Dr. Mark Terenzi
Pianist-Private Piano Teacher-Choir Conductor/Clinician
Sarasota, Florida
Piano and Voice Teaching at the Elizabeth Farrell School of Music
(South Sarasota, FL)
In August 2024, I joined the part-time faculty of the Elizabeth Farrell School of Music in South Sarasota, teaching private piano and voice to students from age 6 through 81!
What are some of our teaching goals at the Elizabeth Farrell School of Music?
Steady Beat
One of my youngest students, seven-year-old Audrey McIntosh, demonstrated how important this skill is at a recent recital as she performed the “Ode to Joy,” one of Beethoven’s greatest pieces from his Ninth Symphony.
Correct Rhythm
Next, it is crucial that students master the smaller units of rhythm - the division (two per beat) and subdivision (four per beat). Below, six-year-old Aneseh Mahdavi and eight-year-old Arash Mahdavi demonstrate with divisions of the beat, and eleven-year-old Mia Peralta performs exercises with subdivisions:
Pitch and Music Reading
At the Elizabeth Farrell School of Music vocal teachers often employ solfege syllables and corresponding hand signs by John Curwen to develop student’s music reading skills.
Technical Development
Seventeen-year-old Lukas Vecchioni is one of our school’s great success stories, and after studying piano with our founder Ms. Elizabeth Farrell 2019-2024 and with me this past year, Lukas has begun to enter competitions the last few months.
Student's Quick Progress
Most of my students at the Elizabeth Farrell School of Music began their musical studies less than a year ago!! That’s why it is remarkable that two adult students recently performed pieces like Beethoven’s soulful “Moonlight Sonata” (Benjamin Wagner) Chopin’s dramatic Prelude in C Minor (Abby Gray) – after just a few months of lessons!!!
Having Fun While Learning!
Perhaps no other Broadway piece allows for siblings to try to “one-up” each other as well as Irving Berlin’s “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better!”
