In addition to performing and writing my own original music, I teach private music lessons in-person in New York City and online via Zoom. As a beneficiary of a thoughtful and caring music education from a young age, I’d be honored to pass on to you what I know and be your personal musical cheerleader. Please email me at music.edens[at]gmail.com if you’d like to take lessons in beginning and intermediate guitar, beginning and intermediate piano, voice, songwriting, and music theory. I try to create a positive and nourishing lesson environment and to encourage a passionate connection with music in each session. Lessons are molded and adapted to each student’s musical interests and curiosities.
Rates:
For in-person lessons, with travel time:
$110 for a 45-minute lesson
$140 for a one-hour lesson
For virtual lessons:
$60 for a 30-minute lesson
$90 for a 45-minute lesson
$120 for a one-hour lesson
For in-person, a 45-minute lesson is the minimum time requirement. Venmo (@Eliza-Edens) is my preferred method of payment, though I also accept cash, check, or Zelle. I believe that music education should be accessible to all, regardless of financial means, and will work with you to make lessons happen if cost is a barrier.
Cancellation Policy:
Lessons cancelled within 24 hours of start time will be charged in full except in case of emergency or extenuating circumstances. I have to adhere to this to ensure my own financial security as a freelance teacher. If you (or your child) is sick, I prefer that you postpone the lesson and schedule a make-up so that consistency is maintained.
Payment Policy:
Payment is expected at time of lesson or shortly after.
CUrriCulum
Piano:
For piano students, I use the Alfred Basic Piano Library supplemented by individualized selections of repertoire that are mutually agreed upon, as well as additional theory & technique materials. We'll focus on building a strong foundation of theory and a concrete sense of rhythm. We'll sight read, work on ear training, improvise, talk about dynamic interpretation, correct hand position & technique, discuss what kind of story the music is telling, and talk about where it's situated in music history. All with the goal of helping you learn the music you're passionate about while also providing you with a basic foundation to play all types of music using the piano.
Guitar:
For guitar students, I supply chord charts and graphics of scales to learn and discuss. We'll talk about strumming & picking patterns, how to use a pick correctly, how to map out & visualize the fretboard in productive ways, how to play pentatonic scales, and how to take evocative solos. We'll pick mutually agreed upon songs to work on and learn how to read lead sheets and tablature.
Songwriting:
For songwriting students, the structure is a bit looser and based even more on the individual's wants & needs and self-motivation. I believe there is no right or wrong way to write a song, but there are tips & tricks that can jumpstart the process and make it more exciting. Topics we can cover include: how to write an engaging chord progression for your song, melody-writing, lyric-writing methods & games, and how to glean inspiration from daily life. We'll pick apart what makes your favorite songs so appealing and try to apply our findings to your own songwriting experiments. These lessons are more collaborative and involved and require weekly practice to make progress. Some books on songwriting / writing in general that I'd encourage you to read if we work together are: How to Write One Song by Jeff Tweedy, If You Want to Write by Brenda Ueland, Big Magic by Elizabeth Bishop, and The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron.
Voice:
For voice students, we’ll start with the foundation of the voice: the breath. By learning how to power the voice by singing on the breath, without extraneous tension from other muscles, we can work to find and strengthen the natural vocal sound that is singular to you. From there, we’ll learn vocal warm-ups, lip trills, scales, and particular songs that strengthen different aspects of the voice. We’ll move forward to work on vocal recall, recognizing intervals by ear, harmonizing a melodic vocal line, and vocal improvisation. From there, we’ll work on mutually agreed upon repertoire! I specialize in pop, jazz, folk, rock, and R&B styles, and I’d love to help you or your child learn to sing what you want to sing.
TESTIMONIALS
“Eliza is an excellent, devoted piano and voice teacher, for both adults and children. I've had many piano teachers for myself as an adult -- including some excellent, thorough pianists from Yale School of Music, and Eliza is simply one of the best. She truly cares about her students and music, which inspires a love of singing and piano for my 7 year old daughter. She is patient, kind, age appropriate, positive and encouraging in her feedback. My daughter and I both find working with her fun and deeply rewarding, and we always look forward to her lessons. So glad that we found her!”
— Aysu, piano & voice student
“We are absolutely thrilled to share our experience with Eliza, who has been an incredible music teacher for our daughter. Eliza has a genuine passion for teaching, and also possesses exceptional music talent herself. She has continuously inspired and motivated our daughter who has been learning voice, guitar and piano under her guidance. Eliza is gentle and supportive in her approach. Each lesson is filled with encouragement, constructive feedback, and a sense of fun that makes learning enjoyable. Eliza also takes time to understand our daughter’s interests and goals.
We wholeheartedly recommend Eliza to anyone seeking a dedicated, talented, and inspiring music teacher. We are so thankful for the positive impact she has had on our daughter's life, and we look forward to many more lessons to come!”
— Debarati, parent of piano/guitar/voice student
“Eliza is not only an incredibly talented and knowledgeable musician, but she is also a patient and understanding teacher. She takes the time to get to know her students and their musical tastes and inspirations. Eliza always showed up to our lessons with new songs and skills to learn that were expertly tailored just for me. 10/10 would recommend!”
— Lis, guitar student
“Learning to play guitar from Eliza is a true gift! She is at once a master of the instrument and a master of teaching. Eliza’s approach to our lessons was centered around my personal guitar ambitions and goals, and she came to every lesson with exercises and songs tailored to help me actualize those goals. Eliza has a wealth of guitar knowledge to share, and anyone lucky enough to learn from her will surely see that. She is an incredible musician and instructor!”
— Martha, guitar student
“I booked six virtual lessons with Eliza over a (busy) summer and by the end of our time, I had my first grasp of the pentatonic scale shapes. I could also practice soloing on guitar for the first time because of this, something that had only been a mystery before my lessons with Eliza. As a teacher, Eliza is patient, understanding, and a wealth of knowledge. It was inspiring to learn from a professional touring musician. Thank you, Eliza!”
— Chelsie, guitar student
“I'm an experienced songwriter and musician with no formal training in guitar and years of intermittent writer's block, so I came to Eliza looking for a combination of basic skills and songwriting coaching. Working with her has been hugely rewarding in both areas. Eliza's prompts, thoughtful critiques, sincere encouragement, and personalized action plans have pushed me past my hang-ups and habits to start cultivating an authentic songwriting voice of my own. Eliza's caring attention to my guitar playing has spotted solutions for issues I'd given up on ever fixing years ago. And she's got me re-building my foundation on the instrument. Eliza has helped me grow as a musician and an artist. I am so grateful for the fresh eyes she brings to music. When you work with Eliza you get a teacher, coach, and collaborator rolled into one — I can't recommend her highly enough!”
— David, songwriting & guitar student
“Eliza is such a patient, knowledgeable, and professional teacher. She has helped me feel so much more confident with playing and practicing the guitar and takes things step by step so I don't miss anything. I am so grateful that we have been able to work together and look forward to our next lesson!”
— Liz, guitar student
“I started taking music theory lessons with Eliza about 6 months ago. Having recently finished graduate school, it had been a goal of mine to start back engaging in music in some way. I have been singing in choirs and playing instruments since I was very young and I always struggled with music theory. Eliza has been such a great instructor, helping me to become more comfortable with music theory. I have been incredibly impressed how she’s done this even though I’m not currently playing an instrument or singing and through remote lessons. Not having to apply the theory to my instrument has really challenged me to become more of a theory expert. I’m looking forward to applying my refined skills to an instrument as my lessons with Eliza continue!”
— Khadija, music theory student
“Meeting with Eliza has been a gift! She provides me with song prompts and suggestions for my nonsense that I never would’ve considered, while often reconnecting with me outside of lessons to share resources that further help me along my path. That’s more than I can ask for from a mentor: someone who listens, above all encouraging growth and belief.”
— Christian, songwriting student