Bay Area has no shortage of piano teachers, full time or part time. However, Grant stood out with unique pedagogy that is tailored towards individual student's level and goal. He also has a vibrant body of adult students, which is quite unusual among regular piano teachers.
I started my lessons 3 months ago. Prior to this, I took general group classes at university and later learned by myself. Grant gave me an assessment lesson for free. And based on the assessment, he devised a five-point lesson plan: music theory, basic techniques, PianoMarvel (a learning/practicing application on computer), classical pieces and BYO (bring your own) pieces. So far, the plan has executed pretty well. I felt I have gain so much progress since my lessons with him.
I am basically coming from a STEM background and I am really interested the mathematical principles behind music theories. Grant wasn't shy from my questions outside the textbook. He didn't just tell me to remember things when I asked the "whys" behind. We had great discussions. My favorite moments were when we analyzed particular pieces of movie music and tried to figure out why they were so fitting to the scene where it was in. Grant would often challenge me to describe the movie storyline and figure out what some music structures symbolize given the scenes. There were quite a few "aha" moments and as a result, my understanding and hence the appreciation of music and the story it was written for have gone up a major step!
Besides regular classes, Grant also has group classes for adults, which I drop by from time to time. He also organizes community events like playing piano at SJC airport, adult student hangout party, not to mention the recitals! It is a great platform to get to know other Bay Area piano enthusiastic. read more