Paul J. — Piano Teacher — Toronto

Dr Paul Jessen has been teaching music since 1976, in New Zealand, Australia, Germany, Montreal, and Toronto. He completed his Master of Music degree at McGill, and Doctorate at University of Montreal in 1996. He is a Certified Teacher of the Royal Conservatory of Music, and a teaching member of the Ontario Registered Music Teachers' Association. He is also a choir conductor, and church organist. He has taught piano students from the age of 3 to 85, and prepared students for all RCM exams, from Level 1 to Associate diploma, as well as Associate, Licentiate, and Fellowship diploma for Trinity College of Music, London. Dr Jessen's teaching style is sympathetic and patient, adjusting constantly to the student's needs.

Piano lessons train the brain in multitasking, making the brain more complex and able to function as a whole, coordinating visual, auditory, tactile, and analytical modes concurrently. Playing the piano gives pleasure to the student for all their lives because age does not rob us of the ability to play. At the same time playing the piano trains all the digits on both hands, preparing students for many tasks and careers from computer to brain surgery. Hence music is the most enjoyable form of brain gym that students can participate in. Music is the only activity that assists in keeping the brain active through to old age. Piano lessons include learning pieces to enjoy, while training the fingers to work independently, practising various finger exercises to gain strength and agility, learning to read music and understand and use the grammar of music, and gently progressing to a level of expertise where the student may play the style of music they enjoy. This process does take a number of years, typically eight years before students can play music they hear in their daily lives. Music exams can be prepared for if desired, and level 8 of the Royal Conservatory of Music exam system is accepted as a High School credit. Music lessons are all individually catered for the student, progressing at a pace they are comfortable with, thus progress varies considerably from one individual to another, depending on talent and the amount of daily practice that the student maintains.