What to Expect from Piano Lessons
Never taken music lessons before? Don’t worry, we bring in lots of brand new music students every year. Here's how it works...
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Each week, you’ll see the same instructor, at the same time, most likely for 30 minutes. Your instructor will review what you worked on last time, correct any mistakes, and assign new material. Then, you take your new assignments home and practice them on your own. Your teacher will guide you as to how to practice and for how long, but most teachers recommend at least 5 practice sessions a week, even if each one isn’t that long. It’s always best to do more practice days for shorter periods of time than it is to cram long practice sessions into only a couple days!
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With piano lessons, you can expect your instructors to be well-educated on just about every aspect of the instrument. Many of our instructors for piano have been playing for almost their entire lives, and they have each amassed a wealth of knowledge when it comes to playing the instrument as well as understanding the concepts and even creating original pieces! Your instructor will likely want to begin by ensuring you understand the position of the keys and how to go about playing them. They will then teach you exercises and songs that will help you grow as a pianist and enhance your musicianship overall. Piano being one of the most versatile instruments out there, your instructor will work diligently with you to help you understand how to read music and use that ability to pick up songs and skills along the way.
As you progress week to week, your instructor will start to suggest supplemental material or activities to round out your training. He/She may suggest taking our Music Theory class, or participating in a summer program. Perhaps they even think you’re ready to take the stage and tell you to sign up for The Den! As you go along, your instructor will also be looking to you to set personal goals, so that you’re always working towards what you want to do with music!
If you get to the point where you feel that you want look into the music industry as a career choice, we will schedule a sit-down meeting with you (and your parents or guardians, if applicable) to help you get started. The New York School of Music network is far-reaching, and includes professionals throughout the Hudson Valley and at performing arts colleges. No matter what part of the music industry you’re interested in, we will do our best to connect you to relevant professionals in our network, arrange for work experience opportunities, and prepare you for entering the field.
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First half hour= $150/month, all additional half hours in immediately family= $140/month. We have no age limit for becoming a student!
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Scroll down to meet our wonderful instructors!
Robin Adamson- piano
Robin Adamson pursued her undergraduate studies in psychology at the University of Cincinnati, where she also studied piano under Aileen Shockley, a University of Cincinnati Conservatory graduate. She later earned a Master’s degree in Liberal Arts from Harvard University. In addition to her background in music, Robin has several years of experience in the social work field and has dedicated much of her career to working with developmentally disabled adults and children.
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Kristin Dockery - piano
Kristin Dockery started piano lessons at the age of seven. Studying with Diane Miller, she participated yearly in many piano adjudications including The Piano Guild, National Federation of Music Clubs, and NYSSMA. Kristin went on to earn her Bachelor of Arts degree in Music with a concentration in Classical Piano in 2009 under the tutelage of Dr. Ruthanne Schemp. While at SUNY New Paltz, she performed in many groups including Collegium Musicum, the College Youth Symphony, student chamber groups, and as an accompanist for other musicians. She was also a keyboardist for weekly masses at her church from 2006-2016.
Kristin has been teaching piano since 2008. She has taught students of all age ranges and tailors lessons based on the individual's needs. She tries to make lessons as fun as possible, incorporating games and many terrible puns! When not teaching, she enjoys playing board games, reading, and taking care of her 3 rambunctious cats and very patient dog with her other half, Ryan.
Jacob Friedman- piano, guitar, voice, music production
Jacob Friedman has been composing, educating and performing professionally since
graduating Columbia University. He has received certificate of recognition from the Carnegie
Hall American Protege International Music Competition for excellence in teaching. He has
scored the soundtracks for the Mysterious China documentary series by Monarex Hollywood
and has had his pieces performed at Princeton a University and at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, in Washington, D.C. As a songwriter, Jacob has released several albums spanning all genres from EDM to World music and collaborated with some notable writers including Peter Bliss, who produced for Barbra Streisand and NSYNC.
James Lippert - guitar, bass, drums, voice, ukelele, piano
James Lippert is a young musician who has been playing all sorts of instruments since Junior High. He actually started his music career here as a guitar student roughly a decade ago and has been performing around the area ever since! He's currently pursuing a Bachelor's in Psychology through SUNY New Paltz, and has been studying music and music theory since High School. His current plans involve a career in music therapy and music production. He is currently the lead singer for Cheating the Polygraph, as well as a multi-instrumentalist for bands such as Souls at Large. He developed a love for teaching music after working with our very own Brendan and Sinclair White and has been teaching any and every instrument he can since 2023. He's proficient in guitar, voice, bass, drums, ukelele, banjo, and piano; he also spends a vast majority of his spare time writing music as a songwriter. His current projects include Telethia, Serene Mayhem, and a handful of pieces under his own name! He absolutely loves seeing his students grow and do well, and he can't wait to see them take the stage.
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Rory Quinn - guitar, piano, ukulele, music production
Rory began to study music at the age of 5 with piano lessons and quickly developed a passion for it, eventually expanding to play guitar, bass and percussion. As a teenager, he performed with numerous bands throughout the Hudson Valley and Long Island. Rory decided to continue his music education at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, NY earning a Bachelors of Science in Music Industry. While there, he began instructing local children in both piano and guitar at the local Salvation Army, teaching them technique, theory and how to perform live.
When not teaching, Rory spends time writing music and recording albums, as well as acting as a freelance live sound engineer through the American Northwest.
Brendan White- guitar, piano, drums, voice, bass
Brendan White is a 27 year old musician who was born and raised in the Hudson Valley. He studied Music Therapy and Contemporary Music at SUNY New Paltz, where he graduated in 2018 and has been teaching ever since. He is proficient at guitar, piano, voice, drums, and bass.