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When Maestro
Facchini teaches, the student gets more than a piano lesson
given by a highly accomplished pianist: Max “reads” his student
very well, and with great care. His coaching skills as a teacher
take into account the student’s individuality. Max connects with
the student at his/her level of approach, but he also knows
especially well how to encourage the student to reach higher, to
try what truly challenges. He is a catalyst for the student’s
musical and intellectual formation.
Max gives his utmost, in both his concert performances and in
his teaching. His virtuosity as a pianist is reflected in his
pedagogical approach. Teaching can be as much an art as is
music, and Max devotes himself to both. He is able to draw out
the best in his students by communicating a sense of the
adventure—and reward—involved when the student accepts a musical
challenge and succeeds by mastering the piece.
Especially important is Max’s genuine respect for the
individuality of each student, and his ability to accommodate
that student’s uniqueness, while leading them forward and
upward. His students develop a sense of confidence which is
based on their true accomplishments, because Maestro Facchini
simultaneously guides, encourages, and leads his students to
success.
L. Esposito, parent
(Mother of Richard and Peter Esposito, 17 and 15 years old)
up
My two children have
been taking music lessons with Massimiliano Facchini for many
years now, 6 years for my 11 year old son and 2 years for my 8
year old daughter. Max has not only taught them music at the
most superior level, he has made it fun for my children to
learn. As a parent, we all know how important that is for any
child's learning process and motivation.
Massimiliano Facchini and Claudette Munné have developed a
nurturing environment for the children to feel proud of their
many accomplishments no matter how great or how small. They
personalize each lesson according to the child's ability without
ever compromising on the music.
The most important criteria for me as a parent when looking for
a teacher for my children is to find someone who not only has
high standards for his/her own work, but someone who also truly
cares for the children. I have found this in Max and Claudette.
Angie Lee,
parent
(Mother of Tyler and Morgan Lee, 11 and 8 years old)
up
Our two boys, 5 and
8 years old, have the privilege of taking piano lessons with Mr.
Max since the last year.
Mr. Max is passionate about music and it is reflected in his
teaching. He genuinely cares about his students and creates a
fun and encouraging environment for my sons. He is extremely
patient and always finds ways to keep his students interested
and motivated.
Mr. Max is not only a great performing artist but also a
phenomenal teacher. This rare combination gives him great
success at bringing out the best of his students. Our 2 boys are
truly very fortunate to have him as their piano teacher.
James and Chia Ko, parents
up
Our son, John age
13, started piano lessons with Massimiliano Facchini at the age
of 7 after being taught by several other instructors. While
learning the mechanics of playing the piano, he also was taught
by Max the love and respect of music. Max connects with John
through experiences outside of playing and practicing the piano.
We know John will remember these lessons as invaluable and
realize he has gained a friend as well as a teacher. My
husband and I think of Max as a mentor and not “just a piano
teacher”.
Camille and John Mavroudes, parents
up
Working with
Massimiliano Facchini has been a most rewarding experience for
my son. Max teaches much more than how to play the piano. He
truly encourages his students to strive for higher goals in a
positive and nurturing manner. His love for music and children
is apparent whenever he is interacting with his students. He is
kind, patient and most of all extremely talented. Max has the
wonderful ability to pinpoint the best technique for motivating
each of his students using their individual strengths and
personality types. It is our good fortune to have found someone
who cares so deeply for children. Max has had a profound
influence on increasing my sons’ level of confidence without
ever allowing him to do anything less than his best.
Sincerely,
Diana
(Parent of Kyle Parks Age 9)
up
Musical classes for
my 1 year old seemed a little premature to me but I trusted Ms. Munné’s experience so much that I decided to give it a try. My
daughter is now 20 months old. She started when she was around
1. She can’t wait for her music class every week. She knows her
scales and can identify the sounds of instruments when she hears
them in other music. She can name most instruments when she sees
them and she can identify a waltz and opera. For me it has been
an eye opener. She is also able to identify letters because Ms.
Munné has a technique where she teaches the kids the notes at
the same time that she shows them the letters. I think that my
daughter is not only having loads of fun but she has gained a
great love for music that has enabled her to learn without
knowing she is being taught. I think that Ms. Munné has a great
way with kids. She doesn’t push them when they are having a
scattered day and she doesn’t overwhelm them if they are having
a very good class. It is over all a lot of fun. My daughter asks
for Ms. Munné all the time and is willing to take the class
alone with her without looking back at me, which I find amazing.
Rebecca Gomez,
Parent
up
My son Brandon
McElroy is now 13 years old and he loves music naturally.
Brandon is autistic and teaching disabled children makes
learning the piano more difficult. Claudette Munné agreed to
work with Brandon. Brandon has been working with Claudette for 4
years and he has learned how to play the piano and read music. I
had to help my son a lot but now he is doing well and he is able
to play.
Two years ago Brandon went to his aunt’s wedding in Mississippi.
At the rehearsal Brandon sat down at the piano and started
playing. Everybody was amazed at how well he could play.
Claudette has been a great inspiration to Brandon therefore my
wife and I decided to keep him in piano lessons. Brandon looks
forward to seeing Claudette each Tuesday. Many teachers would
not have had the time or patience to work with learning disabled
kids. Claudette has been great with Brandon. She is a great
inspiration to children of all abilities. Any child could
benefit from learning how to play the piano.
Claudette thank you a lot for all you have done for our son
education.
James McElroy,
parent
up
This is to state
that I have known Claudette Munné since 2001, when she started
teaching our almost 5 year old son to play the piano. Right from
the first lesson, our little boy took to his teacher and has
since developed a keen interest in the instrument. Claudette has
a way with children and instills in them a love and a respect
for the music and the instrument. She is passionate about what
she does and takes a personal interest in her students. A few
years later, our 5 year old daughter joined her older brother
and they are both currently dedicated students of Claudette.
Claudette tailors her lessons according to the learning styles
of her students. She can be tough, but is always a caring
teacher.
Apart from regular weekly classes, Claudette organizes piano
recitals where all her students, irrespective of ability, are
given a chance to show their skills in a public forum. These
recitals are a joy to watch for the parents, and are a character
building exercise for the students. During these recitals,
Claudette ensures that all her students are comfortable and she
helps each one of them out based on their need without
embarrassing them. This is a hallmark of a true teacher.
Today, our children have graduated from playing simple lullabies
to more complicated pieces by the masters, and this improvement
can be largely attributed to the care, perseverance and
dedication of their piano teacher. Our son is a
multi-instrumentalist and can play the drums, bass recorder and
the trumpet and we believe this is primarily due to his strong
grounding in music imparted by Claudette. Claudette is an
accomplished concert pianist and both our children enjoyed
watching their teacher play in Carnegie Hall. We have no
reservations about endorsing Claudette as a competent,
passionate and caring teacher for children of all ages and wish
her well in all her endeavors.
Sylvia
Fernandes and Christopher Pais
Parents of Ryan (10) and Rayna (8)
up
Claudette Munné is
the best piano performer and teacher I have had the pleasure to
know. My two daughters have been taking music lessons with
Claudette Munné for about five years. Before beginning lessons
with Claudette, my 10 year old daughter had taken lessons with
another teacher. The progress that she made during the first
three months with Claudette as a teacher far surpassed any
expectations I had and confirmed to me what a superb teacher she
is. Not only has she taught my 10 year old about piano and how
to play complex pieces, she has also taught her about good
posture and sight reading. I particularly appreciate Claudette’s
balanced approach to teaching-kind but firm.
Claudette is my 7 year old daughter first piano teacher. When
she started taking lessons, I was able to observe a few of her
lessons. This is where I witnessed the wonderful connection that
Claudette has with her students. My little daughter is the type
that if she does not understand something she gets frustrated,
but time after time Claudette has demonstrated her teaching gift
by helping my little one focus on exactly what needs to be fixed
gradually. Claudette is not only friendly and patient, but also
good gauging her student’s level of knowledge and ability. Her
commitment to her students is evident. She sees each student as
an individual and draws upon their strengths to teach them in
ways that work best for them. She provided both my daughters
with a recorded tape of the piano piece that they were working
on. Thos allowed my daughters to hear how the music should be
played and reinforced the lesson material. She is a wonderful
teacher and her judgment has earned my trust.
Maureen Lopez,
parent
(Mother of Guiselle and Rebecca Lopez, 10 and 7 years old)
up
Claudette Munné is
not only a gifted classical pianist; she is also a talented
piano instructor. Our two daughters are only two years apart in
age, but could not otherwise be more different. Claudette has
the insight for understanding each of their unique strengths and
weaknesses.
Our youngest daughter, Brianna, started with Claudette when she
was only four years old and could not even read yet. Despite
this, Claudette discovered that she had very keen hearing, and
could remember notes by ear exceptionally well. Combining our
daughter’s auditory memory with tunes geared to her attention
span brought out her innate musical gifts. Additionally,
Claudette’s piano instruction is also benefiting Brianna’s
academic education as well, as she is able to sit quietly and
focus in school better winning “Student of the Month” in her
Kindergarten class this month.
Our oldest daughter, Sabrina, although a strong student, is
naturally shy and introverted. Claudette, made a point of
ensuring she participated in, and prepared for all her piano
recitals. Playing piano in front of dozens of people was at
first very intimidating for her. However, with consistent
practice, and several piano recitals under her belt, Sabrina no
longer dreads public performances. Most recently in school, she
got an ‘A+’ in a class presentation she had to give. We
attribute her ability to confidently present in front of her
large audience to Claudette’s instruction and preparation for
her piano recitals.
Our daughters also benefit from having exposure to someone who
has so much poise, charm, and dignity. Claudette has traveled
around the world giving her own classical piano concerts, and
she brings some of that with her to every instruction. She puts
on no airs, is always polite and kind, putting our daughters at
ease. However, our daughters also understand the high
expectations she has of them both and they respond accordingly.
Parents of
Sabrina & Brianna Vargas
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