About Mary Mathews
Teaching might be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.
—John Steinbeck
- Music Teachers National Association Member
- Suzuki Trained
- Royal Conservatory Music Development Program Founding Teacher
- Over 15 years teaching experience
Mary Mathews is a piano teacher and composer who uses the teaching mindset of the Suzuki Method to deliver a comprehensive Classical Piano experience to her students. She gives in-home lessons to Carlsbad clients of any age, preferably to those with an acoustic instrument. Skype and Zoom lessons are also available for those living in other areas or states.
Mary began her piano instruction at age 8 and has been fortunate to study with many master teachers. Her musical interests range from Classical to Jazz to Rock. Also passionate about yoga and meditation, Ms. Mathews combines her understanding of energy, motion, and the body to relate it to the expression of music. She closely connects to children and adults using patience and humor to nurture their musical abilities.
Because music study is a life-long pursuit, Mary has continued to expand her piano knowledge throughout her life and is currently mentored by Dr. Anne Young. She regularly attends master classes or workshops given by prominent music educators and concert pianists. As a child she studied with Mildred Bradley Smith, Suzanne Rabaud, Denise Hugonnet, and Alfred Teltschik.
Mary is a member of SMAC-CA, MTNA, and the Suzuki Association of the Americas. She has taught the RCM Certificate Program since its 2012 inception in the U.S. Her students who have tested through that program have received high marks in performance and theory.
Mary is registered with the Suzuki Association of the Americas to teach Piano Books One through Five. She received her training for the first three Suzuki books from the late Doris Koppelman, a pioneer in the American Suzuki piano movement. Mary holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas in Austin.
My Piano Story
Early Beginnings
I began piano studies at age 8 after watching my older sister play piano for several years. By that time my ear was trained and I progressed quickly. My first teacher was a church organist who gave me a solid Classical foundation. We used two pianos from the start, so I thought that was the norm.
A Teacher’s Lineage
After we moved, I studied privately with a concert pianist, Suzanne Rabaud, a French pianist who had been a child prodigy and made her concert debut at 14. Her teacher had been a student of Paderewski. I studied with her several years and then with Denise Hugonnet Johnson who had studied with Nadia Boulanger at the Paris Conservatory. She pushed me on to study with Alfred Teltschick, a concert pianist who had concertized around the world playing duo-piano with his brother. He had studied with Olga Samaraoff at Julliard and made his debut at Carnegie Hall. By high school, I was teaching piano at The Music Rack, a local Houston music store.
Expanding Musical Horizons
I had incredible teachers, but in the end I decided to go into Radio-TV-Film (B.S., University of Texas at Austin) and had a career first in television news production and then media production. During that time I didn’t play much Classical piano, but rather wrote and recorded original music with friends in bands.
Coming Full Circle
As I got older and reflected on my early training, I realized that I had something to give back and started my “back to the piano” training with Dr. Anne Young who had studied with Gyorgy Sebok. I studied my first three Suzuki books with pioneer trainer, Doris Koppelman and also completed Books 4 & 5. I studied theory and composition privately with Dr. Susan Fee who helped me to complete a book of late intermediate-advanced piano music which I had recorded years previously.
In all my cases of success, it has been the patient commitment of the parents which has made the difference.
Currently
I continue to study all facets of music with the best music mentors I can find. In my 15 years of teaching Suzuki, some fine young pianists have been produced…some winning at the state level and some have gone on to be in high school bands or accepted into music college programs. In all my cases of success, it has been the patient commitment of the parents which has made the difference.
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