1st lesson free
Isla
- Rate R650
- Response 1h
R650/h
Contact
1st lesson free
- Piano
- Musical keyboard
- Synthesizer
- Jazz Piano
- Harpsichord
Analytical Piano Tutor 8 Years Experience 310+ Students Taught Harmonic Analysis Form Structure Theory Performance Technique All Levels Adults Welcome
- Piano
- Musical keyboard
- Synthesizer
- Jazz Piano
- Harpsichord
Lesson location
About Isla
I am a piano tutor with 8 years of experience and a Master of Music in Piano Performance with a dissertation on harmonic ambiguity in late Debussy. I have taught over 310 students across all ages and levels, with a particular concentration of adult learners who found my theory-rich approach online and sought me out specifically. My research background means I approach even elementary teaching questions — why does this fingering work better, what makes this chord feel tense, how does this phrase want to move — with a depth of musical reasoning that many students find genuinely illuminating. I perform regularly in a duo with a flautist and have a particular affinity for the French piano repertoire which directly informs my relationship with the French language and culture I bring to this subject. I run an annual winter recital for all studio students and take considerable pride in the community this creates around shared musical experience.
See more
About the lesson
- All levels
- English
Languages in which the lesson is available :
English
My piano teaching is unusually theory-rich for a practical instrument lesson, and I make no apology for this because I have seen over eight years that students who understand what they are playing develop far faster and go far further than those who learn by rote. Every piece we study together is analysed in terms of its harmonic structure, phrase shape, and formal architecture before we begin serious technical work, because this understanding guides every interpretive and technical decision that follows. My technical vocabulary is shared with students from the beginning — I use terms like lateral motion, rotation, and weight transfer consistently so students develop a precise internal language for their own technique. For students at intermediate level and above I use score annotation systematically: fingerings, phrase marks, dynamic gradients, and pedal changes are all written into the score as a kind of map so that home practice is never vague. I have a strong interest in piano music across the twentieth century — Debussy, Ravel, Bartók, Messiaen — and I introduce this repertoire to students who are ready for it because its harmonic language expands musical thinking in ways that standard examination repertoire alone cannot achieve. Lesson scheduling in my studio is flexible because I understand that adult learners especially have complex lives, and I offer both weekly and fortnightly lesson options with clear guidance on how to make progress in each model. Practice logs are required for all students — not as surveillance but as a reflective tool that helps students understand their own learning process. Students experiencing performance nerves receive specific structured support including a graduated exposure programme and cognitive reframing strategies I have developed from reading in sport psychology. My studio policy on mobile phones is that they are welcome as recording devices and unwelcome as distractions. Every lesson ends with the student naming the most useful thing they learned that day.
See more
Rates
Rate
- R650
Package rates
- 5h: R3250
- 10h: R6500
online
- R650/h
free lesson
The free first lesson with Isla allows you to get to know the tutor and discuss your needs and expectations.
- 1h
Similar Piano tutor profiles
Vanessa
Cape Town & online
- R460/h
Dianne
Cape Town & online
- R400/h
Clive
Cape Town
- R200/h
- 1st lesson free
Chantal
Cape Town
- R250/h
- 1st lesson free
Alex
Cape Town & online
- R350/h
- 1st lesson free
Emmanuel
Sandton & online
- R570/h
- 1st lesson free
Robert
Cape Town & online
- R450/h
Alex
Sandton & online
- R480/h
Kimon
Randburg & online
- R600/h
- 1st lesson free
Trudy
Johannesburg & online
- R400/h
- 1st lesson free
Catherina
Boksburg & online
- R200/h
- 1st lesson free
Earvin Loïc Alex
Pretoria & online
- R300/h
- 1st lesson free
Ilse
Cape Town & online
- R500/h
- 1st lesson free
David
Gqeberha
- R200/h
- 1st lesson free
Byung Hwi
Cape Town & online
- R300/h
Ingrid
Pretoria
- R450/h
- 1st lesson free
Vince
Roodepoort & online
- R200/h
- 1st lesson free
Desiree
Randburg & online
- R600/h
- 1st lesson free
Serena
Cape Town & online
- R480/h
- 1st lesson free
Brenda
George & online
- R390/h
- 1st lesson free
-
See Piano tutors
