Happiness is… playing my piano!

I don’t remember the first time I pounded on the keys of a piano, but I know it was during a visit to my aunt and uncle’s house when I was a toddler. It must have made a significant impression on me because I devoted much of my playtime to learning nursery songs on my toy keyboard. When I was six years old, I remember begging and begging my parents for a piano (and a dog!). I got both! When my new piano arrived, I dove into my studies and, now 30 years later, I am still enjoying the challenges and joys the piano brings me.

I studied as a child with a local piano teacher, Mrs. Stepaneck, in Mentor, OH, working my way through the Thompson method books. I, like most children, longed to play Fur Elise (by Beethoven) and I would often leaf through a volume of his most popular piano pieces, wondering when I would be able to start playing them. Beethoven has always been my favorite composer, his music touches a part of my soul that no other composer ever has. I finally started tackling his most famous bagatelle around the age of 9 and I was in seventh heaven!

I was 10 years old when my family moved to Brazil and my piano traveled the ocean to join us a few months later. Method books are not popular there as they are in the U.S., so my new teacher, Marcos, created a course of study for me, composed of classical repertoire, starting with Muzio Clementi’s pretty sonatinas and the masterpieces of Johann Sebastian Bach. I love classical music and through these new catered plans of study, over the years, I discovered music I had never heard before and fell in love with the likes of Bach and sons, Brahms, Chopin, Field, Haydn, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Scarlatti, and many others.

When I was 13, I obtained a full scholarship to study at the State University of Santa Catarina’s (UDESC) community music program, where I studied musical theory and had private lessons with the University’s piano professors. I spent several years there and then went on to study with respected pianist Harold Freibergs Auras in Florianopolis, Brazil.

I ended up majoring in electrical engineering in college and went on to obtain a Ph.D. in power electronics from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Through most of my college years I continued to study and practice the piano… and, to be honest, I attribute part of my success in my engineering studies to the piano. It helped me to think creatively and critically, it made me better at math and recognizing complex patterns, it helped me develop self-discipline and perseverance, and it gave me confidence in knowing that I can conquer difficult problems.

After working as an engineer and a professor, I decided to return to the piano and have discovered a new-found love for it in teaching others to play. I’ve always loved teaching and have been teaching a variety of subjects on and off since I was a teenager. I take a lot of pride in my classes and am always looking for new, fun, and interesting ways to teach. You can find more information on my thoughts on teaching in the Teaching Philosophy tab.

I have loved the piano and classical music since before I can remember and I know that the piano will be my companion as long as my fingers are able to play. Life takes many twists and turns but we all can attest to the power of music to ride us through the storms and elevate our joys. To play, create, and teach music is a gift, and I am so happy to be able to pass my love for the piano on to my students.