Katherine Autry

Hello! Thanks for checking out my profile! I truly love to teach piano and enjoy the magic that can happen at the keys as my students discover the musician inside of them! I've been teaching for about 10 years now and am also a mom of 4 kids and 5 cats :)

Along with teaching, I am a collaborative pianist and performance coach, helping musicians of all instruments and levels play and perform with joy and ease.

Whether for your child or yourself, learning to play the piano is a worthwhile investment that yields many benefits. I utilize the Piano Adventures method but focus on providing an individualized approach, customizing curriculum and materials to meet each student's needs.

​I care about my students beyond what they learn while sitting at the piano and strive to maintain an environment in which they can challenge themselves and feel free to make mistakes along the way.

​Lessons are implemented at developmentally appropriate levels, taking into account the innate skills each person brings to the piano.

Along with my years of teaching experience, I hold a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Music Therapy from Ohio University and maintain a rigorous continuing education schedule via online courses and research into best practices, innovative techniques, and growth mindset principles.

I believe learning to play the piano is best when it is a holistic endeavor and brings a sense of fulfillment and accomplishment. It requires our mental focus as well as technical skill, emotional expression, and an awareness of music as a communal experience. My goal is for my students to become independent music readers and creative players, with a solid foundation of music theory that allows them to feel confident when sitting at the keys. I'm very personable and relate well to my students. I value our time together and enjoy the camaraderie we can develop. I'm pretty relaxed and prefer to motivate development with understanding and patience. Mistakes are welcome and there's no judgment in my lessons! The following quotes sum up my philosophy well:

"You have to be willing to stop and fix. Deep practice requires a willingness to do what many of us find uncomfortable: to admit to our errors, and focus on them."

- Daniel Coyle

"When the good student chooses the honest path, free of perfectionism and faking, music study becomes something refreshingly new: a calm oasis of self-acceptance for those who are so used to driving themselves and trying to please others."

- William Westney

"Practice with your fingers and you need all day. Practice with your mind and you will do as much in 1.5 hours. 

- Leopold Auer