Hannah Sheats
About
My name is Hannah Sheats, and music has always been a central part of my life. At five years old I picked up the violin for the first time and piano followed a year later. Now, more than twenty years later there are still few things I enjoy more than sitting down to the piano or opening my violin case to play.
My love of music has led me into the fields of teaching, composing, and publishing. I spent nine years teaching violin and piano before choosing to further my education by studying Music Composition at Florida State University, where I am currently enrolled.
To date, I have completed several compositions for the piano, multiple string trio pieces, and several vocal arrangements. I have also published several books of easy-to-play music for violin, viola, flute, and cello. I have taught more than 40 students of all ages and levels, and plan to continue teaching for the rest of my life.
Teaching Style
My teaching style focuses on meeting my student's needs and helping them to achieve their goals as best I can. If that means studying classical music to become performers and professional musicians I will do my best to help them toward that end. For students who wish to learn piano or violin recreationally I will help them toward their goals of playing hobby music and finding joy in their instruments. I emphasize kindness and understanding at all times, and firmly believe that it is never ok to shame a student or be harsh in lessons.
Curriculum
For piano I recommend the Faber's Piano Adventures series until the student is ready to start on Classical music. Then I generally employ Bastien's Piano Literature books, along with Hanon's 60 Exercises for the Virtuoso Pianist and other technique books.
For violin I favor using the Suzuki method, which will prepare a student for Classical repertoire. In addition, I like for students to choose goal pieces and we can work on these together in lessons along with the technique-building pieces from their lesson book.
Credentials & Affiliations
I am currently studying music at Florida State University, and am a member of MTNA (Music Teacher's National Association). I have more than 10 years of experience in teaching private music lessons, and have taught beginner to intermediate lessons to students of all ages.
