Stacey McDonald

EXPERIENCE & TRAINING:
My name is Stacey McDonald and I am an independent music teacher who is classically trained on both piano and oboe. I have approximately 7 years of teaching experience on both instruments and currently run a thriving piano studio out of my home in the West Philly/University City area. During the week, I also teach private piano lessons at the Tatnall School, a private school in Wilmington, DE.
As a teacher, I have a particular strength for teaching children ages 4-teens, but enjoy working with beginning adult students as well. I teach traditional piano lessons with a primary focus on the classical repertoire, theory & technique, and I also enjoy delving into pop & jazz when appropriate.
I am a graduate of Northwestern University (M.Mus Oboe Performance) and Baldwin-Wallace College (B.Mus Oboe Performance). Having focused primarily on oboe, I have studied under professional orchestra members of the Cleveland Orchestra, Chicago and Pittsburgh Symphonies.

CONTINUING EDUCATION:
As a teacher, I take my responsibility quite seriously and therefore participate in piano classes & conferences on a regular basis. I am currently working toward my Teacher’s Certification from the Royal Conservatory of Music. During the school year, I attend regular Saturday classes at Westminster Choir College (Princeton, NJ) to gain new insights on current teaching & pedagogy techniques. In June, I will be attending Goshen College’s Piano Workshop (Goshen, IN).

PERSONAL:
I spent my childhood years in Pittsburgh, PA and moved to Philadelphia after finishing graduate school and getting married. I live in West Philly with my husband Christopher (also a pianist) and our awesome cat Random. Besides music, I enjoy photography, home improvement projects, reading lots of books, sipping tea and admiring other people's artwork.