I think I always was a teacher. In grade school I helped my
younger brother pass his math class when no one else seemed
able to help him. My first musical training was on the organ. I
was in 6th grade. After studying organ for about four years I
wanted to begin studying the piano. Our family had no piano
but I did manage to find a piano teacher who only lived a few
blocks away from my organ instructor. I had to come up with a
way of paying for my piano lessons so I began teaching organ
at a local organ retailer in my home town. After taking a
couple of piano lessons a person came to the organ store to
inquire about piano lessons. I was confident I could teach this
young beginner, even though I myself was a beginning piano
student. My parents didn’t know I was taking piano lessons but
after a few lessons I knew I had to buy myself a piano. I found
one in a ladies basement that I could afford. It cost me $35.00.
Through my high school years I taught piano and organ. I
saved enough money and bought myself a baby grand.
It was also at this time that I developed a strong interest in
classical music. I would go to the library before school and
read up on great musical masterpieces and then purchase
recordings to hear the music firsthand.
It wasn’t until after I completed my first college degree that I
decided to study music professionally. I continued to teach
piano and organ through these years. After completing my
music degree I injured my hand while preparing for my entrance
exam for graduate school. It was at this time that I began my
professional teaching career. It was in around the time of
America’s bicentennial. I became involved in several teaching
organizations dedicated to piano teaching. I became very
involved in the National Guild of Piano Teachers and became
chairman of a local chapter organizing their yearly auditions.
Later I became one of their selected judges and went to various
cities judging piano students.
In the early to mid 80’s my teaching interest shifted to the very
young. There were some excellent programs that I looked into
but decided that I could create my own program that would be
equally effective. I called my program B.E.A.M. (Beginning
Encounters at Music). But one day, while teaching at a
Montessori School, one of the students began to call me Dan,
Dan the Music Man. The name stuck and ever since that time I
called my pre-school music program Dan, Dan the Music Man.
Also in the late 80’s the personal computer was coming into its
own. I was reading of all the great things computers were
capable of doing for music students. This combined with the
coming of age of the synthesizer created too many teaching
possibilities to pass up so I decided to develop a teaching
studio that incorporated traditional instruction with modern
technology. I called my studio SEVERINO'S Piano Keyboard
LAB. It was 1988. I worked with software developers to create
a software package that could help teachers create their own
teaching programs according to their own teaching
philosophies. It was with this software package that I began to
develop my own piano course that incorporated these new
technological advances with my traditional knowledge in piano
instruction.
At this time there was also software developing that could be
used to create music manuscripts. Desktop publishing became
the rage in the computer world so I established Piano Teacher
Press. I was now able to create and publish my own music
books for my students.
After about 10 years of very creative work I decided it was time
to regroup and get back to my roots in traditional instruction.
Computer aided instruction certainly gave great benefits to the
piano instructor but nothing could replace the hands on
tradition involved in playing the piano. At this time some people
thought SEVERINO’S Piano Keyboard LAB was a recording
studio so I thought a name change was in order. I renamed my
studio SEVERINO’S Piano Lessons PLUS. The emphasis was
back to the piano and all the supplemental computer aided
instruction became the PLUS.
The World Wide Web exploded in the past decade and most
professionals have some sort of WebPresence. I saw the
educational opportunities that this would bring my studio and
decided to take the plunge. So, browse around and I think you’
ll see my forty plus years of experience, demonstrated in this
article, reflected in the pages of this WebSite.
younger brother pass his math class when no one else seemed
able to help him. My first musical training was on the organ. I
was in 6th grade. After studying organ for about four years I
wanted to begin studying the piano. Our family had no piano
but I did manage to find a piano teacher who only lived a few
blocks away from my organ instructor. I had to come up with a
way of paying for my piano lessons so I began teaching organ
at a local organ retailer in my home town. After taking a
couple of piano lessons a person came to the organ store to
inquire about piano lessons. I was confident I could teach this
young beginner, even though I myself was a beginning piano
student. My parents didn’t know I was taking piano lessons but
after a few lessons I knew I had to buy myself a piano. I found
one in a ladies basement that I could afford. It cost me $35.00.
Through my high school years I taught piano and organ. I
saved enough money and bought myself a baby grand.
It was also at this time that I developed a strong interest in
classical music. I would go to the library before school and
read up on great musical masterpieces and then purchase
recordings to hear the music firsthand.
It wasn’t until after I completed my first college degree that I
decided to study music professionally. I continued to teach
piano and organ through these years. After completing my
music degree I injured my hand while preparing for my entrance
exam for graduate school. It was at this time that I began my
professional teaching career. It was in around the time of
America’s bicentennial. I became involved in several teaching
organizations dedicated to piano teaching. I became very
involved in the National Guild of Piano Teachers and became
chairman of a local chapter organizing their yearly auditions.
Later I became one of their selected judges and went to various
cities judging piano students.
In the early to mid 80’s my teaching interest shifted to the very
young. There were some excellent programs that I looked into
but decided that I could create my own program that would be
equally effective. I called my program B.E.A.M. (Beginning
Encounters at Music). But one day, while teaching at a
Montessori School, one of the students began to call me Dan,
Dan the Music Man. The name stuck and ever since that time I
called my pre-school music program Dan, Dan the Music Man.
Also in the late 80’s the personal computer was coming into its
own. I was reading of all the great things computers were
capable of doing for music students. This combined with the
coming of age of the synthesizer created too many teaching
possibilities to pass up so I decided to develop a teaching
studio that incorporated traditional instruction with modern
technology. I called my studio SEVERINO'S Piano Keyboard
LAB. It was 1988. I worked with software developers to create
a software package that could help teachers create their own
teaching programs according to their own teaching
philosophies. It was with this software package that I began to
develop my own piano course that incorporated these new
technological advances with my traditional knowledge in piano
instruction.
At this time there was also software developing that could be
used to create music manuscripts. Desktop publishing became
the rage in the computer world so I established Piano Teacher
Press. I was now able to create and publish my own music
books for my students.
After about 10 years of very creative work I decided it was time
to regroup and get back to my roots in traditional instruction.
Computer aided instruction certainly gave great benefits to the
piano instructor but nothing could replace the hands on
tradition involved in playing the piano. At this time some people
thought SEVERINO’S Piano Keyboard LAB was a recording
studio so I thought a name change was in order. I renamed my
studio SEVERINO’S Piano Lessons PLUS. The emphasis was
back to the piano and all the supplemental computer aided
instruction became the PLUS.
The World Wide Web exploded in the past decade and most
professionals have some sort of WebPresence. I saw the
educational opportunities that this would bring my studio and
decided to take the plunge. So, browse around and I think you’
ll see my forty plus years of experience, demonstrated in this
article, reflected in the pages of this WebSite.
| History of Piano Lessons PLUS |
