About me

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I teach at my home studio only a few blocks from the ocean in the city of San Francisco. My students range in age from 5 to 85 years old and I love teaching them all.

Though some of my young students go on to attend conservatories like the Juilliard School, my real love is teaching quirky, bright kids who probably won't make their livings as musicians. My hope for all my students is that music will be a healthy, wonderful way to express themselves for the rest of their lives.

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I also enjoy teaching adults. My adult students are avocational pianists who play mostly at an advanced level, and piano teachers who want to improve their own playing. Most have advanced degrees in other fields: Medicine, Chemical Engineering and Education, for example. The adults have opportunities to perform each other about four times a year in a low-key, friendly atmosphere.

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I made my Carnegie Hall debut in 1991. I was the first woman to become a Fellow of the American Pianist Association and in 1982 I won the Music Teachers National Association College Artist Competition.

I attended the Juilliard School and earned a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from the University of Southern California where I studied with John Perry. I also received a Master of Music in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory where I was a student of Leon Fleisher.

I have 50 recordings of standard piano teaching repertoire. With the brilliant editor Keith Snell, I co-wrote the series, Piano Town, a 20-volume series for beginning piano students ages 7 - 10.

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If you're looking for teaching inspiration, visit teachwithdiane.com!