Throughout the past 26 years that I have studied piano, I have had a glimpse into the complexity of it––always curious as to how to get a great sound and to learn how to play beautifully and well. Most of the teachers I had were pretty good at basic mechanics––teaching me to learn the notes, the key signature, etc. but never really going too much into what you were playing. That is, until I started studying with Donna Cercone––upon hearing me play a Chopin waltz for the first time, was shocked and amazed to find that although I recognized the key, I had no idea what chords I was playing!

I always depended a lot on my ear to hear the melody in the right hand and try to duplicate what I had heard in the left by having someone play it, or listening to a record. Also, since counting was not my forté either, I could make a Chopin waltz sound like an Argentinian tango––not to mention my “Marxian technique” which I think I got from watching Harpo…

Fast forward 2 years and now I can say with confidence that I can really play better, I count and my technique is steadily improving. I have integrated a great deal more about the music I am playing from the Cercone Learning Method. She has thought out in great detail how to recognize intervals, how to easily identify chords and note how the chords progress––making it easy from the very beginning.

I am not sure what my other teachers were thinking about as I was paying them for lessons, but I really wonder if they thought it is possible to learn to play well by just knowing the notes and without getting into music theory. Then again, for some the idea of studying music theory would be like taking calculus….But a good teacher knows how to make it easy and fun, and Donna is certainly one how knows how to make learning the piano fun as you get deeper and deeper into the music! I only wish I had started with her from the very beginning.