Phillip Lai

I am a little bias as I am related to Phillip Lai. That said, his lessons speak for themselves; and after only a few weeks of lessons, I can’t imagine any parent or young artist disagreeing. You can ask for references or get a CD of his recitals which he’ll happily provide to any skeptical prospective students.
I’ve known him all my life and I cannot remember a time when the piano was a difficult skill for him. He is truly talented musician. Unlike others who are talented and can’t understand why piano is difficult, Phillip knows how to explain the concepts and identify why a person is having trouble. He has a very results oriented method to teaching that differs from typical, stodgy approaches approaches. There are two things that clearly identify his talent in helping students learn this skill.
1) A recent recital had students of all ages (5 – 85) happy to show their skill in public. Some had only been taking lessons for 1 month. They all were able to complete a full song — of their choosing — and show well in public.
2) His students are happy both going into and coming out of the lesson. It is clear that Phillips enthusiasm is contagious. He knows how to get kids to embrace the joy of the instrument and that ultimately encourages them to practice and improve their skill.
3) He is extremely good with kids of all ages. He recognizes that you are asking him to provide a service. He spends time getting to know his students, what they are trying to accomplish and how to get them to that ability to accomplish this goal.
The one downside that I would mention is that due to the popularity of his lessons, he does tend to be fairly booked. That said, I know he works really hard to fit all students in.