rigid way of playing, as they will enjoy such an ease of playing from the beginning of their training. Bless also the student who at any age has discovered Rachel and is able to study with her, even from a distance online. I have found that I have learned a tremendous amount even just in phone conversations, and even more when she has been generous enough to make a custom video for me addressing a specific concern of mine regarding technique. I am enormously grateful that I have been able to learn from Rachel, and I use the techniques I've learned from her on a daily basis as I accompany the college music students I work with.
Matt S.
I have been an amateur pianist for 40 years, and I returned to taking lessons to improve my technique and to address some pain I was having. Rachel has helped me with both aspects, and I am very grateful. She is knowledgeable, professional, kind, and very patient. I would highly recommend her to anyone looking to learn or improve at the piano.
Tyler J.
Rachel is an excellent teacher and was able to really help me along my piano journey in just a short time. Her knowledge of music theory as well as the physical mechanics of playing difficult music is vast and she is able to communicate that knowledge very clearly. Beyond her skill as a teacher, she provides excellent value. Our “hour long” lessons routinely go over an hour due to my numerous questions. Also, she produced a rather long video for me in between lessons in order to better help me get a sense of how to play a particular piece more musically. She never charged me for the extra time (though she certainly should / could have) My point is she cares about her students and their musical journey and will surely go beyond the call of duty for you as well!
Aishwary P.
I started playing piano as an amateur and picked up some pretty bad techniques while watching YouTube videos. Then I started lessons with Rachel and I saw improvements within a month. Rachel is an excellent teacher and cares about her students. She explains in very detail and from first principles which makes it easier to grasp for me.
Sigrun F.
Rachel has been a huge help and support in my efforts to become a good pianist and teacher. She has a deep understanding of the Taubman Approach to piano technique, and is dedicated to the success of her students. I find that I learn and grow after every lesson, and have found significant improvement in my playing.
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Reviews of my teaching
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