Piano pedagogy
Are you ready to help your child find peace and
joy at the piano?
Is your child struggling
to practice?
- You want your child to cooperate on the piano
- You have tried different songs, time limits, bribes, being stern, being permissive
- You wish it were easier
Practice works better when the child feels competent, and competence starts with fundamental movements that create comfort in their body and security on the piano.
Don't worry!
I teach a Taubman Approach technical curriculum to children and teenagers under the direct guidance of Mary Moran at the Golandsky Institute. I do this while also building reading and musicianship skills. The Taubman Approach is a logical progression of motor skills and movements that create ease, power, control, and confidence on the piano.
It engages the child as a partner – a two-way relationship – instead of a one-way relationship. When children realize that their parents and teacher are on their side and that their opinion of what they are experiencing matters, they start to trust and become more interested.
Practicing struggles are troubleshot for the root cause instead of assuming the child’s time commitment is the weak link. Rote songs are selected to match their motor skills, instead of racing them ahead and creating problems that will frustrate them later.
Practicing advances no faster than their grasp of reading concepts and technical skills, so the child approaches the piano feeling competent instead of anxious.
In short, everyone is happier. The student is building skills for success down the road as music becomes more challenging, and will be able to choose their own level of involvement based on interest, instead of opting to stop playing because of limitations. A capable student tends to stick with it, a student who hits a technical/musical limit as a teenager easily becomes demotivated.
Ready for calmer practice at home?
Why Choose Sigrun?
Joyful Playing
You’re looking forward to your child experiencing positive emotions at the piano
Reliable Skills
You’re interested in having secure skills to help your children with piano technique
Lost Passion
If you quit lessons as a child on dubious terms with the piano, and you are interested in insight about why
100% Guarantee
If after your first month you regret participating in Fine-Tuned, 100% money back on whatever you purchased.
About us
I maintain a studio with 60+ students. Most are children and teenagers. My studio has a 90% or better retention rate every year.
This isn’t magic – I have students who dislike piano, and practicing is not always easy. But they succeed, they return year after year, and most students find some level of satisfaction and joy. I have an active apprenticeship with Mary Moran at the Golandsky Institute. The health of my studio is being guided by an internationally recognized authority on children’s piano pedagogy (Ms. Moran).
Some years back, I was told by a 9th grader’s father that his studies came first, and not to expect that piano would be a priority. When that student was in 12th grade, I saw the father at a party. He gushed to his partner how much his son loved piano. The Taubman Approach had engaged his son – students see their growth and their competence soar – who wouldn’t love that?!
Ready for calmer practice at home?
Fine-tuned is for families
- Who want a fun and peaceful learning process
- Want their children to learn healthy habits from the very start
- Who are ready to try a new way of practicing
see proper posture in action
Piano Pedagogy Services
complimentary
Parent Consultation
- Learn how technique can impact your child from the very start. Explore how practicing can work for your child.
- Discover whether Fine-Tuned is a fit for your family.
Frequently asked questions
If you are working with your child at home, you need to be a few steps ahead. Without me there to physically be present with your child, you yourself must be competent and aware.
Lessons with parents are online unless you live close enough to visit my studio, which is located in South Central Wisconsin. Because of the limitations of video teaching, I do not teach children exclusively virtually. I work with parents.
Practice changes when expectations and competence match. It can change the first day by lowering expectations to match the student’s level. Time to practice independence is harder to predict and subject to many variables.
The Golandsky Institute has worked for decades to make its life-changing information widespread among pianists and teachers. At this point it’s more common for a pianist to have heard of it than not.
Could you Benefit?
- You’re ready to make piano practice more peaceful.
- You want your child to thrive as music gets harder, rather than encounter limitations.
- You want your child to learn that problems will have a root source that can be found, and it is not themselves that are deficient.