I am passionate about helping students discover what music means to them. Every student brings their own strengths, interests, and learning styles, and together we create a personalized musical journey—one that fosters confidence, creativity, and focus. While I have worked with students of all ages, I am particularly drawn to teaching gifted children, teens, and adults, guiding them to expand their life experiences through music and reach their full artistic potential.
In my studio, students explore a diverse repertoire, from the expressive lyricism of Chopin, Liszt, and Satie, the minimalistic magic of Philip Glass, to the rhythmic drive of Bartók and Granados. Beyond classical music, I encourage students to improvise and reinterpret their favorite songs, whether it’s pop hits by Billie Eilish, Adele, or Broadway show tunes from Hadestown and Wicked. Ensemble playing, duet performances, and collaborative projects further enrich their musical development.
My students have earned top prizes in prestigious competitions such as the Franz Liszt Center International Piano Competition, AADGT Album of the Young Gifted Performers, and the Piano Teachers Congress of New York’s Honors Program. They have performed at Carnegie Hall, debuted with orchestras, and participated in elite programs such as the International Summer Academy at Mozarteum University in Austria and the Juilliard Summer Performing Arts program. Others have been accepted into music programs at NYU and the Eastman School of Music, while some have pursued composition and music production, writing and releasing original works on streaming platforms.
To celebrate their progress, we hold an annual studio concert, often hosted in students’ homes, creating a warm and supportive community that enhances the joy of performance.
Above all, my goal as a teacher is to help students connect with music profoundly, personally, and relevantly, so that music becomes a lifelong part of their journey.
HOP ON A QUICK CALL WITH ME!
Are you ready to discover what music means to you? I love giving complimentary piano lessons to students for whom I can make the most significant difference in their piano journey. Curious? Then, hop on a quick call to see if you qualify for a complementary piano lesson. Click the button below.
Online lessons have been a massive success for my piano studio! Through virtual platforms, I get to meet and teach piano to serious and fun piano students from India, South Korea, Canada, and the U.S. outside of the New York metropolitan area.
The equipment I use for online lessons includes an HD webcam, Blue Yeti Premium microphone, and Open Broadcaster Software for using multiple cameras to demonstrate body/finger movements from different angles. With the screen-share feature on virtual platforms, we can compare notes on the score in PDF and mark it up from both ends.
I recently switched most of my lessons to Forte, a virtual conferencing platform optimized for music lessons, where audio quality far surpasses existing ones such as Zoom, Skype, and FaceTime. By using this new platform, I always feel like my students are sitting right next to me during the sessions.
Online lessons have so many advantages, but just to name a few, they are easily accessible, convenient, and flexible in scheduling – fit into your modern lifestyle perfectly!
If you live in NYC and want to travel to my home studio for in-person piano lessons, you are welcome here. My home studio is located in the vibrant neighborhood of Williamsburg, Brooklyn, where you get inspiration from the surroundings while taking piano lessons from me!
My top priority for in-person piano lessons is providing safety and comfort for students. The space, instrument, and equipment are regularly maintained with cleanliness, tidiness, and sanitation.
What I love about teaching from my studio is that occasionally, I get to spend a few extra minutes with students and/or parents afterward over tea!
Students need to be incentivized to finish learning their pieces and polish them to be presentable in order to improve their piano skills. I love hosting virtual piano recitals via Zoom bi-monthly for all students bi-monthly to give them short-term goals and celebrate their progress and success.
At the end of the school year, I host an in-person recital at one of the beautiful venues in NYC for my students. All the students perform their solo piano pieces, and some choose to play their original songs additionally. And some opt to play a 4-hand piano or violin-piano duet with their parent, while others sing a cover song while accompanying themselves on the piano.
The annual recital is the highlight of my work as a piano teacher – I get to witness all the time and effort my students put into their piano practice throughout the year. There is nothing quite like the joy beaming from their faces after the celebratory event!
For serious students who desire to further their piano studies, I encourage them to participate in local/international competitions. In the past, I have trained numerous students to achieve 1st prizes in international competitions, and as end result, they got to perform on the world’s prestigious concert stages such as Carnegie Hall.
My piano studio is a member of a non-profit organization in NYC, The Piano Teachers Congress of New York, where students can participate in different types of performance opportunities such as Honors Program (piano competition), Young Artist Program (masterclass), Piano Plus! (chamber ensemble), and more.
Elizabeth Levine
Elizabeth is a 12-year-old, multi-award-winning pianist who has performed as a soloist at prestigious venues such as Carnegie Hall and Merkin Hall. Since we began our journey together in September 2021, she has excelled, earning numerous accolades in international piano competitions, including over 15 First Place titles.
This video captures her international solo debut in the summer of 2024 in Poland, where she performed after winning Second Prize in the Chopin International Piano Competition (Hartford, CT) in the spring of 2024. She was recently accepted into the Summer Performing Arts with Juilliard program.
Elle is an exceptionally diligent and gifted student who consistently strives for excellence in everything she does.
Dave Halpern
Dave became a commercial pilot very recently after 3 decades of working in a senior position in finance at a big IT company. What’s more amazing about him is that he continued his piano journey during such a challenging career transition while being a father of twins! Dave has been studying piano with me for 10 years and now can play Chopin, Satie, Bach, and Joplin. His desire to learn doesn’t stop here – Dave is currently mastering multiple languages, learning new academic subjects….and maybe eventually flying to the moon!?
Tamrin Gellert Ghai
Tamrin just started her college life this September! Aww…I’ve known her since she was 4 years old while she was watching her elder cousin’s piano lesson with me. I remember Tamrin being so small, sitting quietly with her big eyes wide open! She began her piano studies with me soon after, and fast-forward, she is now writing her original songs with her hits streaming on iTunes, Spotify, and Amazon Music! This vlog was created during the height of the COVID lockdown (May 2020) – in the video, Tamrin tells us how she found a way to use her piano training for her new passion – to be a singer-songwriter!