I’ve been teaching piano for the past 17 years to students of all ages. I teach private lessons at my home and at the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music where I’ve been on the faculty since 2002. I specialize in teaching Jazz, Classical, and Popular music and I enjoy working with beginning and more advanced students. I’ve also taught lessons, masterclasses, and workshops at SUNY Purchase, Berkeley Carroll, The Dolan School, and Greenwich Music School.
Here are recommendations from my students. References/contact info can be requested by emailing me at noahhaidu@gmail.com
From a parent
“Noah Haidu is a wonderful piano teacher with whom my son has been fortunate to study for over six years now (he started at the age of five). Early on, when the piano practices were a challenge for my son, he used to say that ‘the only good thing about piano is Noah’! Thanks to him, my son has really grown to love the piano. Noah is incredibly patient, but also inspiring, consistent and excellent in working with children. As a parent himself (of a PS321 first grader), he knows how to relate to kids. He has a wide student base ranging from very young kids to tweens, teens and adults. Perhaps Noah’s teaching talent is most evident during his students’ bi-annual performances, which are both delightful and impressive. As an accomplished professional jazz composer and musician, Noah brings a unique facet to his teaching – the ability to model, to his students, a successful musical career. He also instills a love for jazz as well as an appreciation for variety of music genres. We try to attend Noah’s performances, whenever possible, and that has certainly enhanced my son’s overall appreciation for music and motivated his own practices. Noah is a fantastic teacher and I highly recommend him!”
From a student of 10 years:
“Noah has been my piano teacher since second grade. Since I’m going off to college, I’ve become more appreciative of the time we spent together. I have found that my lessons with him have had a balance between careful guidance and personal exploration. He allowed me to explore my own taste in music and to develop it while simultaneously enhancing my skill with his selections. The classical and jazz pieces he chose allowed me to progress to a higher capacity for playing more difficult rhythms, which in turn lead me to being able to select more complex pieces. Thanks to Noah, my own taste in music has been greatly refined.
Noah is a very patient and comfortable person to be around. He’s exceptionally good at giving advice on correcting problems and then following up on said advice to see if it is effective at the next lesson.
In terms of scheduling, he is very understanding and flexible. I have often not been able to practice due to schoolwork or other obligations but he has always worked with what I have. He’s always very organized with the lesson times, never forgetting or mixing up appointments. He follows through to make sure that the times are correct.
Overall, Noah is a fantastic teacher and it was a privilege working with him for so long.”
From a parent:
“Noah Haidu has taught my son Malcolm piano for about ten years. My desire was to make music an integral part of my son’s life, but my initial goal was to just give him the opportunity to play the piano and to develop a basic appreciation of music. When he started with Noah in the second grade, I could not have foreseen that Malcolm would accomplish much more.
Not only has Malcolm learned to play, but he has discovered a love and joy for an endeavor that requires effort and commitment. Malcolm now plays music because he wants to and in the process, he has his own objectives, like learning to play the music he likes and to sight read well.
Malcolm was introduced to this wonderful gift in an environment that was supportive but also disciplined. This is Noah’s talent as a teacher. From my perspective as a parent, it seems that Noah’s expectation is that students learn, but they take their music and interests in whatever direction they choose, at whatever level they want to reach whether the aspiration is to be a professional, a serious student or someone who embraces the music for the personal enrichment.
My son has had the room to experience music in the way that is organic to him. I believe that Malcolm pursues his music enthusiastically because he has a teacher who helped him shape his own musical journey.”
From a parent of a first year student:
“Before registering my 7 year old daughter for piano lessons I did some research and was immediately impressed with Noah’s talent as an artist and I really liked his teaching method. Charlotte started a year ago and we could not be more satisfied of her experience. She made consistent progress throughout the year : Noah knows how to challenge her without putting too much pressure and she now knows how to practice efficiently to tackle new difficulties. I cannot wait for Charlotte to start this second year with him!”
From a parent of a first year student:
“My son, a 12-year-old who has been studying classical and jazz piano for six years, began taking private lessons with Noah in the summer of 2015. I asked Noah to focus on jazz improvisation. He was very receptive to my request, and developed an organized set of lessons that has helped my son greatly improve his playing. Noah has given him plenty of songs and improvisational methods to practice, and most importantly, he has inspired my son to be more creative. My son looks forward to his lessons with Noah and said he’s learning a lot from him. In addition to being an excellent teacher, Noah is also flexible in scheduling lessons and responds promptly to my many requests. He’s a pro.”