English and Italian speaking:
I moved to London from Italy, where I was born, and completed my studies up to University.

First Lesson - What to expect
I never have a plan for the first lesson! I need to know who you are, where you are coming from and what you want to achieve from the time together. As soon as this conversation has started, many different 'methods' come to mind and you usually will be left with something concrete and complete from the start: could be as simple as a chord, scale practice connected to a song you like, or, if you are more advanced and have prior knowledge, might be to explore a different style of music, or various practice techniques to read the score more easily . It is most exciting to have something new to work on straight away.

What type of piano do I need for my lessons?
Anyone can start lessons without having an instrument: it is however strongly recommended to get hold of a digital or acoustic piano, as soon as lessons are established. Piano music can be played, at the beginning stages, on a keyboard, but soon leaves the student hungry for a weighted keyboard. Difference between digital piano and keyboard is that the former has weighted keys, which means you can play louder or softer similarly to upright and grand pianos. Keyboard and Pianoforte are different. I will be able to help you when looking for an instrument suitable to your budget and needs.

What age groups does Elizabeth teach?
All ages, from 4 to 60+. I do not recommend starting piano lessons before primary school age, and usually a trial lesson is advisable if the child is very young. I also love teaching adults, as I believe there is a great sense of freedom and freshness in the idea of learning any new art later in life. Young children need lessons quite regularly, on a weekly basis, and will progress dramatically once a habit of practising has been established, whilst adults often find intervals of 2/3 weeks between lessons give enough time to process, practise and deal with other life commitments.

What books do I need?
It is best to wait a couple of lessons before buying any books. Most of the time I use 'Piano Adventure' series (Faber and Faber), as this sees the student playing on different hand positions and exploring the full range of the keyboard from the very start, and helps students play interesting tunes straight away. Other literature used is : Trinity syllabuses, Rockschool Piano, ABRSM jazz syllabuses, educational material by Tim Richards (expert jazz educator), Supersonics (by Daniel Farland), Perfect Start (Kevin and Julia Olsen), and also traditional classical collections, from early to most contemporary. Lots of material will be made available to integrate the lessons, through the online platform, on email, or in person.

Will I need to give exams?
I am well aware of exam requirements, and am always excited to explore the new Trinity and ABRSM syllabuses when they are published, however I have steered away from the grading system. You will find help in preparing for exams if you need or want to, however I find best results are achieved when learning freely jumping from classical to pop and jazz on each level, following your predisposition, playing what you like best, as this is the way in which you will learn to read, make and remember music faster. Sometimes children can take a grade 2 exam, to see what it is, and have the satisfaction and formal recognition, then explore and learn further, to then give a grade 5 exam after a few years, which might be useful when applying to a new school or have some certified qualification.

Special needs
I have a flexible approach to teaching: having explored and researched many methods, I try to taylor the lesson to the student: where a child or adult finds reading/ concentrating on a written score difficult, I spend most time on familiarising with the patterns of the keyboards, playing by rota and /or by ear, practising putting chords together, and, for example, learning how to play chords of songs, or simply making up harmonies from rhythms. Where, on the other hand, difficulty is to play away from the written score, I gently introduce simple steps to improvisation and ways to recognise patterns and chords in the score, to be able to read the music quicker. I actually enjoy looking for new material when difficulties come up that need a new perspective, as it also teaches me new ways to see things.