Ms. Alison’s Piano FUNdamentals

Miss Alison is an AMAZING teacher. Our boys ADORE her, as do I for a multitude of reasons. First of all, Miss Alison, is the perfect mixture of fun and discipline. She truly is the Mary Poppins of New Zealand. I appreciate that the both the boys and I can feel comfortable asking her any type of question about music and know she won’t laugh. She also has a great working knowledge of human anatomy and how it relates to posture, fingering, and one’s wrists. She always finds something positive to say about the boys’ playing and when they do make mistakes, instead of pointing out the errors, she simply states, «what do you think you could have done better?», which makes them feel less frustrated and causes them to really think about the piece they are playing. In addition, she encourages the boys to compose their own pieces. While practicing traditional piano is lovely, I’m certain our boys enjoy letting loose a bit and playing just for fun. Composing also then reinforces their knowledge of the notes, time signatures, their speed, harmony, etc. Moreover, although our boys are at very different levels,(regardless of being the same age), Miss Alison can easily challenge both of their needs while at the same time understanding their subtle quirks about playing, as well as their emotional character, and overall individual needs. I think one of the best things about being able to take lessons in Miss Alison’s home is being able to have quality time with Molly & Smudgely. I think Molly and Smudgely help relax the boys and they enjoy waiting for the other to finish playing while giving Miss Molly some affection. Smudgely only chooses to grace our presence as we exit Miss Alison’s home, being the independent cat that he is, but I’m certain he likes the affection as well! You won’t go wrong if you choose to have Miss Alison as a teacher, whether you are looking for lessons for your children or yourself. If there were more hours in each day, this Momma would take lessons from her too!