About MY PIANO TREE Studio
At MY PIANO TREE, students are treated with kindness and respect.
Weekly private lessons are geared to the needs of each individual.
Students learn how to read music notation and to play the piano expressively.
Concepts are presented in multiple ways, to help students understand and remember. Hands-on activities and games reinforce concepts and inject laughter and fun into the learning process.
Lessons are in-person.
A spring recital and a Christmas sing-a-long (with students accompanying parents and friends) are held annually.
Twice a year, piano loving adults from the community join my adult students and we each play our most recent favorite pieces of music for each other in our “On The Bench” event. We enjoy wine and cheese along with friendly conversation and discover new music to add to our own repertoire!
About Me
I am classically trained and enjoy sharing my passion for the piano and for classical music with others. Through the years, I’ve come to appreciate the joys of playing other genres of music including pop and jazz, but classical music remains my favorite.
I began piano lessons when I was 8 years old. I played the piano every morning in grade school to accompany our class during devotions and played solo and in ensembles for school events. I grew up in a house listening to opera played on a large reel-to-reel tape player throughout the day. My mother took singing lessons and sang along to these opera recordings . I was blessed to grow up surrounded by classical music.
In high school, I was fortunate to begin lessons with a piano teacher who focused on “chord” piano. Although I didn’t learn how to play jazz piano until I was in college, I did benefit from learning how to play chords from lead sheets with this special teacher.
After high school, I studied music and pedagogy through the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music and took both classical and jazz piano lessons while there. At the same time, I earned my degree in project management and computer programming in college, and pursued a career in the business world. As I came to enjoy planning, organizing, managing projects and carrying out training in the business world, my interest in and pursuit of piano pedagogy grew.
As an accompanist for the children’s choir at my church, I began teaching kids how to read music and play the piano. I established a small piano studio, and have been teaching adults and children for over 20 years.
I love the piano as well as teaching children and adults how to play it! I especially enjoy customizing teaching approaches to fit the learning styles of my students, creating lesson plans that build on each other and materials to teach various musical concepts, and helping students learn how to get the most out of their practice time.
I encourage students to participate in recitals but I also understand that some students, especially adults, don’t want to perform for others. Piano is an extremely rewarding solo activity, for those who wish to pursue it for their own gratification!
I believe piano lessons should be fun, and should be presented in a way that helps students develop confidence, patience and self-esteem. I believe in motivating students to practice and helping them set goals with the long term objective of making music and piano a lifelong pursuit.
-Linda McMahon