I am a piano teacher located in Reno, NV (near SW McCarran, between Cashill and Greensburg) with a Master’s degree in piano performance and a Bachelor’s degree in mathematics. I am also a permanently certified teacher through MTNA (Nationally Certified Teacher of Music). I teach kids age 5 and up, and I teach all levels (beginning through very advanced).
You may like to visit my artist site at www.twedt.com, which includes information pertaining to performances, composing, sheet music and videos.
Background: I was raised in Reno, NV, living for a period of 7 years in Pittsburgh, PA when my wife did her medical residency and fellowship. We knew we would come back to Reno before we left because we love our family, friends, climate, and things to do here in Reno.
I have performed some of the most difficult works in piano repertoire, and I’ve always performed myself in all three student recitals each year in order to provide students with inspiration.
Results: One of my former students won a concerto competition and can be seen performing with the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh here. In April 2018, one of my students was the Pennsylvania state winner of her level in the NFMC festival competition and was also awarded second place overall among all levels. The next year, two students won their levels of the same competition, and one student placed first and the other second overall among all levels (a combined $800 in prize money).
Many of my former students have been accepted into competitive music programs and received music scholarships after graduating from high school, and numerous students have gone into teaching careers themselves, including one who is a piano professor with a musical doctorate. My students always feel confident when participating in outside musical events because of the high standards I set for them.
98% of my students received Superior ratings in the NFMC festival each year from 2013, when my students first started participating in this festival, until I moved back to Reno in 2019 (93 out of 95 solo piano and piano duet performances). My students have continued to earn similar results in the festival since returning to Reno. The same was true of a local festival in Reno, NV, in which my students participated from 1998-2012.
In the four years I entered students into the PPTA competition in Pittsburgh, 7 out of 8 students placed or received honorable mention, including two placing 1st and three placing 2nd. In March 2012, one of my students was runner-up in a concerto competition. I achieve these results with a spirit of gentle honesty (see my teaching philosophy for more on that).
Exams: Students who wish to begin or continue Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) Exams, Royal Conservatory of Music (RCM) Exams or Trinity College London Music Grade Exams can do so under my study. Although I don’t actively seek out these exams for my students, I am comfortable preparing students for any of these exams when requested.
Adults: I have taught adults of all ages throughout the years, ranging from beginners to very advanced students who have music degrees.
I have adult students perform from memory in recitals. Students who don’t tend not to prepare pieces beyond the preparation threshold, and they are eager to go on to the next piece before the current piece is ready to be considered “completed.” Years of not playing in recitals compound over time, creating a significant gap between the level of repertoire and the level of performance skill needed to support that repertoire. Nothing motivates high quality and quantity practicing like recital preparation!
Rate: Payment each month is the same flat amount, based on 46 lessons per year. Please contact me for the actual rate.
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