AN INFORMAL Q & A

Can you tell me what your studio setting is like? What can I expect to see when I come to my lesson?

Students come to the front door along a brick pathway down the side of the house, past a flower garden. I like to make it as welcoming as possible.

Through two French doors to the left of the hallway is the Piano Room. I have a Steinway baby grand piano from the early 1900s. There’s a large square coffee table stacked with books: art books, music books, children’s songbooks. There are paintings, prints and other art on the walls. My love of art and art history shows. There’s an antique love seat from my family and comfy chairs for parents, siblings or friends to sit in, or we can sit on the Persian carpet. I have a wild-looking big gothic antique chair where I sit near the student when we’re at the piano. There are two orchid plants in the window- my teacher Eugenie Schutt always said that music and flowers go together!

There are a few quiet toys, puzzles, drawing pads and colored pencils for siblings or friends to amuse themselves while waiting. Of course I have a library of music reference books, too: music dictionaries and books about composers, music and piano history.

What are your main goals and aspirations for your students?

No matter how long I have a student, I want her to have a positive experience. If a young student is being exposed in a positive, interesting, supportive atmosphere- maybe they don’t choose to study for a long time, or they’re not interested RIGHT NOW- OK, maybe that’s left them with enough to say in high school, or as an adult, “Oh, I took piano lessons and I loved them and I love music.” And maybe they’ll pick it up again.

Aspirations are different for everyone. Some can learn to sight read very easily; some have a great ear but have trouble with the reading… I have a teenaged student who is studying jazz guitar too and I hope to give him tools with the piano (theory, for instance) to explore lots of different kinds of  music.

How would you describe your teaching style?

Well, I guess the setting is sort of formal in that there are a lot of antiques and old-fashioned stuff around, but we’re informal in that my students all call me Catherine and I like to have a casual relationship with them.

Formality or informality depends on what the student needs at the time when he’s in front of me. With most of the young students there’s a regular sequence to each lesson: starting with technique, then on to pieces practiced, then on to some new material, then to theory.

I don’t work from one particular ‘method.’ I do use the Bastien and Faber beginner books- they’re graded well and have a good structure, and the illustrations aren’t too horrible! Some of the younger kids love to sing the words too.

Why study the piano?

I think everyone should learn how to read music, and become familiar with many different kinds of music. And the piano is made to emulate the complete orchestra, so it’s very expressive- and the structure of the music is very clear on the keyboard.

What do you absolutely love about your work?

I love the different challenges my students bring- I don’t know what the day will be like. I like the beginners a lot… I really like helping to give a student a good introduction and solid beginning in piano music. But the adult students are stimulating and rewarding in their own ways too.

What makes your studio unique?

Each lesson is new… I don’t assume that every lesson is going to be the same. Each week, new things happen at school, at home, on the playground so the student’s mood is different each time. They’re going to change, so I need to be ready to respond. Of course I have a plan in mind, especially approaching recital time- but I still want the student to have a positive experience whenever possible.

My one-on-one lessons with preschoolers are new for me, and are definitely unique. I have a lot of experience working with young kids, and have a lot of tools to use to introduce musical concepts to that age group… We do a lot of activities away from the piano to engage their interest.

If a student wants to do some pop music, movie score music- I’m open to some of that, I’m flexible.

Tell me more about the annual recital and workshops you organize.

My students always play one formal recital in the spring at the Berkeley Piano Club near the UC Berkeley campus. It’s a very nice venue and many students participate. 

Generally the program is arranged by level and musical period, beginning with the Baroque. Sometimes the recital will have a central theme. For instance, one year I programmed a recital of all music written for the Dance; another was all music by French composers.

I also do at least two more group events at the studio- chances for students to play for each other, or to run through their recital pieces. I call these workshops or ‘play party’ evenings.