Reviews of Piano Teacher Emilie Lin from Adult Students

Testimonials from Adult Students

I took piano lessons for about 6 years when I was a child. As a university student I wanted to begin lessons again and searched for a teacher who would be able to figure out my current level and help me progress from there. I couldn’t be happier that I found Emilie Lin Piano Studio.

First of all, it is different teaching a complete beginner vs someone who had childhood experience but has lost a lot of progress and memory. Emilie did an excellent job consistently gauging my progress and jumping ahead when appropriate.

I never felt that things were moving too slowly or too quickly. I felt challenged, yet never overwhelmed and stressed which is the ideal state to be in while learning anything I believe. I remember wanting to learn one particular piece that was more challenging than the level I was currently at. Emilie said that if I was motivated to learn the piece that it was doable. She helped break it down into manageable sections and assigned just the right amount each week. I can happily say I now have this piece in my repertoire! The point is, I feel that she is very experienced and intuitive with knowing how much individual students can handle which is a gift considering that each person has their own learning style and pace.

I took lessons with Emilie for about 4 months and I never anticipated that I would make anywhere near the progress that I did. I owe so much of that to her teaching style, extensive knowledge, and the attention to detail given to each piece that can so easily be glossed over when teaching beginner students “simple” music. She honestly made every piece interesting and brought out depth and layers in the smallest piece. Although a good amount of the content was familiar to me from my previous instruction, I was shown a depth to aspects of music that I never considered before.

I moved away to begin university in another country which meant I unfortunately could not take lessons with her any longer. I will say, though, that there is now very high bar of comparison for my next teacher to live up to!

I will always be thankful to Emilie for the exciting, positive, encouraging, challenging, and fun reintroduction to my favourite instrument. :)

J. R.

I have been taking piano lessons from Emilie Lin for about two years, and her teaching has allowed me to make considerable and continuous progress during that time. I consider myself lucky to have found a piano teacher like Emilie. She corrects without being condescending, and always manages to explain techniques in a way that connects with me. She brings contagious enthusiasm to each lesson, and her knowledge and experience are obvious from even a short interaction. As a college student, I appreciate Emilie’s commitment to her students’ personal goals. Instead of making practicing a task or a chore, Emilie’s flexibility during busy exam periods ensures that I stay interested and engaged with piano. Regardless of your personal reasons for learning piano, I would definitely recommend Emilie Lin as a piano teacher.

– K. Adams (graduated from UM)

I have worked with Emilie Lin 45 minutes each week for a year and a half now. I have never had a piano teacher before, but what sets Emilie Lin apart from other professionals is that she doesn’t force feed you information. If you want to learn a song because it fills your soul with emotion or if you really wanted to learn a piece, she will give you exercises and/or songs that will help you so that when you do start learning that piece, you will already be able to play the piece technique wise. Basically, she’s willing to go at the pace you want, which is something not all professionals do.

Specifically, what Emilie Lin's teaching has done for me are:

- Drastically improved my reading comprehension. Went from reading each note through acronyms to reading notes instantly for both hands and then playing.
- Always has fingering/technique advice if you are stuck on something
- Always encourages you to go slowly if you mess up, I needed that because I always sped up.
- Her teachings has been a part of the motivation to keep practicing
- Helped me deal with playing in front of others by having a small recital

B. Olsen (graduated from UM-Dearborn)

I was a U of M graduate student major in Mechanical Engineering. I had some lessons of electric piano when I was little and always had interests in piano. I took lessons with Emilie for 8 months and really enjoyed it. She was patient and adjusted to my own pace of learning. She would point out the little yet important things like finger strength that would improve the overall melody a lot. I do recommend taking lessons with her.

Ding Hao

I recommend Emilie Lin as the best piano teacher in the city of Ann Arbor. She
is the best piano teacher I've ever met. She truly knows how to teach her
students in a way that they improve very quickly. She teaches every student in a
way that is the most effective for that student depending on their age and their
skills. She always encourage students in the most positive way. I drive one hour
every week to get a piano lesson from her, and I think it's really worth it
because I have seen a lot of improvements in my piano playing.

- Jaleh Jafari (mother of two college-age children)

At age 69, I believe I am among the oldest of Emilie Lin's students. Although I’d studied voice and taught myself a bit of piano in my youth, I hadn’t ever seriously studied piano. So after a hiatus of fifty years, being semi-retired with oceans of free time and looking for something rewarding and challenging to do, I began taking lessons from Emilie just one year ago. Her very effective teaching methods have enabled me to gain skill and progress rapidly. She clearly explains and demonstrates technique and relevant music theory, provides genuine positive reinforcement and she patiently and effectively corrects mistakes. Emilie individualizes instruction, tailoring her approach to her students’ interests and needs. Working on music I enjoy makes accomplishment personally very rewarding and has motivated me to practice and improve much more. Her attitude is always genuinely friendly and supportive. I always look forward to my next lesson. Emilie Lin is definitely among the very best teachers I’ve ever had.

Vince Luschas