My name is Hillary Kruh. I am a piano teacher in Roland Park.
I provide piano lessons to children and adults from my home or can travel to yours.
My eight original duets for students are available for purchase.
My Background and Teaching Philosophy
I have over thirty years of experience teaching piano to children and adults from beginning to advanced levels. I have a Masters Degree in piano and composition from Indiana University.
Typically, piano instruction is devoted solely to technical skills and note reading, which can get boring and predictable. I believe that teaching kids how to improvise and compose develops the ear, as well as the imagination.
My students have fun improvising and composing their own original pieces. They feel pride in performing their original compositions, as well as classical/jazz/rock pieces, which they play in recitals throughout the year.
A number of my former students major in music (piano, music technology) in college. One of them has even been signed to a record label and is touring the country!
If you're looking for a unique approach to piano lessons for yourself or your child, you've come to the right place!
I believe playing piano should be fun so I incorporate games into my lessons. In "The Impossible Game", one of us picks a category (wild animal, weather, household object) and plays a musical image of it on the piano, while the other person has to guess what it is.
In another game, we play a word on the piano and turn it into an ostinato (repeated musical pattern). The other person improvises against the ostinato.
“I can't recommend Hillary highly enough! My kids have been studying piano with her for the past 8 years. I like how she balances playing songs as written with encouraging the kids to compose and improvise. She also incorporates some theory into the mix, giving the kids an understanding of music on various levels. She's just really wonderful with kids and meets them at their strengths and interests.” —Eleanor F.
