F.A.Q.

How do I contact you?

• Email: aaron.gardner.piano@gmail.com

• Call/text: 347-407-2838

What are your rates?

• Please contact me to discuss rates

Where do you teach?

• I teach in Montclair, NJ

• I travel to you and teach in your home, on your instrument

I don't live in Montclair, NJ - can I still take lessons with you?

• Because I drive to each lesson, I'm limited to students who live in Montclair or within a 10-minute drive

• Townships I'm able to partially cover include: Cedar Grove, Clifton, Bloomfield, Glen Ridge, and Verona

How long is each lesson?

• 30 minutes, once a week - for most elementary school students

• 45 minutes, once a week - for most middle/high school students and adults

What days and times are you available to teach?

• Monday through Friday, 1:00 PM - 9:00 PM

What forms of payment do you accept?

• Venmo (preferred)

• Zelle

• Cash

What's the youngest age you teach?

• 1st Grade - Students need to be in 1st grade already.

• If you'd like to discuss your child's readiness, contact me anytime. 

Do you teach adult students?

• Not at this time.

I have a digital piano/keyboard at home - will this work for lessons?

• Maybe. Some digital pianos and electronic keyboard are great instruments for learning piano. I lived in a small apartment in Brooklyn for years and only had space for a digital piano and it worked great.

• The 3 most important features a digital keyboard should have for piano lessons are:

  • Full-size keys - physical size of each key needs to be identical to an acoustic piano. 

  • Touch-sensitive keys - when you press hard it sounds loud, when you press softly it sounds quiet

  • Weighted keys - the keys have resistance and movement that mimics the "action" of an acoustic piano

  • 88 keys - this is how many an acoustic piano has

• If you have questions about your keyboard, or if you'd like help selecting a suitable model, I'm happy to help.

  • This article is a great review by pianists of several digital models.

What books do I need and where do I get them?

• We'll select books after the first few lessons in most cases

• I'll send you links to purchase books online

• The methods I use most often are: Piano Adventures (Faber) and Premier Piano (Alfred)

• For intermediate/older students, we'll pick material based on your musical goals and favorite genres, composers, artists

• Additionally, I augment books with my own arrangements and print-outs of songs and exercises, customized for each student

Do your students get opportunities to perform?

• Yes! Sharing music with others is super rewarding and motivating, and a great skill to practice in its own right

• I put on a concert/recital/celebration in the spring, near the end of the school year

• Performances aren't required - I never want to force a student to perform if they decide it's not for them

What styles of music do you teach?

• All of them :) 

• Classical, jazz, rock, blues, country, pop, broadway, film/game soundtracks, et al. Nothing is off limits

• For most students, especially beginners, classical/traditional piano material is a great foundation and will be a focus

• I am classically trained and I've studied jazz piano

• I've played keyboards in several rock/cover bands

• I also play drums, guitar, sing, and write/record songs