Teaching is at the heart of what I do. I officially began teaching piano in the summer after my first year as a student at the University of Toronto, Faculty of Music; that was an unbelieveably 50 years ago!  One of the first things I noticed was that teaching made me far more aware of what I did as a pianist. Hearing someone play and deciding how the sound needed to change required me to think deeply about my own processes, how I would practise the passage, what element or elements were at the foundation of playing the piano.  I, not surprisingly, became a better teacher of myself.

To some extent, we all model our teaching on how we were taught by our teachers. I was fortunate to spend 5 years studying with Margaret Parsons-Poole after she had retired from the Royal Conservatory of Toronto but was still teaching some people in her home. This was after I graduated from U of T.  Most lessons were 2 1/2 hours, but some extended to over 4 hours if we were deeply into making changes in my playing.  Mrs. Poole's integrity, musical knowledge, her ability to help me hear things that I never had heard before, to refine rehearsal techniques, and her genuine care for me as person was a priceless gift, one that I feel responsible to pass on to my students.  She is the example of the teacher to which I have aspired.
If you are interested in studying piano, theory, harmony or music history, please contact me by email through this website. I provide in-person lessons, and I also teach online using Zoom.