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Laszlo Gardony, Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"I try to teach students ways of practicing in which inspiration and analysis mutually support each other. My aim is to teach them an appreciation of both intuition and analysis so there is no conflict between the two. Instead, they mutually enhance each other. I want to see my students grow more inspired as well as more knowledgeable. I always emphasize having fun while learning, enjoying the process. I encourage my students to always practice in a musical way, never approaching music mechanically or viewing it as a mere skill."
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Kevin Harris, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"My own musical roots were watered in Lexington, Kentucky. The black gospel experience was my first and most important music education. I realize that each student at Berklee also brings a very special history of their own, and I have the opportunity to continue to mold, water, and inspire that talent. We teachers at Berklee have privilege to pass on the same joy and knowledge to our students that was passed on to us."
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Steve Heck, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"I bring in my experiences from outside the school because I want to prepare my students for what’s out there. I want them to know what to expect. When you’re in school it can be kind of mesmerizing, then you’re out and all of a sudden it’s, 'Gee, this is the real world.' I’ll tell them, for instance, that they should know how to do a certain thing in their chords because someday they might be out on a gig and someone might ask, 'Can you play this open voicing?' or say, 'I want this for my recording and that’s the sound I’m looking for.' I want my students to be ready for anything and everything out there."
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Russell Hoffmann, Associate Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"Playing the piano has got such a physical component to it. Understanding the gestures, the body motion, the language of each style—then incorporating an intellectual knowledge of the music along with the sound—it all works together. There’s no substitute for just getting in there, experiencing it, and playing, playing, playing."
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Steven Hunt, Instructor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department
"We musicians have our good days and our bad days. One moment we're learning something new and flying high, and the next moment we feel like a complete failure. As musicians, we're very happy to be doing what we do, but usually we're never satisfied. When I finally master a concept or a song, I hardly ever give myself a pat on the back, because by that time I've found five or six other things I want to do but can't. I see those same ups and downs with my students. They'll be elated when they learn something new one week and then really bummed the next week thinking they are not making the progress they want. Believe me, I know it's frustrating, but it's very normal for all musicians at all levels to have these seemingly extreme ups and downs."
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Matt Jenson, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"Any artist out there, whether they're formally trained or not, needs to go out there and learn to play like the people they're inspired by. You've got to study, develop some ability and technique, but then the great artists come out and say, 'I'm going to put it together in my own way.' And that's new, that's exciting."
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Douglas Johnson, Associate Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"Whether it's in private piano lessons, labs, or keyboard classes, I want my students to come away with a solid technical foundation. Good technique is important, not just for fluency but also to avoid getting hurt. Good technique, by definition, is efficient motion. It comes not just from the fingers, but also the shoulders and all the way down to the feet. The old Russian saying, 'You play the piano from your feet,' is really true. It would be absurd to believe you can lift a 60-pound suitcase with just your fingers. It's equally absurd to think you play piano with just your fingers."
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David Limina, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"I like to stress practical skills like playing the right thing for the right situation, and I also teach different styles because being able to cover a wide range of styles will make you marketable as a player. I stress playing with good time, good phrasing, and not overplaying. One of the biggest lessons I give them from my own real-life experience is that a gig usually isn't about highlighting yourself; it's more about functioning in an ensemble and playing your part. They have to learn how to play in a band, and Berklee's a great place to do that."
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Nando Michelin, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"I take an individual approach to each student. And if I ask my students to use a certain sound to write a song, I tell them, 'Wherever the song takes you, go with it. I'd rather you tell me you wrote a song that has nothing to do with what I gave you, and it sounds great, than tell me you threw away ten songs because you wanted to do one like I asked you to do.' If my students understand that the music comes first all the time, then they get to that point at which they always are trying to break down barriers and let the music take over.'"
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Yoko Miwa, Assistant Professor
DEPARTMENT : Piano Department"I strive to help develop the technique of my students, so they have the ability to play what they are hearing in their head, while at the same time helping to develop their vocabulary, hearing, and awareness. I try to encourage my students to be more than prepared, so they can be focused on communicating and interacting with the other musicians they are playing with. If you have to use all your concentration to be able to make all the chord changes, or play a specific rhythm, or play a unison line, then you're going to miss out on all of that communication and interaction that is essential for group playing."
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