About the Teacher
Jesse Myers is a seattle-based concert pianist and sought after teacher. Mr. Myers has chosen the vocation of being a lifetime student of the piano and tireless teacher of its techniques and repertoire. He is on the piano faculty at Cornish College of the Arts and runs a thriving studio from his home in Seattle’s Central District neighborhood. Aside from teaching at the studio and the college, he has been accepting invitations for adjudicating competitions, leading masterclasses, and concertizing as a guest artist at universities throughout the United States. Locally, he has performed as a soloist at Seattle's Benaroya Hall and Town Hall.
Students of Myers's studio learn to become more aware of how their technique and body movement effect their playing by learning to effectively release tension and to leverage natural body mechanics to achieve a more effortless and well-intentioned performance.
Jesse Myers has a Master of Music degree from the University of Washington in piano performance. He also attended Bowling Green State University, where he earned his Bachelor of Music in piano performance. His important teachers have been Robin McCabe (piano, UW 2004-2006), Virginia Marks (piano,BGSU 1999-2003), Valrie Kantorski and Frances Burnett (Piano, Bowling Green Creative Arts, 1995-1999), and Marylin Shrude (composition, Bowling Green Creative Arts and Interlochen).
Teaching, Adjudicating, & Leading Masterclasses
- 20+ years teaching experience
- Faculty piano instructor at Cornish College of the Arts
- Quarterly adult seminars and bi-annual youth recitals
- Active soloist/recitalist
- Large teaching repertoire consisting of hundreds of pieces of classical music
- Held residencies and given masterclasses at reputable universities and conservatories throughout the U.S.
Teaching Philosophy
I. Beginner
Currently, I am only accepting intermediate and advanced piano students. But, I have a great referral in the Columbia City neighborhood. I believe every beginning piano student is unique. There are many method books available today and one method isn’t suitable for all students. The beginning students learn the fundamentals of piano: correct positioning, sight-reading simple melodies, understanding rhythm and meter, creative thinking, and one of the most important of all – listening.
II. Intermediate
The intermediate level piano students in my studio have a firm grasp on meter, rhythm, and simple harmony. This is the stage where the knowledge of keys, harmonic progressions, complex rhythms, and a keen ear for good tone become imperative for further advancement at the piano. The intermediate student will learn about style among the different periods of music and will focus on important composers of those periods. These students will have the opportunity to try their music in front of a peer audience.
III. Advanced
A responsive technique is at the core of fine piano playing. Advanced students go further in developing whole-body awareness at the piano, responding to musical, instrumental, and mechanical demands in real-time. With a firm foundation of music theory, the advanced piano students gain an understanding of the structure of particular works. Advanced students will learn to move beyond what is right or wrong and will begin to ask more subjective questions. Learning about the context of a particular work becomes important in answering these questions. Advanced pianists will have the opportunity to enter competitions and perform throughout the community in addition to peer performances where they will receive helpful and friendly advice.
Student Work: Ann’s Rachmaninoff
Student Work – Reilly’s China Gates Analysis
