Nova L. — Piano Teacher — High Park North, Toronto

I am nonbinary and I use they/them pronouns. I am autistic and I have ADHD. I have a Grade 8 certificate in Piano Performance and a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Music Composition from Western University. I've taught/tutored for most of my life, but I started teaching music as a full-time career in February 2021. I have experience performing in a wide variety of contexts, including solo voice and piano, large and small scale instrumental and choral ensembles, and more casual groups, such as cabaret-style music events, live street music, and coffeehouse solos. I have also coordinated performances of my own original pieces in styles such as experimental modern art music and chamber choral/instrumental works. If those examples are too dry, you might be more interested to know that I arranged music for a bollywood/pop fusion band: the Bollywood Monster Orchestra from the music festival Bollywood Monster Mashup in Mississauga. Some of my other favourite musical memories are travelling around the city with my high school jazz band to show off our school's music program to elementary schools in the area and singing the Waltz of the Snowflakes from The Nutcracker with a full orchestra. In short, if you think of any music-related activity, there's a chance I've tried it at least once.

I teach piano and voice lessons with a classical foundation, but I welcome students to explore the genres that they like best and I'm happy to explore lessons centered around or blended with other musical areas, such as music theory, songwriting, and arranging. I do not use punishments in my classroom and I use rewards very sparingly. At the same time, I do not tolerate disrespectful or uncooperative behaviour from my students. My disciplinary approach is founded on mutual respect, clear communication, and intrinsic motivation. My goal is to help my students find their own joy in music, and to help smooth over anything that might be getting in their way. Each student's personal experience with lessons is important to me. I do my best to make lessons fun and productive, and I do not pressure students to continue lessons if they aren't benefitting from them. I teach students ages 5 and above, with no exceptions. Music is a very high-concept skill, and learning it before the brain has had enough time to develop can be a frustrating experience for everyone involved. As a neurodivergent and queer person, I aim to accommodate the unique learning style of every student, which includes abled and disabled students, and genders of every kind.