JOLENE HAAR
Piano, Theory, and Composition Teacher
Pianist & Composer
ALL ABOUT ME
I am an experienced and passionate piano teacher with 20 years experience teaching private piano students.
In 2004 I graduated with a Bachelor of Music with Honours from the University of Otago with a specialisation in composition and musicology. Following university, I studied at the Christchurch College of Education and graduated in 2005 with a graduate diploma in secondary teaching. I have been awarded an AMusA in piano performance from the AMEB. In 2022 I was awarded distinction for the AMusTCL associate theory diploma from Trinity College, London.
I currently teach students from beginner to advanced level. Students that sit AMEB piano and theory exams achieve great results.
I have an interest in the Taubman approach to piano technique and believe that at every stage of a pianist’s learning, from young beginner to very experienced, that having a healthy, tension free and in the end, virtuosic technique can allow a person to better reach their pianistic goals. I continue to study with specialist Taubman teachers based in Brisbane and New York (USA).
I am accredited as a teacher of piano, composition and music theory from the NSW music teachers’ association.
Currently I run a busy teaching studio located in South Penrith.
TESTIMONIALS
We were with another teacher previously who wasn’t primarily a piano player. Though, my child was making steady progress, I could not hear some of the musical detail and nuances that you would normally hear from a piano player. It was interesting to see how much more progress my child made when practical tips about playing piano were being shown to her by Jolene. My child is now more aware of these things and I can already hear some of them in her playing. I think Jolene is better equipped to tackle these issues specific to piano given her experience.
(Emanuel)
Jolene is an excellent piano teacher. She is adjusting our lessons to the level I can understand and working on pieces that I really enjoy. Her encouraging teaching style makes our lessons always enjoyable.
I had basic piano lessons many years ago but decided to study again as an adult. With Jolene’s help, I am now progressing steadily and have gained confidence in playing lovely piano pieces which my friends and family enjoy listening to.
I would highly recommend Jolene to any level piano student. 😊
(Menche)
My two daughters (8 and 9 years old) have recently started learning piano with Jolene. We find her approach to teaching to be fresh, exciting, positive and rewarding. My daughters have a renewed love of the piano. We are very happy.
(Mel)
Our daughter Amber has been a student of Jolene’s for a some time now and we have seen her confidence and skill developing very nicely. Jolene makes the lessons fun and monitors her students development extremely well. We are very grateful as parents that Jolene was able to find a time slot for our daughter to have her weekly lesson.
(Andrew)
My son has been learning piano with Jolene for the last 8 months and has made wonderful progress during that time. Jolene’s lessons provide the structure of goals in working towards AMEB examinations, but students can also work on pieces that move and /or excite them. My son finds Jolene’s lessons to be fun and enjoyable. Her suggestions for mastering the technical aspects of pieces are very useful. Jolene’s excitement regarding musicianship theory is catching and my son is also happy to learn those aspects.
(Christa)
I was selected to perform in a masterclass at UC Berkley in California, USA as part of the Golandsky Institute's annual Summer Symposium in 2019. The above is my performance there.