Dear Prospective Students,

I have enjoyed teaching Classical piano privately for over ten years. I also coach chamber music and duo piano, as well as offer tutoring in ear training, keyboard skills, sight-reading, music theory, music history, and writing on music. I have been very fortunate in having received a superb Russian-school training, both in Moscow, at The Gnessin School for Gifted Children, and at Juilliard, where I have studied with Oxana Yablonskaya and Jerome Lowenthal. I also have the great honor and privilege of having studied privately with Richard Goode.

I teach students of all ages and abilities — from the very beginner, young children, as young as 4 years old, to teenagers, and to advanced older adults, many of whom I help prepare for professional solo concertizing, for auditions to both undergraduate and graduate programs, and competitions. Last year, two of my long-time, intermediate-level and advanced-level, students received top scores in the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) piano exam.

Although I love working with musically-inclined students, I also enjoy working with students who have other educational backgrounds, such as medicine or architecture, as I myself have a dual background in Piano Performance (DMA, MM, Juilliard) and English Literature (BA, Columbia University) and, thus, a great passion for a variety of disciplines besides music, such as English, philosophy, psychology, art history, and aesthetics, that I like to incorporate into my teaching. Therefore my pedagogic approach can best be described as quite broad, eclectic and multidisciplinary. With a penchant for fine detail and nuance, I encourage all my students to engage critical thought process about the repertoire they are working on – that is, to show interest not only in playing the notes as they appear in the music, but also to be deeply knowledgeable about both musical and extra-musical contexts, having to do with composers’ lives and stylistic approaches. In my teaching, I try to expand the student’s mind and curiosity by integrating the discussion of pianistic issues, such as the cultivation of noble singing sound and beautiful phrasing, with underlying compositional issues, such as voice-leading, counterpoint, and motivic infrastructure, as well as a variety of other, interrelated disciplines, such as history, theory, rhetoric, psychology, and aesthetics.

Besides the professional side to my teaching, I value a personal one perhaps even more. As in any successful relationship, the great teacher-student chemistry is crucial for facilitating and enhancing the caliber of both the teacher’s instruction and the student’s motivation to learn. I therefore try to foster close, warm, long-term relationship with all my students based on mutual respect and inspiration that I myself have enjoyed for many years with my own teachers in the past. While I try to give as much guidance to my students as I can, often sharing with them my creative insight on the piece at hand, I never impose my personal interpretation on them but rather invite them to explore any number of possible interpretations, thereby helping them to cultivate their own musical intelligence and independence of thought. I always strive to make my lessons both challenging and fun, intellectually thought-provoking and emotionally enjoyable.

I also invite my students to explore unusual and rarely performed repertoire, and thus help them to come up with unique and creative recital programming. Speaking of recitals, I put together group concerts for my students twice a year at The Steinway Hall which, I believe, give them an excellent opportunity to showcase their talent and share their passion for piano with their families and friends — both a self-affirming occasion to celebrate their hard practice and a humbling learning experience of playing in public.

Ultimately, I see my role as a teacher not necessarily in preparing my students to become professional concert pianists someday – though I will be happy if they will! – but, first and foremost, in inspiring them to love piano and to cherish it as an ongoing, vital and enriching, part of their humanity that will change the world for the better…

With all my best wishes,

Location of my studio:

Upper West Side, near W. 96th Street, just a few short blocks from 1, 2 and 3 trains

As an additional convenience, I also offer piano lessons via Skype! 

Rates & Special Packages:

I teach beginner, intermediate, and advanced students in the time span of 30-min, 45-min, 1-hour, 1.5-hour, and 2-hours. Depending on the level of ability, interest, and degree of commitment, I generally advise young beginners to enroll for 30 or 45-min lessons; intermediate-level students for 45-min or 1-hour lessons; and advanced-level students and adults for 1.5 or 2-hour lessons. The ideal lesson duration for a given student will best be determined at the first introductory lesson.

I offer three convenient lesson package options* to choose from:

- Basic Plan: a month-by-month lesson package

- Standard Plan: semester-by-semester lesson package (September – December; January – June) – receive 10% off!

- Premium Plan: academic year lesson package (September-June)- receive 15% off!

I also offer private instruction in the summer (July and August). And, for those of you who are away during the summer – or any other time during the year – but still wish to continue the lessons, I strongly recommend virtual piano lessons via Skype!

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* Note: For an hourly rate, please contact Dr. Grinberg at ygpiano@gmail.com

 

Testimonials from some of Dr. Grinberg’s dearest and devoted students:

I have been one of Dr. Grinberg’s pupils for almost four years. She is always reliable, punctual, and very professional. With an eye and enthusiasm for fine detail, Dr. Grinberg’s lessons encompass multifaceted aspects of the piece that we are working on, that range from pianistic issues to discussion of aesthetics and performance practice, in-depth analysis of theory and counterpoint, tone quality, and deeper philosophical issues. A highly competent professional in her field of expertise, Dr. Grinberg frequently demonstrates difficult passages during my lessons, revealing her impeccable technique, fresh insights and original ideas with me. Her ideas, however, are never imposed on me, but rather encourage me to explore the many interpretative possibilities for a given musical piece, to stimulate my creativity and deepen my musical intelligence and curiosity…”

- Christiany

Dr. Yelena Grinberg is not only a fantastic pianist, she is also a phenomenal teacher. For the past four years, she has taught me how to be a more sensitive and polished pianist. I have learned more with her than any other teacher I have ever had. She has also challenged me with complicated pieces and given me wonderful performance opportunities that I am not able to thank her enough for. It continues to be my pleasure to work with her as my teacher and I look forward to studying with her for as long as I can! “ 

- Mary Grace

Studying with Yelena has been extremely enriching. She has helped me tremendously with ear training and has done far more. She has improved my skills at the piano and has also helped me to become an all around better cellist and person too. Working with her on a weekly basis has been and continues to be integral to my development as a musician…

- John

I have been studying with Dr. Yelena Grinberg since 2009. I have had several piano instructors in the past but Yelena is by far the best teacher I have ever met. There are several aspects of Yelena’s both personal and professional style that make her such an amazing teacher. She is persistent, never gives up on me, and always believes in me and my continual progress. She is also very kind while challenging me to do my very best. She is genuinely devoted to all her students, and will do everything she can to make me the best pianist and musician I can be. She teaches with a great passion and I really love my piano lessons with her! 

- Noah

While my two daughters were taking piano lessons in Japan, they were taught to interpret their pieces and express their ideas about the music only after they have mastered the piece quite well on the technical level. Dr. Grinberg, however, in her dynamic and enthusiastic pedagogic approach, does not belabor the technical side of the piece but rather delves into the deeper – intellectual, emotional, and spiritual – dimensions of music from the start of their learning process. She encourages my daughters to engage their musical intelligence from the outset as she reveals to them the flexibility of phrasing, precision of rhythm, a wide spectrum of dynamics, and the variety of tonal colors, which is really inspiring and new to them. She is very unique that way as we don’t see a teacher like her often in Japan and I believe her teaching methodology is really precious and enlightening for the girls. They can’t wait for their next lesson each time!!

- Yumiko

To be considered for private instruction with Dr. Yelena Grinberg, please take a moment to fill out this form: