Dror Biran's Piano Studio
The opportunity to teach at the University of Louisville School of Music is an exciting prospect of my career. It allows me to fulfill my goals as a performer and teacher. I have developed a teaching philosophy that aims at student-centered mentoring, interactive approaches to interpretation and performance, the study of chamber music, and the creation of both short-term and long-term goals.
A piano teacher should be a mentor, who enriches his students, listens to their needs, and advises them through his knowledge, understanding, and experience. As mentoring is a student-centered way of teaching, the mentor needs to be attentive to the students’ personalities and needs. Being attuned to the diverse needs of my piano students, I structured a repertoire course for each student, which on the one hand advances their technique, and on the other exposes them to many different interpretations of performance practice. These interpretations are identified, discussed, and analyzed in an interactive dialogue between myself and the students; while encouraging the students to use critical thinking skills. This approach enables students to discover their individual expressions, which prepares them to be more independent musicians.