CLIENT TestImonials

“Christopher is an excellent teacher and a talented musician and composer. Very interested in everything related to music, entirely dedicated to teaching and views it as his own serious business. Quickly recognizes a student’s strong sides and abilities and follows them rather than pushing a standard schedule. In addition to solid teaching techniques, uses his own experimental methods that adapt individual kid’s abilities. Very experienced working with kids of any age and knows how to keep their attention. On a personal level, he is very friendly, approachable, enthusiastic, flexible, and extremely generous with his time and effort. In general, Christopher represents a very rare combination of a true dedicated musician, a creative teacher, and a great friend to his students, leading them to a wonderful world of music. We were so lucky to meet him and now have him as our son’s teacher!”

“I was lucky to find Christopher when I decided to get more rigorous in learning piano as an adult beginner. I appreciate and have benefitted a lot from his balance of structured and rigorous learning and the freedom to pursue curiosities and interests. Our lessons have been online, which has worked surprisingly well, and he tailors our material each week to help me improve where needed, develop in both playing and understanding music, and have fun. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him to others, adults and kids alike.”

“I have been with Christopher for less than a year but am confident recommending him to others. As an older adult, piano does not come easily to me. Regardless, he makes me feel comfortable and enjoy my lesson with his good nature. I like his approach to music theory which includes a variety of physical exercises making it all come to musical life. Christopher provides a good balance of instruction and independence. Never really thought I’d know all the scales and play a six page song but I am almost there. And now I must go practice!”

“My son met Chris in an introductory group piano class at his elementary school. He wanted to learn more about playing the piano. And, thus began private lessons with Chris. Chris comes with a prepared lesson, and instructs intensely for the duration of the session. He both relates well and challenges my son. I am amazed at the progress my son has made learning the piano under Chris’ tutelage. I was always impressed with Chris’ passion for teaching. I became even more impressed by the organization, quality, and great effort he put into his annual piano recital for his students.”

“Christopher is an amazing piano teacher. My older daughter asked to take lessons with him after she took his group keyboard class at her elementary school. She became obsessed with playing piano because of his influence, and her younger sister quickly followed to take lessons herself. Christopher does far more than just teach music in a technical way, but he shares a part of his soul with his students to meet them on exactly their own level. I have seen the powerful results of this in my own children as well as other students of his.

Within months of weekly lessons with Christopher, my daughter went from barely able to play Happy Birthday on one hand to playing intermediate cinematic songs and being able to learn the melodies of her favorite songs by ear alone. She is excited for every lesson and wakes me up in the morning to share what she is practicing.

We were astonished when Christopher played us some of his own compositions, including Old Home, Compass Rose, and Behind the Closing Eyelids of the World. They were so incredible and moving that it blew us away. He is just insanely talented!!! My daughter has decided she wants to write her own songs now after seeing Christopher’s work, and he has been showing her how to do so.

Christopher not only uses standard teaching books but makes his own engaging assignments for his students. He writes songs for them, improvises with them, and creates his own sheet music for the songs they like with arrangements that match their skill level. I have always been a huge music lover and it is my opinion that, while technical skills can be learned, some people are just natural born musicians whose soul shines through the music that they do! Christopher is one of them and I’m beyond grateful that we found him! He is not only a teacher, he is an inspiration too!”

“Chris is an outstanding music teacher! My children have dramatically improved their piano playing over the course of the past year under Chris’ guidance. I would recommend his service to any student – a beginner or an advanced piano player. Chris is the best!”

“Chris has done a wonderful job of keeping my 8 year old daughter engaged. As anyone with younger children knows, they get bored fast, and he is adept at teaching the basics in creative ways. Highly recommended!”

“Christopher is able to pull the best out of each child with whom he works. My two children (ages 5 & 9) could not be more different, but somehow Christopher gets them focused and excited about learning to play piano. He is amazing at what he does.”

“We would highly recommend Christopher’s teaching. He meets your child right where your child is. Our child plays with tremendous confidence —in such a short period of time. She is now singing her favorite songs and accompanying herself on the piano. He is helping her learn another language! We are deeply indebted. Our child is only five and already flourishing thanks to Christopher.”

“My son enjoys Chris’ instruction, it’s a vast change from his last teacher who strictly taught ‘by the book’. Chris allows my kid to choose his own music, offers him direction and coaching, and really fosters a love of learning.”

“Christopher has a unique ability to combine a structured teaching plan with fun and clear communication that inspires our kids to both learn and enjoy learning. They’ve progressed tremendously with his teaching style and continue to opt-in to practice regularly.”

“My daughter has been in piano lessons for many years and she has worked with several piano teachers.  About a year ago, we were lucky to find Christopher through a family friend.  Christopher was the first piano teacher who encouraged my daughter to be creative and recognized that plowing through the standard piano lesson books is not for everyone.  Christopher is kind and most importantly patient.  He is able to be flexible and tailors his lessons to meet his student’s needs.  We have seen our daughter grow musically over the last year more than she has with any teacher.  She looks forward to her lessons for the first time and we consider Christopher to be a part of our family.”

“We were introduced to Christopher over a year ago after our daughter appeared to be losing interest in her piano lessons. Since then, she has gained a rejuvenated excitement for learning new music and we have witnessed tremendous growth in her piano playing in a short period of time. We believe it is a direct reflection on Christopher’s ability to individualize and adapt his lessons to each student utilizing his amazing talents, creativity, and recognition of our child’s strengths/areas to improve. We would highly recommend Christopher as your next piano teacher!”

“Christopher is the best piano teacher you could ever imagine! And speaking of imagining…I have 3 kids who are as different as 3 kids could possibly be. That they have all remained interested in the same instrument is a testament to Christopher’s creativity and how intensely he individualizes his instruction. When someone’s interest starts flagging, Christopher reaches into his imagination and pulls out just the right activity to get them involved again. He is unfailingly patient and encouraging. He is not only teaching my children about music and how to play the piano, but also about how to be a respectful student. I am so grateful to have him in our lives.”

“My son started online piano lessons with Christopher two years ago in spring 2020 when he was 6. I was a bit concerned about the online format, but Christopher has a great setup with two cameras, one showing his hands, that made it easier. He started with Ode to Joy which was very easy for my son to learn and immediately gave him confidence. He also taught my son “rhythm tic-tac-toe”, which got him clapping rhythms right off the bat. My son has learned to read music and chord symbols, identify intervallic relationships, understand scales and chord theory, and play songs in several styles.  He has even improvised and composed his own music with Christopher’s help.

Christopher works hard to make his teaching fun and engaging for my son, offering humorous stories about composers and imaginative banter that keeps his attention.  He is patient, flexible, and quick to respond to feedback and questions regarding what would work best for my son. He has guided my son carefully through different stages of learning with tools for the level he is currently at, using original songs and etudes as well as selections from music literature.

I have enjoyed Christopher’s lessons for my son so much — including the selection of pieces that he teaches him — that it has inspired me to take piano lessons with Christopher as well! My son and I are both grateful to have found him and would gladly recommend him to others! ”

“Christopher is a rare and gifted piano teacher. From day 1, he met both of my kids (5 and 10) exactly where they were at in terms of interest and challenge. He knows how to attune to his students and keep their interest for longer than I would have thought possible with my squirrely kids. He pays attention to what excites them, and weaves music theory in when it’s relevant. For example, my 10-year-old is obsessed with video game soundtrack music and will bring Christopher favorite songs; Christopher will talk about rhythm, different scales and modes, and musical concepts that are present in the songs my kid already likes, so they hang on his every word. And then Christopher comes back with a custom score of their favorite theme music, already tailored to their learning level! My kiddo is interested in making their own music and Christopher will sit with their budding compositions, helping them refine and increase the complexity of their work in a way that is completely supportive of their original vision. My 10-year-old is now passionate about their piano work; I’ve never seen them stick with a new activity for longer than 3 months before, and we’re at 9 months in and going strong. Christopher had my 5-year-old, who we weren’t even originally planning on enrolling in lessons yet, playing music with two hands in just a few weeks. Both my kids are devoted to him and enjoy their lessons. We feel so lucky to have found this teacher!”