"My 9 year old daughter Ally was introduced to piano lessons one year ago this month by Ms. Darrolyn! I can honestly say that after years of trying to find something Ally is interested in, we finally found it with Ms. Darrolyn. Her love for music is poured into each student and Ally is not only gaining a life skill, but I've seen her grow in confidence too. Ms. Darrolyn's enthusiastic spirit towards each of her students makes her a fantastic teacher! Ally has found a place where she feels affirmed, encouraged and excited to go to. I am thrilled to see my daughter learning from someone who embraces life while making music along the way." "My son, who recently turned six years, has been taking piano lessons from Darrolyn for about eight months. He always looks forwards to piano and has never not wanted to go. He also is doing great and practices the piano by himself without me ever having to ask him:). He is having so much fun and doing so good that I decided to take piano myself, since November. Thank you Miss Darrolyn. Sincerely," "Thank you Ms. Darrolyn for helping Maili to appreciate playing the piano and singing. It is a joy for us to see how she enjoys it so." "I started taking lessons from Darrolyn in my forties, and have been for five years, having never studied piano. I have a very stressful job, and juggle responsibilities as the mom of a middle schooler, and piano has become my refuge. It's something that I do just for myself, and she has been a great guide along the way. She's a terrific teacher and has become a good friend. I can't recommend her highly enough. "My daughter has been taking piano lessons from Miss Darrolyn for over two years. In addition to the notes on the sheet music, Miss Darrolyn teaches my daughter to love music. Eve's ability has increased tremendously since we started, and her love of the piano has grown as well. She looks forward to her lessons each week, practices regularly because she is heart-connected to her teacher. That means the world to me!" "Darrolyn, it is a pleasure to take a moment to thank you publicly for your contribution to my life. I began taking piano lessons after my 61st birthday, figuring that if skill requires five thousand hours of good practice then I still had time to develop some skill. I have studied a number of meditative and physical practices. Practicing piano with the right instruction is one of the best meditative and physical practices that I have ever done. After eight months, I am still enjoying every moment of my practice. I have no frustration, no desire to quit so as to make room in my schedule for something else, and no feeling that I will ever stop learning. I took lessons for a few months twenty years ago. I can’t compare your skill to another teacher’s. I would say that you can set aside the busyness of the day and really hear me play. I wish I had your ability to see and hear the world moment by moment accurately and without judgment. Thank you." "Thanks you Ms. Darrolyn for helping Maili to appreciate playing the piano and singing. It is a joy for us to see how she enjoys it so." "Darrolyn
understands the learning need of each individual. She
was fantastic with my children when they were young,
and now that my daughter is a teen, and is very unique
in her talents and her learning style, Darrolyn makes
each lesson work for her. She is a patient, kind
and loving teacher, and one who listens and guides
in the best possible way. Yeah!" "Darrolyn is a terrific teacher. She has been
teaching my 7-year old daughter since the age of 5.
It's always a delight to see her progress.
Darrolyn works very well with kids because she is patient
and with her joyful personality, she makes learning
to play the piano a fun experience.
My daughter has more self-confidence and poise since
she first began her lessons. Darrolyn's way of teaching
helps kids feel good about themselves." I first met Darrolyn when I was in a rhythm class when i was 2, and Darrolyn has been my piano teacher since I was 4 years old. She has taught me so many things these past 12 years and I can't thank her enough. Darrolyn is such a great, fun teacher and is so patient with her students. I remember my first lessons with her when I was a little girl. She taught me where all the keys were on the piano using a story about animals to help me remember where they were. I was so excited to learn little tunes within the next month like "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and "Hot Cross Buns." 12 years later,
I am playing
original songs by Beethoven, Mozart, and so many other famous
composers. I learned to play new songs so quickly, and each year
my
level of playing would get so much better. Not only is she a great
teacher, but she is also such a wonderful person. She's so nice and
greatly cares about her students. Over these past 12 years she has not
only been my piano teacher, but has also become a dear friend. Ms. Darrolyn is an incredibly talented and
experienced piano teacher, and my six year old son Keenan thoroughly
enjoys learning to play the piano with her. Each of her lessons
is productive, effective and encouraging for him. She maintains
an extraordinary balance of structure and discipline with enthusiasm
and joy, which results in a sense of accomplishment and a desire to
learn for the students. "It is difficult to put into words the effect that your training in posture, attention, feedback, timing, organization and practice during a single hour on Monday had on my ability to work at my keyboard and on my confidence that I could work quickly and effectively. The result was that a word processing project that had consumed more than a week of my time was largely completed in three hours during the early evening. I still have much to learn from you, but my ability to work at my computer keyboard is much greater, and the frustration is gone." "When I left my office at 2:45 it was more to get away from an unbearably frustrating experience than for any other reason, but when I arrived at your studio at 3:00 I knew that the purpose of the lesson was to learn from you how to approach the computer keyboard with the skills that musicians have applied to the physical challenges of their instruments. We talked about many things as you watched me approach the Bach Menuet – far too many to list here – and guessed at some possible changes in my office layout. When I began work at 4:30, I made a few adjustments to my furniture, a lot of adjustments to my body movements, and was able to work at a high level of productivity for the first time in weeks." "When I began studying eight months ago you explained that the key to practice is to practice correctly. In anything, there is a way to practice, a path, a Tao, a consciousness, an attentiveness to the energy and activity of the present moment. That way makes all the difference. I am grateful that you have the knowledge of the practice of personal expression through a keyboard and the teaching skill to share that knowledge with your students." |