​TESTIMONIALS

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Tomoko is a truly brilliant musician and teacher. Her artistry and technical skill are impeccable, and she exudes warmth and patience. My daughter started piano lessons with her at 4 1/2 years old, and they have had a wonderful relationship from the outset. Tomoko meets my daughter where she is at each lesson–never pushing too hard or letting her take it too easy. It has been 3 years now, and my child's development on the piano has exceeded expectations, but more important to me, she absolutely enjoys it! She looks forward to lessons each week and loves the process of learning the instrument. Tomoko has kept her engaged and curious–even and especially through Covid-19 when lessons went remote. She has fostered a genuine love of music and the piano in my child. I feel so fortunate to have my daughter learn from someone so gifted and generous.
​- Abigail G. (Parent)

My son has autism and has been taking piano lessons with his Teacher Cindy for about a year. Cindy is an excellent teacher with highly professional performing skills, comprehensive knowledge of music, and a wonderful personality. Not to mention, her patience is that of a saint. She teaches my son kindly and patiently to pay attention not only to technical detail but also to the emotion that every piece should express. My son learns "differently," and this has never been an issue with Cindy as she got to know how my son learns and works with him from there. She is vibrant, colorful and enthusiastic with her teachings. Cindy has become part of the family. I am so thankful to have found such a wonderful piano teacher to not only mentor my son, but to have fun while learning. I would recommend Cindy for anyone looking for a solid and enjoyable music experience.
-Tamara M. (Parent) ​

 I started piano lessons for my daughter at three and a half years old  While that might seem young, I was really only interested in introducing the piano to her. I had no big expectations.  However, now after almost a year (and one recital under her belt) I have to say that I have seem my daughter blossom musically under the guidance of Tomoko.  Not only does she learn piano but also voice and musicality, which together creates a wonderful appreciation of music.  Tomoko's approach makes music fun and enjoyable.  My daughter plays at home, reading her music, singing and even improvising. 
- Melissa H. (Parent)

Our daughter started piano instruction with Tomoko at the age of 5. Being born into a musical family in Austria I received my own piano lessons from an early age. It was important to me that our daughter receives proper instruction on the instrument. Tomoko is a fantastic instructor. Our daughter's progress and the impressive skill of her students in general are testimony to her quality as an instructor. Tomoko has found the balance between strong technical instruction and ensuring that children develop a passion for piano and don't lose interest. She achieves that by combining instruction in sheet music reading, rhythm, finger exercises, finger technique, etc. and selecting music for each individual student that is enjoyable and challenges them to the next level. She tops that off by holding an annual student recital, which forces students to polish their newly acquired skills. I feel lucky that we get to work with Tomoko and can't thank her enough for putting so much heart and passion into her students' education.
- Bernd S. (Parent)

I highly recommend Tomoko as a piano teacher. She is truly passionate about music and about teaching. Both my ten years old daughter and my eight years old son, as well as myself, have been taking weekly lessons with her for several years now, and we all love it. Tomoko is patient and gentle, yet takes herself and her students seriously and pushes us encouragingly to develop. She does not only focus on our skills but also expand our musical education and horizons more broadly.
Tomoko is versatile and masters various styles and while trained as a classic pianist plays also Jazz and its sub styles. She focuses her teaching on finding beautiful pieces that fit each one of us and our temperament, and not on the more monotonic text book pieces. She has gotten both of our kids to play beautifully quite complicated pieces, and arranges — together with her husband, a jazz guitar player— wonderful recitals twice a year.
- Diana W (Parent)

​​As an adult who took 10 years of piano lessons, scored a Level 5 on two NYSMA competitions while in high school, and yet cannot play a single complete piece of music today, I am thrilled to have Tomoko as my children’s piano instructor because she is first and foremost a lover of music and a believer in its power to be a lifelong source of joy. While my own piano instructor focused on teaching me how to play specific pieces of music, Tomoko teaches my children how to express themselves musically. She is a classically trained pianist with a genuine gift for teaching.  She has cultivated a deep connection with my two children (aged 11 and 9) by quickly getting to know them both personally and musically. She tailors her teaching to meet their specific needs and likes, drawing upon my son’s love of Star Wars, for example, and my daughter’s interest in singing. Tomoko uses a multitude of different avenues and entry points to reach each of my two very different kids with joy and a love for music that will be deep and lasting. I am enormously grateful to her for the care she brings to each lesson, and for the beautiful music she has brought into our family’s home. The enormous progress my children made in just six months of lessons speaks for itself. Tomoko is simply outstanding at what she does.
- Tracey S. (Parent)