Stuart Foster, DMA

Piano, Accompanying, Music Theory | Online & In-Studio Instruction

I have a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Louisiana State University, and more than 20 years of teaching experience. I offer private lessons for all ages and levels, and I enjoy teaching beginners just as much as the most advanced students. I encourage students to ask questions and think about music and try things and not be afraid to make mistakes(!). All my students learn the fundamental skills that will serve them in playing any style of music, and I like the challenge of finding the music that inspires them the most. I think it's very important to teach how to practice - you go home, you sit at the piano, and what is it you actually do to learn or improve a piece or a new skill? Very few students go on to make music their profession, but my goal is to help everyone realize the joy that making music in any capacity can bring over a person's lifetime.

I am an active member of the Music Teachers National Association (MTNA), the Arizona State Music Teachers Association (ASMTA), the Phoenix Music Teachers Association (PMTA), and the National Federation of Music Clubs. I encourage student participation in the festivals, competitions, and other performance opportunities offered by these and other groups.

In addition to teaching, I've been performing as a freelance solo and collaborative pianist/organist for more than 30 years. I'm a long-time church musician, with ten years as the pianist for a Unitarian church, and two years as organist for a Christian Science church, among other positions. I have extensive experience accompanying students for festivals, competitions, recitals, and auditions; playing for school, church, and professional choirs and musical theater groups and opera; and playing keyboard, guitar, horn, and singing in local bands.