Piano Teachers Transforming Lives: The Power of a Piano Teacher

I began lessons with Dr. Fisher during high school. At the time, I had lost interest in pursuing piano lessons further. Dr. Fisher quickly reignited my love for piano and music again like I had not felt before. After learning and growing under his excellent instruction during my pre-college years, I went on to pursue music during my undergraduate studies and I later pursued piano pedagogy in my master’s program. To this day, Dr. Fisher is one of my greatest inspirations as a teacher and mentor. His passion for music and pedagogy along with his commitment to student success is evident in all that he does! I can truly say that I wouldn’t have pursued music and all the wonderful things that have come along with it without his guidance and patience. – Lydia Sander

I met Mrs. Margie Nelson when I enrolled in beginning piano lessons at six years old at the New School for Music Study (NSMS). She would become my private teacher for the next twelve years and a mentor and inspiration to me for the rest of my life. She laid the foundation of my musical skills and built on it together with me as I grew and eventually aspired to become a piano teacher myself. More than an imparter of knowledge, Mrs. Nelson was my continual guide and compassionate resource. She encouraged me always and believed in my ability, guided me with thoughtful questions, delighted me with her humor, eased my performance nerves with her down-to-earth advice, challenged me with a wonderful variety of piano repertoire, and celebrated every breakthrough with me. I had the blessing of a growing and deepening teacher-student relationship with Mrs. Nelson for my entire precollege study. Flash forward to today and I now have a Bachelor of Music in Performance and Master of Music in Piano Pedagogy, and I am the primary piano instructor at a nonprofit music conservatory for precollege students. Few teaching days go by where I do not think of my own piano teacher and all the teachers I met at NSMS. If I could affect the life of one of my students the way Mrs. Nelson affected mine, my piano teaching career will have been a success. The last time we saw each other was at The Piano Conference: NCKP 2023—I’m so proud to join her in this transformative piano teaching profession! – Maria Mueller

Mrs. Furr was my piano teacher during my high school years and she put me on the path to becoming a music teacher myself! Her love for music and for me, her persistence in pushing me to improve, and her endless encouragement helped me to discover my own love for the piano and the ways in which music allows me to connect with others. As a teenager, I don’t think I recognized how effortlessly Mrs. Furr brought out the best in every one of her students, but I still remember how much I loved my lessons and came away from them feeling better about myself, no matter what else was going on in my life. I hope to encourage, inspire, and motivate my future students the way she did for me! – Lindsay Bastian