Second time Yelp took my review down…read more..
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Made a Yelp account just to write this review! If I could give six stars, I would!
I had decided to take piano lessons a little over a year ago. My first teacher started me off learning 15-second melodies spontaneously written on napkins. After a week, he had me playing three-note chords in one hand to accompany a guitarist he was simultaneously teaching. In summary, this was a pretty horrible experience and I started Googling for a new teacher - one of the first places that popped up was Piano Lessons NYC.
I spent my first month learning with an instructor no longer with the school, who seemed to be a natural educator and was extremely supportive. From day one, she had a standardized plan (with an actual curriculum) that worked wonders; I was playing with both hands together pretty quickly. Due to an inability to meet at the same location, I had to switch from her to Mayuko Yamashita, who founded and runs the school.
Everything is so organized; we work off a few different books simultaneously. Lessons are once a week, and meaningful homework assignments are given (at present, this typically consists of a brief piece or two, and various hand exercises). No didactic choice Mayuko makes is without a clear purpose. She scans through books deliberately picking specific pieces/exercises like tesserae in a mosaic, and everything is selected to advance some specific technical component. Moreover, she's totally open to whatever pieces you want to learn. I tend to strive for the very challenging Romantic Period stuff (one day!) - Mayuko will honestly let you know what you can and cannot presently begin learning, and what it will take to get there. If a piece is within reach, we go for it and learn it extremely thoroughly.
During lessons, no nuances escape her. She'll point out so many seemingly little things - wrist and elbow motions, which part of the fingertip is contacting the keys, downward velocity, etc. - that just add up to developing a highly efficient and graceful technical foundation. Any and all judgment is purely objective and sessions are totally free of pressure; when mess-ups happen, we laugh them off, figure out why they happened, and progress.
Every few months, the school sends invitations to perform at recitals and attend concerts hosted by professional musicians, and these have been wonderful experiences (although I haven't performed!). Earlier this month, I listened to Mayuko play some beautiful contemporary classical pieces. It gives you a tremendous confidence boost and sense of pride when you see a supremely talented concert pianist in action and know it's your teacher!
In conclusion, if you're serious about learning piano, then look no further. If you're on the fence, then I say go for it! To become proficient in any instrument isn't easy, but in my brief experience, two things have proven critical: (1) your will to work hard, and (2) an excellent teacher. Listen to your instructor, learn to enjoy the little triumphs along the way, and you'll cultivate a skill that will give you a lifetime of joy.