teaching using techniques that work to a schedule that suits
Studio Korte offers private piano lessons in Boston, MA for children, teens, and adults of all levels. Core principles with a proven track record.
Thanks for stopping by! I offer online and in-home jazz, classical and Suzuki piano lessons for all ages and levels in the greater Boston area. Here you’ll find information about my teaching style, prices, and what to expect from lessons. Read on to learn more.
For my biography, click here.
The benefits of learning an instrument extend far beyond just picking up a neat skill to impress your friends with
A large-scale 2013 neuroscientific review found that “children who undergo musical training have better verbal memory, second language pronunciation accuracy, reading ability and executive functions,” and that “learning to play an instrument as a child may even predict academic performance and IQ in young adulthood.” And on the humanistic side of things, Shinichi Suzuki wrote eloquently about how studying music can open the heart and nurture the soul.
In general, music lessons provide a structured opportunity to develop important faculties like memory, coordination and creativity; virtues like patience, perseverance and the ability to listen; and knowledge of an important cultural medium.
Needless to say, playing an instrument can also be a joyful and pleasurable act, especially when shared with others, and even a handful of music lessons in youth can enhance a person’s enjoyment of music for the rest of their life. Most students don’t go on to become professional musicians, but all can reap the benefits of studying an instrument.
the Suzuki Method
Alexander’s teaching philosophy is pragmatic and flexible. Informed by the Suzuki Method, the Alexander Technique, and a decade of teaching experience, it centers around discovering a student’s motivations and working toward their goals while never losing sight of fundamentals.
Teacher-student rapport is seen as essential, and humor is considered an important teaching tool. Lessons are designed to be relaxed and fun without sacrificing learning opportunities. Technique, ear training and music theory instruction are prioritized in the context of working on songs students like, and composition, improvisation and public performance are fostered and encouraged.
Emphasis is placed on practical skills such as how to practice efficiently. Virtues such as patience, discipline and non-judgment are intentionally nurtured. All the facets of artistry—musicality, knowledge, and technique—are gradually developed according to the student’s disposition. Cultivation of virtues and the expression of love are considered the best reasons to play music.
a unique and tailored approach
As a certified Suzuki piano instructor, Alexander offers both Suzuki and more traditional lessons.
To read more about the Suzuki Method and what it entails, click here. For students/families not interested in Suzuki lessons, Alexander teaches using a more open-ended hybrid approach, incorporating aspects of Suzuki with other methods such as Piano Adventures.
Topics addressed can include composition, improvisation, technique and tone production, music theory, sight reading, ear training, and more depending on the student’s interests.
Alexander’s approach to piano technique is informed by the principles of the Taubman Approach — a system of arm movements useful for piano playing — and the Alexander Technique, a profound method of psychophysical re-education. Fundamental movements of the arm and hand are introduced progressively with simple metaphors and exercises, and the arm is considered in relation to the rest of the body.
Technique in itself is never addressed in isolation, but rather as a means to achieving musical effects. Dry technical exercises are discarded in favor of perfecting songs.
Music theory is introduced gradually, starting with fundamental concepts like beat, rhythm, and major vs. minor, each illustrated by concrete, easy to understand examples. Method books such as Piano Adventures and Faber are used as part of the curriculum.
Sight reading is taught gradually in tandem with music theory, usually with method books. Eventually, students are encouraged to add sight reading to their practice routine.
Various games and exercises, such as guessing games and melodic dictation exercises, are used during lessons to develop pitch and rhythm, and students are asked to hum or sing everything they play to the best of their ability.
Students are also encouraged to learn simple songs by ear, often with the help of a caregiver.
Improvisation is introduced early on, with students being asked to improvise freely based on creative verbal prompts, or according to a simple rubric (use the notes of the C five-finger scale, etc.).
Later on, interested students may be shown the basics of jazz improvisation.
Following the introduction of basic music theory concepts, composition is introduced as a fun creative exercise for enthusiastic students.
Students may be asked to produce short compositions based on a narrative theme of their choice, or which follow certain rules based on what they have learned so far.
Students are gradually introduced to famous names in western music (Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, etc.), and are exposed through recordings, sheet music and explanation to different musical styles, genres, and instruments.
a tailored experience
The structure of a lesson is highly individual, depending on the student’s level, interests, and what they’ve been practicing. A typical lesson might include time spent polishing current repertoire, introducing a new piece, tackling a hard technical problem, and discussing a new music theory concept. The more a student practices, the more there is to work on during a lesson!
While there are no hard rules about how much to practice, students are generally encouraged to aim for at least fifteen minutes a day, with one to two days off per week.
Lessons are typically scheduled once or twice per week and range from 30-60 minutes in length. Students 10 and younger are recommended to start with 30 minute lessons.
Check, cash and Venmo; cash preferred. Payment due at the end of each lesson.
In-home lessons in Brighton, Brookline, Cambridge, Newton, Waltham, Weston, Wellesley and surrounding areas. Contact for more info.
$110/hour, $60 for one half hour lesson.
First time students get 50% off their first lesson ($55/hr, $30 for one half hour lesson).
Location and availability dependent on how many students are currently enrolled. Contact for more info.
Student recitals are organized periodically depending on student interest and availability, and assistance is provided for entering competitions upon request.
learn from the comfort of your own home
While it remains true that nothing can replace in-person instruction, the pandemic has proven online lessons can be practical and even necessary. They are a valid alternative when barriers of distance, illness and other prohibitive circumstances arise. At my studio I have invested in quality A/V equipment to facilitate quality online instruction.
Contact me just below for more details.
or, if you like, just leave me an email or number and i'll get back to you as soon as i can.
for further research and learning
The official website of the Suzuki Association of the Americas.
Audacity, a free open-source audio recording and editing tool.
The Petrucci Music Library (IMSLP), a vast trove of non-copyrighted music available for free download.
A free online music notation tool. Easy to use, customizable, and available to all.
you're not the first to have questions!
The short answer is: yes. A great many parents are too busy with their jobs and other responsibilities to sit and practice with their child every day. This is not something to be ashamed of. In reality most children, provided they practice regularly, will get a good deal out of their lessons whether or not their parents are heavily involved. For students whose parents cannot commit to the parental involvement guidelines enumerated elsewhere here, I teach with a hybrid approach in which I incorporate aspects of the Suzuki Method alongside more traditional methods.
No. It is never too late to start learning an instrument. It is of course true that a small child will learn faster and more effortlessly than someone with a mortgage, and that one’s potential to achieve a very high level of ability diminishes with time, but these differentials should not discourage an older student unless their heart is set on becoming the next Horowitz or Stevie Wonder.
In reality an adult can improve greatly given discipline and time, especially since most adults have one major advantage over children: they know how to learn and how to research. A child’s memory is unparalleled, but most children do not know what questions to ask during a lesson, how to practice efficiently, nor how to locate helpful resources in a library or online. An enthusiastic adult learner who makes time to practice every day will invariably improve if they go into their practice sessions with a positive as opposed to a despairing attitude.
Remember that the make of a musician is not necessarily the sum of their powers of memory and technical prowess. Horace Parlan and Mal Waldron were not savants like Art Tatum or Keith Jarrett, but their music is not necessarily less enjoyable.
A good teacher watches for mistakes, describes techniques, gives practice advice, sets a good example, and otherwise speeds up the learning process. There are rare people who are so gifted that they can learn quickly on their own, but the vast majority benefit from having a teacher to help them avoid pitfalls and find their way. Moreover most students, even motivated adults, find that it is much easier to stick to a practice schedule and stay motivated when they have someone to be accountable to.
My advice for those looking for an instrument is to buy the finest acoustic piano within your means. For most people, this means an upright piano—Yamaha, Boston, etc. Grand pianos provide the greatest dynamic range, timbral variety and sensitivity of action, but for most people they are too large and too expensive. Decent used upright pianos can often be found for cheap or even for free on websites like Facebook Marketplace.
I recommend acoustic over electric pianos because playing an acoustic requires its own skillset. Even high-end electric keyboards do not precisely replicate the action of an acoustic piano: the latter is more sensitive and thus requires more control on the part of the pianist. Moreover a piano can typically produce a subtler variety of timbres. Consequently electric pianos tend to foster habits in students that do not transfer well to acoustic pianos. For these reasons I prefer to start young students on an acoustic. Once their technique is established I encourage them to experiment with the huge variety of sounds and uses electric pianos have to offer.
In person lessons afford numerous advantages over online lessons. An in person student for example is able to hear their teacher’s tone production clearly rather than through a computer speaker, and they are able to observe in full their teacher’s posture and poise at the piano. Conversely the teacher can observe more completely the student’s movements and tone production as well as take the student’s hand and manipulate it on the keyboard. Children (and probably most adults) also tend to be more attentive in conversation with a flesh and blood person rather than a screen.
Online lessons have their place and are certainly better than nothing, but most students will get more out of in person lessons.
The answer to this depends on the age of the student. For young students I usually insist that they start out with the Suzuki repertoire because I have not found any beginner repertoire comparable to it in quality. It is extremely useful for teaching basic technical skills, and most kids do not mind its simplicity; by the time they are old enough to yearn to play other music, they are usually well advanced technically. In general I make a point of incorporating music of the student’s choice into the curriculum as early as is reasonable. For teen and adult students I design curriculums based on their goals and interests from the get go.
No. Most jazz improvisation is not as difficult technically as the hardest classical music, but the best jazz musicians are masters of their instruments no less than the best classical musicians. It is true that some successful jazz musicians lack technical skill (in other words the ability to play very fast and with great control), but their success is in spite of this lack. The stereotype of the sloppy jazz musician is an inaccurate and rather scurrilous one.
The study of music theory is analogous to the study of grammar. Beyond a certain point it is probably pointless and will not help you make better art, but conversance in grammar can help you express yourself more precisely, and knowledge of music theory can help you express musical thoughts more impactfully. Great writers understand the relationships between words of a sentence, and great musicians understand the relationships between each chord in a score. Music theory is a way of symbolizing relationships that most people already grasp by intuition.