Piano Studio of Norman Ortiz

Recently my teenage son decided that he wanted to study piano again, after a break of several years. After doing my careful research, I selected the studio of Mr. Ortiz.
I love his approach to teaching, which focuses on cultivating the student’s inherent interest in making music. In each lesson he covers the basic technical elements which are so important to becoming a proficient musician such as scales and patterns, but not in a dry manner which can turn the student off.
He also focuses on improvisation and playing from ear, which are great skills for any musician to know. My son’s music reading skills, which were limited, have increased dramatically in the four months that he’s been studying so far. I love the way he works theory into each lesson without giving a separate theory assignment, which students find boring.
His enthusiasm for music is really infectious, and the student leaves with a desire to learn great music and play it in a sensitive way. I wish all teachers could be like this!

I studied with Mr. Norman Ortiz for nearly a decade from about mid elementary school to senior year of High School. I met periodically for a handful of lessons for critique and tips on a few pieces I was learning on my own.
Mr. Norman is an absolute artist, perfectionist, and has the upmost passion for piano. I used to take lessons with another teacher prior with studying with Mr. Norman and the differences were night and day. Not only does Mr. Norman teach you theory and technique, but he also puts the upmost importance on the dynamics of music: how you should be bringing out the «music» in music. Each piece has its own story to tell. Listening to his students play in recitals compared to other students from different teachers it was easy to point out which students belonged to Mr. Norman because they had the ability to play musically compared to the many robotic students looking to only play the correct notes in a piece.
He also has incredible patience. Geez la-​weez does he have patience. If I had put myself in his shoes and had to teach me, I probably would have abandoned myself to teach. I was an unhealthily shy individual who was very difficult to communicate with. He stuck by me and started to break me out of my shell by being social with me. I still remember him singing boldly loud while playing, actively making himself look foolish to try to break me out of my shell.
He will also select pieces that you want to play so that you stay interested (so long as it’s not another pop culture song. These songs do not do much for the student in bettering themselves as a pianist in comparison to more Classical pieces.)
If you do get the chance to study with Mr. Norman, please do not be like me and not fully extract the teachings from him. He is priceless in what he can teach you.
My brother and I still play the piano in our free time today. The ability to sit down, tune out the stresses of your daily life, and to lose yourself by making music from the tip of your fingers is beyond therapeutic. Because of Mr. Norman, my brother and I are able to bring life from notes, to evoking emotion from listeners, and even more importantly, ourselves while we play.

I studied with Mr. Ortiz for 6 years, starting in the 6^th grade. We had just moved to the Bay Area, leaving behind a wonderful music program run by Carnegie Mellon’s School of Music. Naturally, we wanted a piano teacher of equally high caliber. We went through one piano teacher before we found Mr. Ortiz’s studio. Mr. Ortiz stands out for his skilled teaching and remarkable musicianship. His direction in technique and musicality made such a difference in my playing. As a person, Mr. Ortiz is friendly, open, and extremely dedicated to his students. He is a wonderful teacher for people of all ages, so if you are interested in studying piano (both seriously or for fun), look no further!

I took lessons from Mr. Ortiz for 10 years, I can tell you that he is probably the best teacher you will find. He cares very deeply about his students and will always patiently cultivate their abilities as best he can. He is also a phenomenal musician and can always provide insight and offer different views on how a piece of music could be played. I started with Mr. Ortiz when I was still very young (about 7 years old) and from my own personal experience, he is great with teaching kids, teenagers, and adults. If you need a piano teacher for your child or even for yourself, I highly recommend this one.