If you are thinking about starting, restarting or continuing a wonderful adventure with music and the piano, I am a dedicated and enthusiastic teacher that can help in this journey.

My piano studio is in San Francisco where I teach students from intermediate to advanced, from age 10 onward.

A Yamaha concert series C7 is available in the studio together with live recording equipment.

Basic Teaching Philosophy

I have a long experience in teaching that spans almost 25 years. It ranges from teaching to large classroms with up to 200 people, to teach individual piano students, to mentor PhD students and postdoctoral fellows (in my career as a scientist). What I found all students have in common is that they all performs best when independent, creative thinking is encouraged. At all levels (starting from a 7 years old struggling to put notes on a piano), the student to succeed must be encouraged and tought to do what our mind does best: creatively solve problems. Rote, authoritarian, repetitive, one-recepie-fits-all kinds of teaching achieve results, but they do not provide the most valuable lesson: learning how to use our innate creativity.

What is expected of me

What I teach

I teach how to become a pianist (musical interpretation and technique), and the repertoire of "classical music". This is that huge building of creativitity that, for keyboard instruments, originated in Europe and now includes more than four centuries of repertorie, from the early 17th to the 21st centuries, and has received contributions from all over the globe. I don't teach other styles of music, because I am not an expert in those, but you can certanly benefit for developing core musical skill, and being immersed in classical music, even if you will end up specializing in a different style.

How I teach

By inclination and choice I structure the relationship with students of all ages in a very open way, emphasizing communication and trying to avoid any situation, due to practise, expectations or otherwise, which might induce stress or fatigue or physcal strain. One learns a lot from his students: adults brings to lessons a large body of experience and knowledge, children are imaginative and naturally very creative. Once a open, mutually respectful, relationship is established teaching becomes not a one way road but an exchange of information, ideas, suggestions, point of views.

Of course, even if I tend to establish peer-like relationships, I am .. the teacher. And I teach how to structure work, especially for children, and I set clear musical goals and insist in their achievement.

What is expected of you

Practicing is the rule of the game. Without applying ourselves to an art ... the art cannot be mastered. If you do, results will come. Especially for children it is very important that parents help by paying attention that daily practise is kept up. For all students it is important for me to know how much one has practised, to better understand the student learning capabilities, and to pace the lesson accordingly.

Concentration and intelligent practise are more important than quantity, and you will learn how to organize your practise sessions, how to isolate and concentrate on specific problems, rotate tasks, and other specific tools which will make learning easier.