Every lesson at CSM is private and one-on-one. With 60+ teachers, we can consider each student's musical goals and how they learn. Our office handles teacher matching for children, teens, and adults, so you don't have to sort through a roster on your own. Meet a few of our teachers.
Families are not expected to sort through dozens of profiles and guess who might be a good match for their child. That is a lot to ask of a parent, and it is not how we want families to start.
Our office gets to know each student and considers instrument, age, experience level, goals, personality, and teaching approach, along with location and availability. We help you explore a match and confirm current options with you. If the fit isn't right, we work with you on another match.
The right teacher can be the reason a student keeps showing up, keeps practicing, and starts to see music as part of who they are.
Strong musicianship matters, but teaching takes more than being able to play. Our teachers are selected for both — and the teaching ability is what we look hardest at.
We look for instructors who pay attention to the student in front of them. Who adjust when something isn't working. Who show up week after week genuinely invested in a student's progress and not just in getting through the lesson.
That attention is what turns weekly lessons into a habit families keep for years.
There are no group classes in private lessons. Every student gets their teacher's full attention for the full lesson — no sharing time, no waiting, no being compared to anyone else.
That kind of attention gives students room to grow at their own pace. Students know what they're working on. Teachers know where each student is week to week. Parents can see the difference.
Our teachers’ backgrounds include doctoral and master’s degrees, Artist Diplomas, church music leadership, and years of teaching and performing as soloists and band members. That range gives students access to different kinds of musical experience and teaching approaches.
Many teachers work successfully with students across a wide range of ages and levels while bringing particular strengths. Some are especially skilled at engaging our youngest Music Discovery students; others excel with adult learners or advanced students. Those strengths often overlap. Our office helps find a teacher whose experience and approach fit the student.
These teachers offer a glimpse of the experience across CSM. Their strengths span instruments, ages, and levels. You don't need to choose a teacher yourself: our office gets to know your goals and confirms current options, including location and availability.
Jay holds a Bachelor of Music in Piano Performance from Lawrence University and brings more than 30 years of piano teaching and piano and organ performance experience. He has taught at CSM since 2017.
He teaches children, teens, and adults from beginner through advanced levels. His background also includes choral accompaniment and playing piano and organ for churches. A patient approach supports students as their skills and musical interests develop.
Saxophone, flute, clarinet, bass clarinet, and piano · Montgomery and Anderson
Daniel earned a bachelor's degree in Music Education at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a master's in Jazz Performance with a concentration in composition. He has taught at CSM since 2021.
He works with students of different ages and builds lessons around their goals, with specialties in woodwinds and piano. His experience includes teaching college music theory and performing with his own group at BLINK, the Columbus Jazz and Ribs Festival, and Taste of Cincinnati.
Voice, beginner piano, and Music Discovery · Anderson
Abigail holds a Master of Arts in Musicology from the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Music Education from the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She has taught at CSM since 2022.
Her teaching experience includes elementary general music, choirs, college-age voice students, and directing a church children's singing group. She involves students in choosing repertoire and adapts lessons to their needs, bringing that attention to both young explorers and developing singers.
The families who stay at CSM longest almost always say the same thing: their child loves their teacher. Not just the instrument — the teacher specifically.
That relationship is what we are building toward when we make the match. Music lessons work best when a student looks forward to the lesson, feels comfortable being wrong, and trusts that their teacher is in their corner.
We take that seriously from the first lesson.
"Will has done an outstanding job taking a young kid with zero experience and building confidence and enthusiasm, working to the speed of the student so they don't get overwhelmed or frustrated."
We'll help you or your child find a teacher. Four locations across Greater Cincinnati, seven days a week, with current options confirmed by our office. No long-term commitment to start.
Start with a free 30-minute intro lesson — meet the teacher, try the fit, and see how lessons feel before enrolling.
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