“You’ve been an amazing piano teacher who goes above and beyond for her students. You’re the most involved teacher I’ve heard of and I love your teaching approach.”

“Kathryn is well organized and is always well-prepared to teach my children. (She teaches them) to have an intrinsic motivation to practice, learn, and play the piano. Kathryn is a very positive and patient piano teacher. One of her many strengths is keeping the kids on task and focused on learning. This can be difficult with young boys but she has a knack for keeping them engaged in learning. I have always been impressed with Kathryn’s recitals because they are well organized and the children are well prepared. Each student plays a solo and a duet with Kathryn. Aside from listening to my own children perform, my favorite part of the recital is when Kathryn performs a piece and I get to enjoy her amazing talent.”

“I took piano lessons from Kathryn about 15 years ago and I LOVED it! I attribute much of my success in music to my time learning with her. She gave me a solid foundation in many things including theory, technique, sight reading and music appreciation. She was always very supportive and encouraging. I also loved the group lessons she would do throughout the year. She would plan so many fun yet educational music games and contests, it helped make music really fun! She also instilled in me a love for many musical styles. She always encouraged me to push myself into new genres and levels. I am so happy I got to study with Kathryn, and I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a qualified and compassionate piano teacher.”

“I studied piano with Kathryn for roughly 3 years during middle school and into high school. I had prior teachers before her, but she was my favorite. During my lessons, Kathryn was always kind and patient, and willing to accommodate my needs and learning styles. As I recall, lessons were goal oriented and fun. The fundamentals of music were taught in creative ways, and there were occasional group activities with other students, which added a new dynamic. I never got bored with her and felt she cared about my progress. Kathryn is a talented individual who is not only incredibly experienced with music theory/performance/composition, but also with many differing student personality types.”

“As an adult who hadn’t taken a lesson in 15+ years and had lost all my piano technique, I was nervous to start taking lessons again. However, Kathryn was friendly and personable and already had a handful of adult students on her schedule! Her method of teaching is extremely thorough and she doesn’t take any shortcuts. I wanted to re-learn piano the right way with proper technique and my progress definitely showed that! I was able to develop a solid foundation and newfound confidence, especially when sight reading music. Also, the program that she has her students follow in-between lessons is fun and encourages accountability so that I could really see progress in my practice. If you want to start learning the piano or take your skills to the next level, I highly recommend Play Fortissimo to anyone at any level and at any age!”

“I enjoy how Kathryn not only teaches to your skill level, but also provides opportunities to work on songs to your music style preference i.e. jazz, ragtime, classical etc. Kathryn is good at holding you accountable to practice and progress as much as you can. One of the main reasons I started lessons as an adult was to learn aspects of music that I hadn’t learned before. I feel the musical gap I have experienced most of my life with not being able to play the piano well and the lack of music theory I had, is now being filled.”

“During the years of wanting to learn and moving the piano and tuning it, I researched local piano teachers and interviewed several and often I was disappointed in the lack of professionalism and what I perceived as a lack of commitment to teaching me, an adult student.  My experience with Kathryn Barney has been completely different.  I am convinced that environment is the silent hand that shapes behavior.  Kathryn’s dedication, love of teaching, knowledge and experience with the instrument as well as her belief in me as a budding pianist, even though I am 56 years old has me convinced that I can be great.  I am grateful to Kathryn for her help, her positive expectations and her ability to communicate directly and positively with me.  Kathryn has created the environment and classroom experience that I have been looking for.”

“Kathryn teaches different techniques and ways to learn making it fun for Lila to go each week and giving her the confidence to learn and play in front of people! Kathryn is very organized and communicates with newsletters and weekly lesson reminders, which as a parent I really appreciate. I highly recommend Kathryn as she is very positive, patient and makes learning how to play the piano fun. Her passion for music reflects to her students and is fun to watch!”

“Lydia really enjoys the environment at Kathryn’s studio. Kathryn has been great at helping her and I am surprised at how fast Lydia is learning. Kathryn is very organized and makes it easy to communicate with. She keeps you up to date and always is quick to respond with any questions or concerns I have had. Lydia looks forward to piano lessons every week!”