piano lessons

[bobbly]

Hi Rosanna

Andy's piece...fantastic, has he played before?..

I have been practicing from a book for 6 weeks, and had enough of 'saints go marchin in'..I want to play a bill evans piece.... Would that be jumping the gun or is that how you teach, ie play something you love and lean sight reading as you learn the song? How much do you charge and where are you based please?

[Soulking]

Roksana is based in Tulse Hill, very close to the station.

Just a follow up on my previous post - I took Grade II in November and Grade III in March (one year after starting lessons, and both passed with good marks - hope this doesn't come across as boastful!). I am certain I would not have achieved this without her!

[mikeroots]

Just to add my comments to the above - I would agree with all of the very warm comments about Roksana. As a - ahem - " mature " student, I had not played the piano for a long long time, since I was about 15 years old. I have been with Roksana for over 2 1/2 years now. I have just taken my grade 6 and achieved a " merit". Considering the limited amount of practice I have been able to do, I give a lot of thanks to Roksana. She is a very good communicator and talks about learning the piano in an interesting and persuasive way. Her emphasis on giving a performance in the exam really helped me I think ( as I had failed the last exam I took as a teenager). I agree that she has a great knack of picking up on weaknesses and working on them, but also she is able to make things like sight reading and rhythm work enjoyable. She has a wide range of students of different ages and levels - she organised a great concert for all of us last year in a studio with a grand piano, and it was great fun to meet all of her other students who as you can see are all big fans ! Roksana is an enthusiastic and talented performer and teacher and I would highly recommend her too.

[EDLove]

Hello!

I'm interested in getting back in to piano too and Roksana is clearly a great teacher based on these comments!

However, there doesn't seem to be any feedback on fees, which makes me think it's going to be too expensive :(

Can anyone give a response to this?

[Genie Cosmas]

I am a piano teacher if your interested. I teach jazz and classical and beginners as well. I charge ?20 for half an hour and I've got a good reputation.Contact me on my mobile. 07799584338 for more information I will also come to your house if easier. Genie Cosmas

[Tinareed26]

Hello,

I have the same question as many others here regarding Roksana's fees.

Can anyone answer?

[mrure26]

I enquired in March 2013 and below is what I received from her.

"I am based between Herne Hill and Tulse Hill station, on Norwood Road. I charge ?20 per 30min, ?30 per 45min, ?40 per 1hour lesson. I usually start with 30min lessons with complete beginners as my lessons are quite intense. It takes couple of weeks to get use to this type of concentration level."

[wirtuoso]

I moved from Norwood Road more than a year ago.

I live on Thurlow Park Road. SE21 8JB. It is closer to West Dulwich and Tulse Hill Station.

Please ring me if you have any more questions

07796173583

Roksana

[littlemisstechy]

I wanted to add my comments as I found Roksana on here when I was looking to take up the piano again. I had Roksana as my piano teacher for over a year. Unfortunately I had to give up for personal reasons, but I was very sad to do so. I had taken piano lessons in my hometown when I was much younger but never seemed to progress very far and I think the focus was too much on getting every note right. Roksana?s approach is different. She taught me to focus more on rhythm rather than accuracy, and, hard though it is to begin with, after a while, the penny dropped and it made complete sense giving me courage to push the boundaries and just have fun with it rather than beating myself up over a wrong note here and there. She is so patient and cheerful and her obvious enthusiasm made me feel at the end of every lesson that I can do this!

I am proud to have created Roksana's website for her: www.roksanamusic.com :)

[kend]

Roksana is a superb teacher! I went to her to have lessons having never managed to play a chord correctly. Within a few weeks, I was playing a complicated song, and learning to sight read as well. She is talented and relaxed and helpful and fun, and my lessons have become islands of calm in my London life. Also, she makes excellent tea! She also has a concert coming up - 7.30 to 8.30 at St Luke's Church, West Norwood. Go along - they are lovely, fun evenings.

[alexbates]

If you are also looking for a piano teacher I can definitely recommend Roksana. She has been my piano teacher for 20 months and in that time I have gone from grade 1-3, which is testament to her wonderful teaching ability. She is fantastically encouraging and clearly an expert at helping you work through your weaknesses, which she does with humour and much patience. As others have mentioned she puts great focus on fundamentals - rhythm and sightreading and as she helps you improve in these areas you are imbued with confidence and enthusiasm, despite the inevitable frustrations! I have wanted to learn the piano for a long time and am so grateful to have found Roksana, she is a wonderful teacher who I highly recommend.

Roksana has some limited availability for new students and will also be holding workshops in the near future. If you are interested in either please do get in touch with her.

www.roksanamusic.com

07796 173583

[mankad]

Hi My five year old and I have started piano lessons with Roxana since the summer and I can't recommend her enough. We are complete beginners....and I mean complete beginners and it has been amazing. She is super patient and really encouraging. Do get in touch if you are looking for a really great teacher.

[Judith S]

I agree!

I was lucky enough to meet Roksana Wawrzyniecka on a train to Brighton in late 2015. We got chatting because I was looking through a book of Russian songs... I started lessons with her in December that year, because she was so very positive and convinced that she could help me return to the piano and develop as a player. I'd given up playing classical pieces as a child and never managed to make progress with it since, despite many attempts - and despite being good at playing by ear to accompany songs.

Her thorough and encouraging teaching has really helped me to move past a lot of the old 'I can't' thoughts and patterns, into a wonderful place of discovery with the piano. I never realised there was such a lot to learn, and Roksana has a way of judging what to introduce and when, to keep it feeling like it's working even when there are blockages.

I would highly recommend her!

[JamieTrentham]

Hiya, Just thought I would add onto this forum as I have just relocated to Brighton but have been having lessons with Roksana for about 3 years and will be really sad to leave her! I couldn't really sight read when I went to see her and was like a nervous wreck just playing a simple line of music.

Roksana encouraged me persevere (and keep playing even if I'm only hitting half the notes!) and also got me to perform in front of crowds and to go for my grade 3 piano exam. She even taught me about music theory and how to compose a piece of music (here's my first proper piece I composed and performed at one of her concerts

)

I'd really recommend giving it a go if you're considering it, I had my first 2 lessons as a birthday present and just kept going back :P

[tcm28]

I?ve been having lessons with Roksana for about a year, and I think she?s really excellent. I played the violin a lot in my youth and also took some piano lessons, so I have quite a lot of experience of music teachers, both good and bad, and I would say that she is one of the best. Here?s a list of just some of her qualities:

? always positive

? enthusiastic

? encouraging

? supportive

? non-judgmental

? pushes me just the right amount

? creative - she is good at thinking of ways around any problems I encounter

? engaging

? has an excellent selection of teas

[dplumer]

I wanted to add to this thread. I've also been having lessons for just over a year. I took lessons as a kid and then stopped for 26 years. I came back to piano after a number of years of saying "oh, I should...", and, not surprisingly, found that I had quite a lot of baggage to shed and that I had missed out, the first time, on some pretty basic skills (like scales). Oddly, as someone who can speak in front of anyone about anything, I'd also developed terrible stage fright, and found that my hands would shake when I tried to play in front of anyone. Roksana has been an absolutely marvellous teacher and I couldn't recommend her highly enough. Almost immediately, she zeroed in on the areas where I need the most improvement (timing) or where I had not picked up the basic skills the first time around. She is very persistent, yet also patient and understanding that coming back to a forgotten skill as an adult is not always the easiest thing. Over the past year, she has helped me break through some of the mental blocks I had developed around difficult timing, in particular, which caused me to stop taking lessons as a kid. The lessons proceed at my pace, yet with just enough of a push to keep it always challenging. I even passed my first-ever piano exam, something I had no idea even existed before (and which, I admit, generated a fair amount of whining and "I can't" on my part). I would absolutely recommend Roksana as a teacher to anyone who was looking to challenge themselves with piano and would also concur with the above comment about the selection of teas. :-)

[Nick S]

I'd like to add my voice too. We've had a piano in the house for nearly 20 years but I've never been able to play it. I always intended to learn but until just over a year ago I did nothing about it. In fact I've never learned any instrument at all or to read music. But was I too old at nearly 60 to start? I saw Roksana's advert at Brockwell Lido and gave her a call. From the outset Roksana was supportive and encouraging, taking me through both hands-on piano playing and learning to read music in a structured way, making sure that I didn't fall into bad habits from the start. Within a couple of months I played a simple duet with Roksana at a concert she put on for her pupils. I was far from perfect but it was a really thrilling experience. Since then, despite a very demanding job, I've kept on with the lessons and practicing at home. Piano demands your whole attention so its a great escape. Roksana's latest challenge for me was to video myself playing the piano. This was a real eye-opener as I'm my own worst critic, but after about 30 takes I managed a decent rendition of Uptown Girl, a piece I never thought I'd be able to play! Like all the others above I would recommend Roksana as a teacher. And don't think you're too old to learn something new, just go for it!

[Anneyhernehill]

I highly recommend Roksana?s piano teaching! I?ve been having lessons with her for just over 2 years. I learned at school and did well up to grade 6, then failed grade 7 - twice! Then went to university and stumbled on with occasional playing for a few years, gave up and sold the piano. Over 30 years later and with my husband playing guitar in a band I decided to have another go. My playing was very basic but Roksana quickly identified some underlying problems with how I?d been taught earlier and has systematically worked to improve my playing, with great encouragement and just the right amount of push. My sight reading and rhythm are so much better! I originally set out to maybe play a few pieces well, but in fact took my grade 7 (again....) just before Christmas and was astonished to pass with merit😊 All of Roksana?s advice is thorough and professional and she is a particularly excellent teacher for adults, whether starting out, or re-starting.

[Liana]

I have been having piano lessons with Roksana for about a year and a half now, she is a marvellous teacher! I was a complete beginner when I started and I am now ready to sit my grade 2 exam. I was quite nervous when I first started having lessons but she has a wonderful, relaxed attitude that put me at ease from the get go. She is always encouraging and enthusiastic in lessons and finds different ways to help me through the different struggles I have. I cannot recommend her highly enough!

www.roksanamusic.com

[Sue]

Her website doesn't seem to be working?

[wirtuoso]

Hi Sue.

Thank you for your message.

Unfortunately my website didn't work for about 6 weeks due to LCN moving it to another platform. They made a big mistake that was very difficult to detect and as a result my website went down. It is sorted but I will probably move it to another provider which might again create some temporary problems. Safest way to contact me for the next 3-4 months will be either by mobile 07796 173583 or email me [email protected]

[Muso]

I played piano when I was younger - around 6-8 years old. I moved onto other instruments in my teens, but stopped playing music 25 years ago due to university, work and family commitments.

I always wanted to continue playing instruments, and as my daughter grew older and had an interest in playing music, it was a perfect time to start learning piano again as an adult. I am now in my early/mid 40s.

I reached out to Roksana just over a year ago and started my lessons. Roksana has been great at teaching, even with the challenges created via numerous lockdowns (lessons via Zoom). After waiting a few months following delayed exams, in December I passed my practical Grade 1 exam with a Distinction on the first attempt. I admit being nervous on the exam day, however Roksana's preparation was spot on, and I knew exactly what to expect from the examiner.

Not only is Roksana a great teacher, she is very funny and has a great personality. You don't need to have a large piano at home to start learning, as I started learning on an electric keyboard. I am now in the market for a piano, and Roksana is also giving very useful advice on this.

The attached link was recorded by Roksana ahead of my exam; I am playing Head in the Clouds by Andrew Eales.

I definitely recommend Roksana, especially as an adult looking to learn for the first time - or learn again after a long break (like me).

[cgarratt1]

Hi All, I started learning the piano with Roksana last March and although I only had 3 lessons with her f2f before lockdown struck, I decided to carry on virtually. I played very briefly for less than a year when I was at school and I am now 29, and very much a beginner. Roksana has taught many students like me who perhaps had little to none when it came to experience learning the piano. However, I am also aware that many experienced pianists approach her to continue learning. She adapts her teaching style to the student while ensuring their learning is chronological and no bad habits are adopted. Learning the piano during the pandemic has given me a real sense of purpose and in spite of not having regular f2f lessons I am hoping to sit my grade 2 exam in the coming months. This is testament to Roksana's teaching. It also helps that she is very personable and I look forward to our lessons and Roksana's upbeat attitude that keeps me motivated.

[dulmum]

With my fifties rapidly approaching I finally decided to grab the bull by the balls and shoot for my dream of international pop mega-stardom. It?s not as easy as it looks on the TV and the starter books designed for five year olds are a bit humiliating at first but I couldn?t have wished for a better guide than Roksana. Despite having to do large chunks of the first year on Zoom at a stressful time for all of us, she has kept my spirits up with her enthusiasm and good humour. I?ve struggled to find the time for a decent practice routine but still feel like I?m making some progress, learning to read music for the first time in my life and spending a couple of hours a week trying to force my brain into learning something entirely new. Am really enjoying the experience and that is, I?m very large part, down to Roksana - can?t recommend highly enough if you still harbour dreams of becoming the next Tom Waits.

[AnnaB]

Roksana is an amazing piano teacher and we can't recommend her highly enough. My son Sam has just received a distinction and is so excited to go forward and complete the rest of his grades with Roksana. She's worth her weight in gold when it comes to imparting teaching and beautiful support. Roksana was completely booked up and feel so lucky to have found a space when one of my friend's sons left. Thanks Roksana, we feel blessed to have you!