Piano Lessons via Zoom
Play the piano with joy!
Read music with confidence!
Tammy teaches piano with the Snowman's Dream Piano Method. The method is written on the basis that a musical chord looks like: a snowman. The method emphasizes learning the location of the five most used C's on the piano and their placement on the music staves. All other notes are read and played in relation to the C's - steps (2nds), skips(3rds), etc. Thus, the emphasis is on learning the patterns of how notes relate to each other, instead of memorizing note-names. Many believe this makes music reading easier, more fun, therefore resulting in greater success.
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Tammy learned of this method through her then teenage daughter, whose studying abroad included music lessons. Her daughter’s piano lessons with the Snowman’s Dream (Schneemans Traum) Piano Method allowed her to read music easily for the first time, after almost a decade of violin and piano lessons and mainly relying on playing by ear because of frustration with note reading. The Snowman’s Dream helped her learn more new music exceptionally quickly and also to grasp the concept of rhythm in a deeper way. Her daughter says; “Learning to think about music with the Snowman’s Dream strategies felt like an enlightenment and I felt like quite a new music student with a whole new level of potential greater than previously imagined.” The Snowman's Dream was her daughter’s note reading miracle and Tammy soon began to study the method via Skype.
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Tammy is one of the only Snowman's Dream Piano Method trained teachers in the USA. She is currently working with a publisher to print the books in Michigan.
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Working with children and adults, Tammy focuses on the love and delight of music for life, following each student’s interests, learning styles, and preferred genre of music. The blend of Tammy’s pedagogical studies gives her a unique set of teaching skills. In addition to the Snowman’s Dream Piano Method, Tammy has studied and taught the following: Traditional Piano Education, Orff-Schulwerk, Suzuki Piano Method, Flute, Recorder, Folk Dance, Elementary Education, Waldorf Education, Home Education, and Unschooling. Tammy has worked with students ages infant to 85 teaching children,
adults, parents, families, and educators.
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"Learning to play a musical instrument provides a peaceful retreat from the pressures of daily life. Therapeutic outcomes of playing music include better communication skills, improved emotional release, and decreased anxiety and agitation. Musical training promotes cognitive function, mental health, and a connection to others"
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- A Prescription for Music Lessons
WHAT PEOPLE SAY
Mary Cooperwasser
Adult Student
Ann Arbor, Michigan
“When can I practice?” is just about the first thing I think of each morning. I’m playing as I never have before. (Ssh!) I’m in my 70’s and haven’t played since I was a kid. Now I’m playing Chopin - who would have thought! My Mom and Dad would be so proud! Tammy is the best teacher ever. Thank you Tammy!
PS I’m going to gift Tammy’s Zoom lessons to my daughter out East so she too can pick up where she left off as a kid!
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Lindsey Duncan
Musician & Teacher
Maineville, Ohio
Tammy helped to foster my lifelong love of music. I took group recorder lessons as a child and was really struggling. In private lessons with her – first recorder, then piano – I found the joy in the instrument. Her patience and flexibility made all the difference. Most people think of recorder as a child’s toy, but I ended up playing three different registers of recorder – soprano, alto and tenor – in a professional Renaissance performance group. I’m a professional Celtic/lever harp judge, performer and teacher now, and I hope I share with my own students the same qualities and generosity Tammy shared with me. Thank you, Tammy!
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Kim Likosky
Physical Therapist
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Tammy's taught and mentored my 15 year-old-son since he was in 2nd grade and we could not be happier. Through the years she's adjusted to meet his individual needs while nurturing and developing him through his musical achievements including participating in Solo and Ensemble Festival, school solo performances, and performing his own musical compositions. They have a comfortable and open teacher-student relationship built on open communication and respect for each other. Tammy's knowledge and awareness of child development brings a depth to her teaching that enables her to meet her students where they're at and easily adjust as needed. As a parent, I am grateful for Tammy's collaboration as we worked together to support my son's musical development. She's become a family friend and we are grateful for her ability to teach, guide, and mentor him over the past 8 years.