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Nikos offers private lessons in piano, improvisation, composition, and theory to students of all ages and skill levels remotely via Zoom. He is well versed in many genres of music, including jazz, classical, pop, and R&B. Nikos is a certified instructor of the Taubman Approach to piano, a comprehensive study of alignment and movement at the instrument that supports overcoming injury and technical limitations.
Please contact Nikos at nikos@nikospiano.com to inquire about scheduling and rates.
Testimonials
I studied classical piano as a child for two years, and in my 40s I started teaching myself jazz. I have now been studying with Nikos for a year, and we have worked on hand and body choreography following the Taubman Approach in the context of both classical and jazz piano. Studying with him has made my playing both easier on my body and more musically expressive!
Before studying the Taubman Approach, playing for long periods of time would often cause me tension in my upper-neck and forearms. Since starting my lessons, applying the correct movement and fingerings to avoid tension and stretching has eliminated this pain. Besides helping me play without pain, The Taubman Approach has given me valuable insights on how to play more expressively and to master difficult passages.
Nikos is a wonderful and supportive teacher. He clearly explains the principles of the Taubman Approach and how to apply them on one’s own, providing multiple solutions to any given problem and walking the student through the thought processes regarding them. I have found him to be a great musical guide in my creative exploration of different styles and genres, and I’m sure that anyone seeking to learn the Taubman Approach would find the same.
~ Mark Vayman
My son studied with Nikos for three years and had the best experience! Nikos has a great way of connecting with kids and is able to keep them engaged and focused in his lessons by using what he knows and learns about their personalities. He is incredibly patient, super positive with kids and also able to kindly redirect them back to a task when needed. My son really thrived from the positive reinforcement Nikos provided and was able to move through harder pieces or techniques because of Nikos' praise and specific direction. He was able to break down techniques into easier steps for my son to learn and provided specific instructions for practice. As a result, my son flourished in his piano progress and always looked forward to his lessons with Nikos.
~ Kelly Raf
After taking piano lessons as a child, I started again as an adult, and became frustrated with my poor technique, which was limiting what I could play. I found Nikos after looking for a new piano teacher for months. It was worth the wait! Nikos has transformed my playing in ways I never thought possible. His problem-solving mindset, keen eye for detail, and kind and empathetic nature make each lesson extremely productive and fun! With his guidance, I am continually amazed at how easy and natural the most difficult passages can feel. After a year with Nikos, I can play pieces with accuracy, agility, and musical expression that were simply not possible for me before and I have a completely new and more efficient approach to my practice.
~ Jill Hendrickson
I've been working with Nikos for the last 3 years and have learned so much in my lessons with him! My primary background is that of an audio engineer and producer and while I've had some formal training in music theory and performance as a keyboard player, I always felt there were holes in my knowledge that I wanted to work on.
After starting my own artist project, I really wanted to strengthen my knowledge in a few key areas and so I started working with Nikos to improve my playing, theory knowledge and ear training. Working with Nikos has yielded tremendous improvements in all of the areas I had hoped for, plus more! I feel more comfortable and confident at the piano, and have a wealth of new knowledge to lean on in my writing.
I've also studied some of the Taubman Approach with Nikos after discussing with him some recurring pain while playing in my right wrist. The instruction I received from Nikos drastically improved my discomfort while playing - and even translated well to my work as an audio engineer on a mouse and/or a trackpad. The pain in my wrist is no longer debilitating - what a joy!
I can't recommend Nikos enough! He is a very kind, attentive, patient and thoughtful teacher - and his knowledge is beyond extensive. He's always able to meet me where I'm at in terms of knowledge, and makes me feel very comfortable even though I might be nervous about a new exercise. Even on weeks where I haven't had a ton of time to practice, Nikos is able to bring up concepts on the fly that deliver a ton of value.
I'm so grateful I've had the opportunity to learn from such an amazing musician and teacher - thanks Nikos!!
~ Jonah McClean
Our daughters (ages 11 & 13) studied with Nikos for two years and grew tremendously during that time. According to our oldest, “I took piano for years and then when I started learning from Nikos…Zoom! I just took off!” His encouraging and positive approach kept my girls engaged and progressing. His passion, in depth knowledge, and caring personality made piano fun! Nikos helped our girls gain an understanding of the technique and theory behind the music. This made all the difference!
~ Heather Brady
My name is Marcus Harbaugh, and I'm a Cruise Director, pianist, and bandleader working on American riverboat cruise ships. I play piano 7 days a week, 3+ hours a day for weeks at a time.
I first started studying the Taubman method on my own (using the DVDs) about 10 years ago, and I was able to remove almost all of the pain and injurious movements from my playing in a pretty short amount of time. That in of itself probably saved my career, and I managed to avoid any debilitating injuries. However, there were some elements of the technique I knew I hadn't properly figured out (being that I was self-teaching the method), and so after a number of years, I was finally able take some Zoom lessons from a certified Taubman instructor. Because I had managed to eliminate pain from my playing, what I now needed was help trying to dial in some of the movements associated with speed and accuracy.
Nikos did a really good job of zeroing on the extremely subtle movements that make up the most foundational layers of the technique, and he was able to show me a couple of key areas where I was just a little bit "off." Over the span of a few months, we were able to meticulously work through all the basic techniques. It's been about 3 months since we worked through all of that, and I'm now really starting to feel all those changes "settle in" to my normal playing. In the past I used to feel like my fingers were slipping on the keys when I played, and playing accurately was largely a matter of luck. These days, I can feel the fingers playing deep into each and every note with a feeling of strength and security. The keys themselves now feel almost weightless, and the tone that is produced has a dark, rich quality.
I've taken countless lessons across multiple disciplines throughout my life (piano, trumpet, trombone, guitar, voice, golf, drums, bass, etc.). Nikos is as fine a teacher as I've ever come across, and as a "professional student," I can say wholeheartedly that if you study with Nikos, you'll be in good hands!
~ Marcus Harbaugh
Our son began lessons with Nikos in third grade and continued with him for three years. Our son is a really active and social kid and Nikos was able to keep him engaged, even with two years of live digital lessons during the pandemic. He taught with a holistic approach which went well beyond learning how to play a song. He always strived to help our son learn the “why.” Nikos is patient, kind, and extremely knowledgeable in his profession. I would recommend him to anyone.
~ Sarah Boudreaux
My daughter, Ale studied with Nikos for 2.5 years. Nikos was able to accommodate to the changes brought on by Covid very effectively and also was able to keep Ale interested and engaged even with remote learning. One great thing about the lessons is that he encouraged Ale to practice, get better and also at the same time gave her some freedom and encouraged her to put put her personal touch in the interpretation with some very good results. Similarly the efforts on working on personal pieces and compositions was a great experience.
~ Dario Farias