Reem Totonchi
piano
ages
6-adult
teaching since
2002
education
- BA in Music with Elementary Teaching Certification; Beloit College
- MM in Music Education, Concentration in Diversity Studies, UW Madison
notable ensembles
- The Cover Girls, a piano/cello duo; opening act for Dar Williams
- playing drums in a local rock band a few years ago
teaching philosophy:
Reem starts beginners with the Faber or Alfred Method depending on age, musical background, and learning style of the student. Many supplementary materials outside of the method books are used in order to make the curriculum well-rounded, including rock, jazz, classical and other genres of music. Practice expectations depend on the student and their age, ability level, parental input, and personality. She has taught a very diverse group of students ranging from those who only play by ear and do not read music, to those who play strictly classical, to those who strive to learn Ozzy Osbourne songs on the piano.
She says, “Anyone can play music, but not everybody has to be a technically amazing pianist to be a good musician. Music is about listening and communicating and expressing emotion as well. One of the most important things to me is that the student is interested in the music being played and having fun with it. That’s why I also ask them to contribute to choosing what we work on. I think students need to have responsibility and accountability in their music education, which helps them realize that they can make themselves wonderful musicians by putting as much effort into piano lessons as they choose.”
