Piano Lessons

1. Overview – Scott Pollack – “Piano Lessons in Your Home.” Please call Scott at 914.235.5416 (in Westchester County, NY) for more information. This videoclip includes an interview with Scott Pollack and one of his students, Kelly Sisco, with questions by the videographer, Frank Sisco. (Frank can be reached at 914.740.4422 or by email to ideasmoney@aol.com, or via www.VideoVoom.com.) Scott Pollack is a full-time piano instructor and has been guiding students for over 20 years, primarily in Westchester County, NY. Here are excerpts from text from the video interview. Scott – “I love teaching people to play the piano. I always try to make the material musical not just expedient.” . . . ” “The most important tool in my kit, or any piano teacher’s kit, is listening. Then I can individualize the assignment based on the student’s strengths and weaknesses and cover all the fundamentals. And the price is right. It’s only $30 per week. No contracts. I’d love to talk to you. 914.235.5416. Pianohousecalls.com.

2. Student, Kelly Sisco, talks about Scott Pollack, “He’s very patient. He’s not judgmental. You can get it wrong a thousand times and he still says you’re doing a fabulous job. You’re doing well…. He taught me to use more chords…. Then Kelly shows the guidebook Scott, including several standards that were handwritten by Scott during the lessons….Kelly plays “The Way You Look Tonight.”

3. Scott said the following about his handwriting the songs: “The most important part about that is that I’m teaching the student to be able to do the same thing. When I teach students songs, I’m also teaching them how to hear the songs and how the song is structured and they’re training their own ears gradually. By the way I teach, they will be able to do the same thing I did.”

4. On being thorough – “I care very much about the student progressing in the same way that I care about myself progressing on the piano. I try to make sure that every aspect of music, every aspect of playing the piano, is being covered with the assignments that I give, based on what the students’ strength and weaknesses.

5. The benefits of playing piano – “You can sit down all by yourself and you’re the entire orchestra. All ten of your fingers can be playing. Three of them can be playing the trumpet section. And down here could be the string section. Sometimes you can be the drummer. So that’s one great thing about the piano.

6. Scott does his improvisation on Cole Porter’s “What is Thing Called Love.”

7. The benefits of teaching piano in the home according to Kelly and Scott – Avoid rushing and last-minute stress, convenience, being used to your own piano.

8. When asked what is there to be gained from playing piano, Scott answered, “There are very few things that are better in the world.”

9. Scott plays “I’ll Remember April.”

10. Kelly plays “The Very Thought of You.”

11. End