What kind of students do I want?

You may notice that I limit prospective students to “highly-motivated beginning or intermediate adults”. You might wonder why. ​

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​Highly-motivated: It has been my experience that many students take up a musical instrument because someone near-and-dear to them—or even a nemesis—did so. That’s really not a good reason to take music lessons. Without internal self-motivation, the student will usually not do well, and will soon soon quit. I want my students to be successful at whatever level they choose. I am an encourager by nature (hence my nickname “Barnabas”, “bar-Nabas”, “son of encouragement”, or “encourager”, Acts 4:36). But a good bit of self-motivation is required. I’ll feed that, of course, but you need to come for the right reasons to begin with. Beginning or Intermediate: I am not a great piano player. There, I’ve said it. I can teach better than I can play. So I am ideal for beginners, or those intermediates who want to broaden their perspectives and deepen their knowledge. But when you get to playing really well, I’ll recommend you get a better teacher. Meanwhile, I’ll get you started. Deal? Adults: I love children. I have three of my own, plus three kids-in-law, plus seven grandkids. Kids are great. But I think I’m not the best choice to teach children. I know there are some really great self-motivated kids who want to learn, who soak up knowledge like a dry sponge, and will outplay me in about a month—maybe a week. Those kids need a really good teacher. All the other kids need professional teachers who know how to inculcate the basics and prevent bad habits, and generally shepherd the kids on their way to their own stardom. Bottom Line: I want the best for each student. The best teacher, the best learning, the best everything. Sometimes I’m good enough, sometimes I’m not the best. I’ll work with you to determine what’s best for you right now—and what’s best as time goes along. Fair enough?