Maral A. — Piano Teacher — Plateau-Mont-Royal, Montreal

I am a piano teacher and writer from Toronto. I teach piano and music theory to students of all ages, following the Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) curriculum. I have been playing piano for 26 years – since I was 2 years old. The majority of my musical training was with Dr. Michael Esch, who taught me music history and theory as well as piano performance. In high school, I studied piano performance and composition, and performed in choral concerts and musicals, at the Claude Watson Program for the Arts. I am currently preparing for the Licentiate Diploma in Piano (LRCM), the highest academic standing offered by the Royal Conservatory of Music. As a music teacher, we are fortunate to spend many years with our students, and have a responsibility to contribute not just to their musical skills but to their social, creative, and emotional development. I take so much pride in seeing my students discover their ability to learn, hone their skills, and connect to themselves and others through music. I believe in approaching every lesson (and every challenge) with trust, curiosity, and good humour: I help my students discover the joy in taking on challenges and seeing themselves grow as musicians.

We warm up, work on our pieces, wrap up with sight reading or ear training, and review our practice plans at the end of the lesson.