“Music is an amazing, precious gift that can calm the soul.”
- Linda
BOOK AN INTERVIEW WITH LINDA NOW
First and foremost, I desire for my students to really enjoy making music. My goal is to encourage musicality in students, and help foster a true passion for music. Music lessons should never be a boring exercise, or something we are made to do. In contrary, It is a wonderful art form, that can be explored and discovered in many different ways. Above all, music is an amazing, precious gift that can calm the soul. Music has been my whole life, ever since I can remember. I have always had a deep love for piano, voice, and music in general. And that is why I long to help foster that passion and love for music in my students. Piano Lessons, and Voice Lessons are offered to any student willing to learn, ages 5 and up. I teach beginner to advanced students, giving all students the opportunity to reach their full potential, while also having fun. Additionally, as students are unique individuals, I try to customize the lessons and curriculum to suit the students' style and character. As students progress, they have the option of studying music through RCM. The RCM curriculum is primarily classical music, providing students with a solid foundation of technique, expressive playing, and many added benefits. Other styles of music are also available, such as Jazz, Latin and Pop music, giving students a well - rounded musical experience. I have a particular interest in Jazz music, as I studied Jazz Piano Performance at Humber College in Toronto, Ontario. I am originally classically trained ; however, studying Jazz music opened up my playing style even more. New Voice Students begin by learning an effective technique for teaching to breathe, and sing from the diaphragm correctly. They then study either RCM classical music, Musical Theatre, or Pop music. ** Piano students and Voice Students are also encouraged to take RCM exams. In addition, I am a firm believer of Hanon Exercises and use them regularly with my students. Hanon Exercises help with finger dexterity, hand independence, and agility. Furthermore, I am a firm believer in good technique in my piano students ( scales, triads, etc.) Every athlete needs stretch and warm-up before running a race. Piano players, and singers also need warm-ups ( For the hands and the voice ). In summary, there are numerous, fun and creative ways to explore, navigate and enjoy music ! However, a true commitment and dedication should be made, before the amazing journey can begin, which will make the musical journey so much more gratifying for the student !
Name: Linda (Full name will be provided upon registration)
Age: 50's
Gender: female
RCM Certified Piano Teacher Elementary Piano Pedagogy Course Honours 4- year Music Diploma from from Humber College, Etobicoke, Ont. RCM Level 10 Piano RCM Level 10 Keyboard Harmony RCM Level 10 History RCM Level 6 Voice I am an RCM certified Piano Teacher, and have taught Piano and Voice for over 25 years. In addition, I have completed the Elementary Piano Pedagogy Course. ( mark of 97% ) I teach children, teens and adults of all ages, and enjoy teaching all of them. I myself started out studying piano privately at age 8, and continued until I obtained Grade 8 piano, and Grade 2 Theory. I continued playing / studying piano on my own, and then further developed my music studies at Humber College, Etobicoke, Ontario. From Humber, I attained an Honours 4 -year Honours Music Diploma. This is equivalent to a music degree. When I attended Humber, it was a very well-known school for studying Jazz, and it still is today. The degree program was not offered at the time, when I attended, and now it is. As far as I know, the program is basically the same, but is now called a BA in Music. Furthermore, when at Humber, we were given letters from Universities like Berklee, and Boston University, saying that they knew of the exceptional high quality of teaching from Humber. The letters said that they looked so highly on Humber. ( the teachers, courses in general ), that they already considered Humber graduates as having their degree. Several Universities in the U.S. were offering to put students directly into their Master's Program. My time at Humber included private piano lessons with highly esteemed, distinguished teachers, such as Brian Harris, George Mc Fetridge, Art Maiste and Hugh Fraser, in addition to playing in various Jazz ensembles. During the last few years, I've been studying under Helen Torney, who has assisted me in advancing my piano level. I now have RCM Level 10 Piano, ( working towards ARCT ), RCM Level 10 Keyboard Harmony, RCM Level 10 History, RCM Level 6 Voice ( working on Level 8.). Concerning voice, I have been singing since I was 14. I always loved to sing, and would often sing solos in church. I've also sang in the Northumberland Orchestra and Choir ( NOC ) for 15 years, and was chosen as soloist on occasion. While at Humber, I also studied Voice, singing in various Vocal Jazz choirs. My private voice teachers included Martin Spencer, who sang for the Canadian Opera Company. After my time at Humber, I studied voice with well- known singer Marie Alexander, who sang for the Queen of England, and received the Order of Canada. It was Marie who taught me the breathing technique for the diaphragm, that I now utilize with my students.
RCM Certified Piano Teacher RCM Elementary Piano Pedagogy Course ( 97 % - First Class Honours with Distinction ) RCM Level 10 Piano Exam ( 84% - First Class Honours ) RCM Level 10 History Exam ( 94% - First Class Honours with Distinction ) RCM Level 9 History Exam ( 98 % - First Class Honours with Distinction ) RCM Level 9 Keyboard Harmony Exam ( 81% - First class Honours ) RCM Level 10 Keyboard Harmony Exam ( 83 % - First Class Honours ) Woodwind Trophy ( Clarinet Solo ) - First out of all woodwinds 2 plaques for the most dedicated music student ( clarinet )
English
Rates and Studio Policies
Registration Fee: $25.00 (One-time lifetime registration fee may be used by all family members)
Rates for instruction:
30 minute private lesson: $39.00
45 minute private lesson: $49.00
60 minute private lesson: $59.00
Travel charge: additional $15.00 per visit (for lessons in a client's home as opposed to my studio)
1. Cancellation Policy
Lessons not cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice are billable to the client and payable to the teacher. This does not of course apply to travel fees unless the notice is effectively given at the door and the teacher has travelled to the location.
2. Cessation (quitting) Policy
A client must provide a 2 lesson notice period to stop lessons. So a weekly student needs to give 2 weeks of notice, a biweekly student works out to 3 weeks notice and a twice weekly student works out to a week of notice.
3. Illness Policy
Lessons cancelled due to illness or extraordinary circumstances with less than 24 hours notice remain billable to the client and payable to the teacher.
BAH teachers are encouraged to offer a make-up lesson at a future date in the interest of client relations and general goodwill. This only makes sense as teaching a student with the flu for example, will ruin the rest of your week's employment.
No more than 2 lessons may be made up due to illness within a 60 day period.
4. Rescheduling Policy
Any lesson can be cancelled or rescheduled with at least 24 hours notice.
Summer Vacation and Extended Absence Policy
Clients may schedule longer absences for trips etc. 24 hours notice is required.
It is normal and typical for students and about 20% of our teachers to schedule a break in the summer. We do not enforce a notice period (see cessation of lessons) at the end of a long summer break.
5. Evaluation Period
There are no free trial lessons with Beethoven at Home but we do offer a 2 lesson evaluation period where it is easy to try out a teacher. There are no free lessons during the evaluation period and clients may choose to discontinue the lessons at any time by providing the required 24 hours notice. After the student's 3rd lesson the required 2 lesson notice period will apply (see cessation of lessons above).
Online lessons
Linda can provide online instruction. While other platforms are possible BAH strongly recommends the use of the Zoom video conferencing platform as it is optimized for music lessons and audio quality.
Linda's Studio Location
Linda offers lessons from her studio. Please note that map locations are based on the postal code of the teachers studio. address will be released to you if needed.