Liz
Today it’s my pleasure to introduce you to Elizabeth Tyree, or Liz, as she likes to be called! Liz teaches piano lessons with Winterhalter Music. She also has significant background in composition and holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in composition from Shenandoah University and the University of Louisville. I’m very grateful to Liz because she converted all of the Winterhalter Music arrangements (previously handwritten) into pdf documents for our arrangement catalogue- now shareable for all of our students!
Liz and her husband are both musicians. In fact, they love music so much that they named their daughter Eroica after Beethoven’s 3rd Symphony “the Eroica”, which means heroic. What a cool name!
Read my interview with Liz to learn more about her and her teaching.
1. Why did you decide to become a music teacher?
It is a really fun job! I started teaching when I was 17 and continued to teach through college. After years of teaching I still keep learning from each student.
2. Describe your teaching style.
Patient and hopeful. Children are learning and need lots of patience from teachers. I do my best not to give students answers, but try to lead them to the answer. I am hopeful that each student will turn into a good piano player.
I started playing the piano at the age of 6; I went through many teachers and they all said the same thing, “Practice.” But none of them told me how to practice. And sitting at the piano for 30 minutes a day was daunting. (I wasn’t a great student when I was young.) I didn’t start practicing properly until about 13, and finally I learned how to practice efficiently when I reached college. I teach my youngest to my oldest students how to practice efficiently and break hard parts into more manageable sizes. I also encourage the use of the metronome! By the time my students reach the red book (the second book, level 1) my students start using a metronome.
I also encourage listening! I ask my older students to listen to a broadcast on YouTube at least once a month.
3. What is your favorite thing about teaching?
To watch these young people, who know nothing about music, start to make music. Spreading the joy of music – no matter the style of music.
4. What is your favorite music to play and listen to?
I love an array of music: swing, pop, jazz, Celtic, music electronica, Renaissance, Romantic and early 20th century music of Stravinsky and Debussy, to more non traditional composers such as Tan Dun, Gyorgy
Ligeti, Olivier Messiaen, and the list goes on. I am always trying to find new music and different styles. Right now I love listening to the Piano Guys; they play their instruments in non conventional ways and incorporate pop and classical styles.
Music I play is varied as well; most of my repertoire is classical music, but right now I am trying to improve my jazz piano style. I am learning a few select pop songs and a few from The Beatles because my daughter, Eroica, enjoys singing “Yellow Submarine.”
5. What are some fun facts that people might not know about you?
When I was young my family didn’t use airplanes as transportation because of my mother’s fear of flying. As a teenager, I was obsessed with the concepts of flying and skydiving, and as a 22nd birthday gift to myself, I went for my first plane ride and skydive at the same time.
Thanks for reading today’s article! If you enjoyed it, leave a comment below, subscribe to the newsletter and share this with your friends. You can learn more about Liz in her bio.
If you would like to find out more about starting lessons with Liz or one of our other fantastic teachers, click here to contact us.
Have a great day!
Cassie
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