Hilary is currently not accepting any new students. Sept. 2022

Teaching Biography

Hilary has been teaching private music lessons since 2013. She teaches piano, singing, ukulele, guitar, and accordion. Growing up in Yorkton, Saskatchewan, she competed in music festivals, excelled in her Royal Conservatory of Music examinations, and fell in love with performing. While attending the University of Saskatchewan, she studied theatre and took classes in jazz history and jazz arrangement. She moved to Toronto to attend the Randolph College for the Performing Arts. Since graduation she’s been working as an actor, singer, musician, music director at Second City, and private music teacher.

Teaching Philosophy Statement from Hilary:

“I welcome students of all levels and ages to study music with me. My goal is to inspire students to find confidence and skill in playing while developing a lifelong appreciation for music. It is important to me that students feel comfortable and safe to be themselves, make mistakes, have fun, and find pleasure in making music. 

I tailor lessons to each student’s personality, learning style, and goals. Within a half-hour lesson, young beginners are encouraged to clap, sing, and feel the music: for example, I develop their knowledge of rhythm and reading music notation with games, drawing, and even jumping! Lessons for intermediate and advanced students focus on technique and form, developing ear training, reading music, understanding theory, music history, and learning a varied repertoire. Some students prepare for Royal Conservatory of Music exams, while others focus on exploring styles of music that they love like pop, rock, jazz, film scores, television themes, or even video game soundtracks.

I encourage students to try music improvisation by working with images and exploring the different qualities of sound they can create on the spot. I also guide students to compose their own songs, write out their compositions, and perform their creations when they are ready. Learning to compose allows the student to apply their musical knowledge, playing skills, and creativity all in one challenging but rewarding experience. No matter what age or level the student is at, I support their creativity and expression.

I devote my full attention to the student throughout the private one-on-one lesson, cheering them on and nurturing their development. Students learn self-discipline, independence, confidence, patience, determination, and embracing challenges and failure as they gain an understanding of the language of music, acquire a practice schedule, and develop their technical skills and musicianship.

Performing and sharing music is very important to me. I encourage students to play for others as much as they can within their comfort zone. Students can compete in music festivals, take examinations, and each year I host two recitals for students to perform in along with a recording session to document their progress and share their work with others. (Yes, they are allowed more than one recorded take!) I highly recommend students share their music to foster support and entertain others like their families, grandparents, schools, and friends. 

Some students prefer to learn by ear, but I find even those committed to playing only chords or by ear, often become curious about how to read music notation. Developing both ear training and note reading is valuable to grow in independence and be able to learn music on one’s own in the most efficient way. Students’ understanding of music theory, how chords work together, and how to read music symbols, rhythms, and notation is taught with visuals, theory books, and written assignments.

While most students study piano with me, I also teach singing, ukulele, guitar, and accordion. Students must have their own instrument to practice with at home as well as any method books we cover in lessons. I like to make suggestions of repertoire and introduce different music genres to explore, but students always have a choice as to what songs they would like to sing or play.

I love teaching music and it brings me so much joy to see my students’ weekly progress, and to develop a friendship with them. Students make me laugh, open my mind up to new ideas, and sometimes I learn new songs that students have exposed me to. It is truly rewarding to teach students that are curious, playful, and share my love for music.”