Question # 5 : Who can teach me the Taubman Approach most effectively?
Answer: Certified Instructors in the Taubman Approach OR those that have recently studied with a Taubman Master Teacher for a minimum of 30 hours.
More Information: Because of the internationally high demand for learning the Taubman Approach, piano teachers that teach the approach naturally have a higher marketability than those who do not. This temptation of high demand has led some piano teachers to unfairly label themselves as Taubman Teachers without having the necessary amount of knowledge and/or experience to teach the work in an effective way. Results of studying with improperly qualified Taubman teachers have led some students to more serious injury and frustration than before!
This leads to the very important question of: Who can I trust to teach me the Taubman Approach well?
The Answer: Teachers and Affiliates of the Golandsky Institute.
The 33 Certified Teachers of the Golandsky Institute are individuals that have dedicated their professional lives to studying the work of Dorothy Taubman and communicating that information to others. All of these individuals have taken years to gain certification in the Taubman Approach in addition to the hours of travel time for lessons, and the significant amounts of money to pay for lessons. In addition to the time and monetary investments, these individuals have mastered the art of balancing the time needed to study, practice, communicate, and research the work. These instructors are the preeminent teachers of the Taubman Approach and should be labeled as the leading authorities on the subject.
For a complete list of Certified Taubman Instructors, please click here.
This information begs another question: Where does Kyle fit into all of this?
The Answer: Because of the unfathomable respect that I have for this work, I will answer this question with all honesty. I will start out by saying that I am not (yet) a Certified Instructor of the Taubman Appraoch. I add ‘yet’ because I have currently dedicated my piano teaching career to achieving this goal of certification. I currently study the work twice a month with Golandsky Institute faculty member, Mr. Robert Durso and I have accumulated over 50 hours of individual study with him over the past couple of years. I do not pretend to know as much as a Certified Instructor; however, I know enough information that I can benefit anyone that is willing to learn the work with me. My students also have the security in know that should I not know an answer to a question, I have a plethora of authoritative resources that will assist in any matter. The next step in my journey is to share my knowledge of the Taubman Approach to my students that are curious and dedicated enough to learning the work. To those that currently study and those that are thinking of studying with me, I promise you these things:
- To give you accurate information on the Approach when needed in order to improve your playing
- To have honesty and integrity in my own learning and teaching of the approach
- To use my additional resources (Certified Instructors, published resources, videos, etc.) to assist in teaching a concept to a student that I am not an expert at yet.
