“I started taking lessons with David in January 2021 and it was by far one of the best decisions that I've ever made. David is not only one of the best music teachers that I've ever had, he's also one of the best teachers that I've had in any subject -ever.

David is a true professional and he's built an amazing studio with students of all ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. I particularly like the way David indirectly teaches his students to be lifelong learners. In fact, I apply what I've learned from David in several different areas outside of music today. First, he listens to his students. I can attest to this because he listened to the names of the pieces that I wanted to play and he let me choose the piece that I wanted to learn.

His method of teaching is backed by science and his personal experiences as a pianist perfecting his craft. His style is very creative and effective and makes learning the piano collaborative, structured and fun. In a short amount of time I was able to play my first piece Comptine d'un autre ete and starting on my next piece Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

If you are reading this review, you are more than likely looking for a piano teacher or you're on the fence about taking lessons with David. Either way, you have my word that lessons with David will be well worth your time and investment if you're willing to put in the work. David is a hidden gem and you will get his best every lesson. Thank you David for allowing me to be apart of your music world."

Anthony C.

“I was looking for a piano teacher to help me get started again after a 10 year hiatus and I’m so glad I found David! I’m just 6 months, he was able to get me to perfection with my first goal piece. David brings a unique methodology that has helped me advance in my piano playing faster than I ever thought I could. Through my practice with him, I’ve learned more about piano theory, practice techniques, and classical music than I did in ten years of playing as a child. On top of that, David is a pleasure to work with. He’s extremely communicative, punctual, and accommodating. I look forward to my weekly lessons with David and participating in group recitals and studio classes for many seasons to come!"

Miryam A.

“I have been taking lessons with David for about 22 months now. I am a music teacher by profession. When I started the lesson, I was leaving a school where my teaching experience there has negatively influeced my interest in playing the piano. Music has always been part of my life and I wanted to be able to pick up playing again without the pressure that "playing the piano is part of my job."

David was responsive and understanding. He offered me lots of ideas on how I could start again and the also the opportunity to join studio class where I got to hear stories of other adult teachers and how their experience was like learning a challenging piece of music and preparing for a performance. I was hesitant at first. In my mindset as a perfectionist was not ready to play until my playing was "perfect." David coached on the mental emotional aspect of performance and gave his students many opportunities to play for each other before the studio class. Even as an experienced pianist who has played for most of her life, I felt anxious about preparing for a performance, and I learned that that feeling is normal part of any performance. I was given the tools to prepare for it mentally and emotionally.

Mental practice was one of the most useful tools I learned while I was preparing for performance. Essentially, I am asking to train my mind to play the music WITHOUT the piano, with as many details as I can imagine in my mind (the sound, the notes on the sheet, the physical sensation in my finger, hands and wrist, etc.) It allowed me to see where in music I lack detail and attention, and therefore could not remember it from memory.

David's specific methodology is very detailed and can easily be taken in small steps, and he always takes time to explain to me his reasoning for his process (steps that we take in when practicing and learning a new piece of music). David always encourages me to think in long-term goals and short-term goals. I felt like I am more prepared and ready to take on more demanding and challenging pieces.

I was very inspired by David's success and am now starting to build my own piano studio. Now I am able to share music with my students with joy and have been incorporating methodologies that I learned from David into my own teaching. Our business training has given me an opportunity to see piano teaching as a business from the lens of a business owner. He has helped me build my own online business profile and continued to support me in many aspects of this business entrepreneurship. His mentorship has be invaluable for me as a pianist and as a teacher."

Hui-Wen V.

“I reached out to Instructor David back in December 2019 when I decided to take formal lessons after finishing Simply Piano (Piano app). Instructor David was very responsive and got back to me the same evening. He scheduled me in for a trial lesson and even answered some of my unusual questions on what I can do to prepare for the lesson even though it was a trial lesson. During the trial lesson, Instructor David asked me about my background, my reason for taking piano lessons, and also explained to me his methodologies. I was convinced that this would be the right teacher to guide me on my journey.

As an adult learner, I was lacking confidence on whether I can fulfill my dream of playing the piano fluently since I was under the preconception that you have to start at an early age. I told instructor David that my goal piece was Fur Elise and Maple Leaf Rag. Right away, he told me to start learning Fur Elise and bring in the sheet music for the first lesson. Once Instructor David realize that I have the ability to play the piece he encourage me to work on my next goal piece, Maple Leaf Rag. I didn’t feel I have enough technique, rhythm, or experience but he insisted I give it a try and following his methodology which include the metronome practice at 3 different speeds, the 1-2 SH and TH measure sets, planning writing out the musical details and fingering for each piece. His methods were efficient.

I started the lesson with 3 years total accumulation of self taught piano playing with no formal training. I took 5 months of lessons with instructor David. With his teaching and encouragement, I was able to learn all 48 Major and Minor scales, all arpeggios including 1st and 2nd inversion based on his theory lesson and methods of practice. His 40 piece challenge help me learn 15 classical piano pieces from Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin, and Debussy.

What I value most of Instructor David is his integrity, professionalism, experience, and ability to shift his teaching towards the students learning style and strength. Although I’m no where near perfect in my learnings he would always be patient enough to explain to me if I was off track or not practicing correctly. He would not let me sacrifice impeccable rhythm, musicality, music shaping, dynamics, and accuracy. Being able to play a piece is one thing, with instructor David he always make sure I learn the piece properly and able to perform it under different circumstances. He also spend a lot of time to help me overcome my lack of experience and personal fear learning piano as an adult learner. I just finished my first recital and experience what it was like to prepare for a recital like a professional pianist. I am forever grateful for the wonderful experience. I can say his teachings has made the awareness of musicality second nature to me. Every time I play a piece of music, I can’t stop thinking about the need to be musical and bring the piece alive!

Instructor David also host studio classes where other students of different level meet to experience what it is like to learn piano on all different levels. I had a positive experience as his student demographic is very diverse. Age reaching from teenager to senior citizen. It provided me with comfort and reassurance.

The biggest accomplishment that I feel would be an injustice not to share is instructor David helping me learn my dream piece that I felt was years out of reach, Fantasie Impromptu by Chopin. After the first month, he told me to start learning the piece which I was resistant at first since I was already having trouble with the poly rhythms of Nocturne in C#m, and the syncopated rhythms of Maple Leaf Rag. I also struggle with different rhythm variety of Sonata K545. Despite all of this, instructor David made sure I start learning poly rhythms and even with a slow start he took the time to teach me over my lesson time once he saw that I was on the brink of getting the hang of the idea. I broke through a plateau that I didn’t feel I could break through so soon being an average person throughout my life. It gave me a big confidence boost. Using the same methods I progress weekly and eventually performed all the pieces, Fur Elise, Sonata K545, Nocturne C#M, Maple Leaf Rag, and Fantasie Impromptu at the recital from memory. I was planning to learn other pieces such as Turkish March and Clair De Lune along the way, but was told to put on hold until I made sure my pieces were as prepared and musical as possible before the recital. I learned a valuable lesson of not to be over confident or accidentally disrespect the performance process due to inexperience. He is always sensitive in delivering the message in an easily acceptable way. I feel my dreams are within reach! Thank you Instructor David!"

Peter P.

“I started lessons with David in the middle of November of 2019 as a beginner. I've had a strong desire to play the piano for years with some goal pieces I wanted to be able to play one day. Using David's methodology, and with his guidance in just under 10 lessons, I am almost able to play one goal piece I would've never thought I could even attempt this early on. In general David's approach, in my experience so far, is to focus on learning technique and effective practicing, and starts introducing other elements, such as nuanced musicality and theory, on an as needed basis. Additionally He provides / recommends resources, such as books or even apps, for music theory or technique, so the student is empowered to enhance their learning on their own. He is acutely aware of my needs as a beginner, and will focus on areas that will make the most immediate impact to my technique while also ensuring that I am taking the right steps to solidify my understanding of music in the long term. David is deeply invested in the pedagogical process, and has a clear passion for imparting knowledge to others. He is an exceptional teacher, and I would recommend him to anyone who has a passion for playing piano regardless of their skill level."

Vincent G.

“David is a fantastic piano teacher and a pleasure to work with. I’ve been studying virtually with David in 1.5 hour weekly lessons since near the start of the pandemic (about 6 months now). Previously I studied piano for about a year in high school. Within 6 months I’ve learned much more than I could have hoped in this time (and much more than in the year of study with other teachers) - including already performing Menuet in G Major by Bach, Meryton Townhall by Henry Purcell and Georgiana by Dario Marinelli (from the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack), and currently working on my first Debussy prélude. David has enabled me to move past what I initially viewed as long term stretch goals and turn them into short to medium term goals. When I initially began my lessons, my fiancé, who had intended to teach himself with a combination of piano books, training videos and applications, quickly assessed both the quality of David’s lessons and my progression working with David and began taking lessons with David as well (we have now begun learning duets in addition to our solo pieces). David is both an excellent piano player and teacher, and has devoted much study and practice into preparing teaching methodologies that enable his students to progress rapidly and to develop good habits from the outset. To that end, David teaches you how to teach yourself to learn pieces and to practice most efficiently, recognizing that we are all short on time. In so doing, he takes into account your own personal tendencies, strengths and weaknesses and helps you to develop plans how to proceed outside of lesson time. David also provides a wealth of opportunities to perform for other students, and teaches a performance mindset so that his students are ready at any time to perform the pieces in their current repertoire. (This performance mindset is also transferable to work and other aspects of life.) I’ve performed over zoom and FaceTime for over a dozen students during my lessons, and that is not to mention the studio session that we participated in last month in which David’s students all performed (which also served to help teach listening critically to performances), and a forthcoming recital. David also teaches his students musicality in performing, and I can attest to this quality stemming from his teaching as I’ve now heard so many of his students perform. As David noted in one of my lessons, in a simple piece a beginner can sound like a professional if the player performs with musicality. David also pays great attention to detail, which shows both in our correspondence and during lessons. He was extremely prompt to respond to my initial Thumbtack inquiry and communicating with David has been extremely easy ever since."

Colleen T.

“I highly recommend David as a piano teacher, especially for adult beginners. He helped me rapidly improve my technical proficiency by having me work on a goal piece immediately while introducing the necessary theoretical knowledge as needed. This approach is great for adult beginners as it allows you have fun playing what you want immediately instead of wasting months on slowly working through beginner pieces. As someone brand new to piano, he was able to coach me into being able to play 1min30s of my goal piece for his studio class within 4-5 lessons.

I can also attest to the effectiveness of his methodologies. David teaches you how to break down difficult sections and efficient ways of practicing in order to learn new pieces quickly. In addition, his experience/skill as a teacher was readily apparent in my lessons with him. During one of my one hour sessions with David, I was able to progress past a section I was stuck on in my personal practice for a week. Also, he is also easy to reach for questions outside of lesson hours and will help you develop a plan to achieve your piano goals.

If you are in the market for a piano teacher, consider taking a trial lesson (1 hour at a discounted rate) with David to experience his methods firsthand. I was not disappointed and I don't think you will be either."

Harry W.

“This is a long review, so I'll say at the start that I think David is a great and effective piano teacher!!! He has developed a methodology that allows his students to efficiently learn to practice so that they are able play their absolute best - whether you just started or if you've been playing for a long time. David is also a remarkable performer - one can feel the emotion he puts into his playing. Hopefully this review helps you decide whether you would like to be one of his students.

I first reached out to David to see if he was taking on new students in Oct 2019. During our initial phone conversation, I was taken by his passion for music, teaching, and performing. I was a little apprehensive about my trial lesson; I wanted to impress him with my playing, however I had only been playing for a relatively small amount of time, and felt I needed a lot of improvement. I arrived for my lesson, played a few pieces and then we discussed my playing, my goals, and what I expected from the lessons. It was an amazing discussion - interactive and free flowing! We spoke about David's philosophy on teaching and how his structured methodology provides students with the capability to solve for issues/blocks during their own piano practice. I was intrigued, excited, and started taking lessons soon after.

In Studio Lessons: Part of David's methodology breaks each piece into sets, you play each set (which can be as small as two notes) for a small period of time, then you go on to the next set (regardless of whether you "passed" the previous set) and then come back and play the previous set(s) again, and so on. Over time, dynamics, shaping, balancing, voicing, etc. are incorporated ... until you have completed the piece. It is all very logical ... I am amazed at how much of the piece I am playing has been memorized (never did that before)! I am looking forward to learning how to incorporate more of David's methodology into my practice sessions to become a better pianist.

Virtual/Remote Lessons: Shortly after the COVID-19 stay-at-home order was issued, David started to offer remote lessons. I am very happy to be able to continue learning the piano during these stressful times. David's virtual/remote lessons are just as effective as his in studio lessons. There is a difference however ... I send my repertoire to David before the lesson so that he can provide feedback (mark up the score with comments about the musicality). Virtual/Remote lessons are basically the same as the in studio lessons: If I have questions, David explains and/or plays the piano to demonstrate. I do hope he continues to offer virtual/remote lessons, as it would be great for those times I feel like I may be coming down with something!

Theory Lessons: David has provided me with music theory lessons. Having never taken theory before, I am amazed at how much knowing the theory helps me to better understand the music I am playing!

Adult Studio Class: David believes that performing for others helps us all become better pianists. He holds the Adult Studio Class frequently. These classes are low key and optional, we perform a piece of our choosing, and get feedback from both David and other students. David guides us on how to listen critically and how to provide feedback. I am astounded at how amazing David's students play. Some of them have been playing for only a year or two and sound like they have been playing much, much longer. Their musicality is amazing and they all credit it to David's methodology and teaching!

Recitals: All David's students are invited to play at the Recitals. I have only attended one, and was impressed with the age range of David's students (4-5 years to much older) ... they all sounded remarkable. It was a wonderful experience."

Mara D.

“I was transitioning into teaching piano full time when I first started my lessons with David. He is helping me to further improve my playing and we also discuss about pedagogical problem. His logistical method approach in piano learning has been working wonders not just on me but on my students as well.

My favourite part is still the online recitals and the studio classes. That's where I get to hear a lot of his student play. He is also training most of his student in giving constructive comments. That is a very useful skill which helps in self evaluation which can be applied into daily practice and keep them effective.

We also talk about the business and manging part of a studio, which is probably on a more business side. Hopefully I will be able to start my own studio sometime in the future.

If improving more in a shorter period of time is your goal, I genuinely believe David will be a good match. He is super responsive, fun and definetly knows his stuff well!

Hope you will have a wonderful journey learning with David too!"

Kit H.

“David is without a doubt the best piano instructor I have had to date. Prior to meeting David I had been playing for around 18 months with a few different instructors that just did not quite fit. Since starting with him I am doing 90 minute lessons, which primarily is focused around teaching me how to teach myself. He's developed a systematic approach to learning more difficult pieces to less experienced pianists such as myself; the result is a clear payoff. I am able to learn in between lessons by actually playing the pieces I want to play. He uses specific memory techniques like spaced repetition and interleaving in order to help truly have a deeper understand of the piece that I am playing, instead of just knowing where my fingers should go! I did my first musical performance under him, something I never thought I would do. This forced me to push my musical ability faster then I normally would have. Coming up in June we are working to prepare 3 Chopin Preludes for our next recital. His approach to goal setting and expectations is really what will set you apart from others in the long-term. I am absolutely satisfied with him as my instructor and plan to continue using him well into the future. Oh and he memorized all 27 Chopin Etudes in six months during 2020, now THAT is somebody I want to learn from."

Michael R.

“David is an amazing piano instructor. His knowledge and ability to teach remotely was key to assisting me with learning to play my goal piece. I’ve been a piano student on and off throughout my life and this was the fist time I felt I was actually learning and excelling. One of the biggest learning methods that helped me was David’s notational system that would break down the notes and then piece them together. Overall it was a great experience that helped me come back to learning and practicing the piano again!"

Lama S.

"David Chang is an excellent teacher. I studied piano for 7 years when I am a teenager and decided to begin it again near 30s. He developed his own methodologies, such as sets, adding in reverse, spaced repetition. These knowledge are pretty new for me and help me a lot for in improving both memory and technical. He is very patient to answer your questions and help you to solve the difficulties you faced. High recommend!"

Weirong T.

“There's just so much to say about David as a teacher, a professional and a musician. We have only started lessons with David but both my husband and daughter are taking lessons and have greatly improved since the very first class.

To start, my daughter is a 5 year old rambunctious little girl that I was fearful would not be able to sit through a single lesson. I had nothing to fear. David was amazingly patient with her. Our other fear that she would not be interested in piano was also addressed by David. He was able to challenge her to play at her speed and level. Unlike other teachers that dragged onto position, posture, and repetition. David focused on her abilities, and provided positive encouragement which helped create an impassioned interest in piano while slowly addressing posture, position, relaxation and repetition.

My husband has limited time to practice but had always desired to learn the piano. After convincing him to give it a try with David. David's adult studio classes/recitals/and performance opportunities added additional motivational drive for him to pursue piano as a hobby.

David is able to help both my husband and my daughter break down their learning capabilities into segmented individual sections which sped up their ability to pick up and learn musical pieces and musical theory. He also advises me on how to assist my daughter in her daily practices.

What we love about David's lessons are not only the educational theory and skill set we are learning, or the ability to break down segments to improve the rate of learning, also not only the patience and kindness that he shows both my husband and daughter. It is a very large combination of all of these aspects, but primarily it is his love of music and his love of helping others to achieve personal goals, and his strong encouragement to help his students develop passions for music.

We highly recommend David as a piano instructor for any level of students that are interested in Piano"

Dolly L.

“It’s never easy to pick your piano teacher, especially when you’re a beginner. David demonstrated a great deal of professionalism and patience in the first (trial) lesson. Before I met David, I already tried few teachers and was very uncertain about whether I should begin my piano journey or not. Not only is David experienced in performing but he’s also dedicated in teaching, and he’s passionate about finding the right method for each student. He’s a trustworthy teacher who’s relentless on sharing his own musical experiences and teaching his methodology in great details. How to relax your arms, how to put your weight while practicing, how to read music,(as a beginner) how to overcome obstacles physically and psychologically. Through his methods, I was able to approach music more efficiently. After very few lessons, I began to feel some improvement and stated to feel the joy in solving problems. And now I’m increasing my lessons from one-hour to two-hour per week. This is definitely the best musical decision I’ve made and I’d recommend David to anyone who’s interested in learning piano and music theory."

Megumi O.

“David is an excellent teacher who uses a wide range of techniques to improve your piano playing skills. I found that my ability to play more precisely and expressively have quickly improved due to his lessons on shaping and expression. Furthermore, I found the studio class that he put on for his students was useful for getting over performance jitters. I look forward to continuing lesson with him in the future."

Zarek D.

“David is an excellent piano teacher and I am very happy I signed on with him. I had about 9 years of piano classes when I grew up and now I came back to it after about 15 years of a break. In the first four lessons we covered shaping, balance, voicing, pedaling, dynamic contrasts, mental practice. He also offers a free studio class with his students and a recital. It is fun and challenging at the same time and i can see my playing improve steadily."

Martin B.

"My 11-year-old son and I started lessons with David a few weeks ago and it has been a great experience. My son is a beginner and I re-started piano, which I played for a few years as a kid. David is teaching us challenging and helpful practicing techniques and emphasizes working on developing musical details in our pieces. He is a great, versatile teacher who motivates his students well. I highly recommend him for both kids and adults.

Fanni K.

“An artist may not be a good teacher, but David does great as both! His teaching technique is so helpful. As a total beginner, I only had 5 lessons so far (the trial plus 4 more), but I'm already playing the original version of Childhood Memory, which is a rather difficult piece with a complicated left hand part. I thought practicing might be boring but now I'm practicing a lot and really enjoy it! Pretty much because I can make surprising progress under David's guidance, that makes me confident and motivated. Although the transit is long, I already added one more session each week. It's absolutely worthy."

Michelle L.

"I’ve been a student of David’s for a while now, and am consistently delighted by his very patient yet thorough guidance as a piano teacher. I started with almost no knowledge of the instrument and little musical education in general. David is methodical and observant—tailoring my lessons to address the fundamentals but also to develop skills (quite quickly, actually) in the areas where I specifically need help the most. I’d highly recommend David for beginners like me, and—given his obvious expertise—I’d recommend for more experienced performers too."

Patrick Drew G.

“David is great to work with. He's patient and understanding. He's insightful and also extremely talented. First class experience so far."

Jim D.

"David is a fantastic teacher. He cares deeply for his students and has a terrific methodology for breaking down difficult material. I came to him a beginner and he had me immediately working on one of my dream pieces. Thanks to him, I've made a surprising amount of progress on that piece within just a month, so that's pretty cool :)"

Ben W.

"David was an amazing instructor. He was patient and understanding. He taught me how to read notes and gave me guidance. I have learnt so much in such a short period of time."

Rawan A.

"I worked with David a couple years ago, but I still use his methods just because they’re so simple yet effective. For those super intense about piano (on a pre-professional track, have been playing for a long time, etc), I can attest that his approach to the piano is really insightful. The biggest take away I got was his method for memorizing pieces, where I would mentally practice away from the piano and only imagine myself playing a piece. While this might be a well-known method in the classical world, David’s meticulousness and attention to detail is what sets him apart from other teachers. In addition to adults, he’s also really great for teens and kids as well-I remember his insistence on my timely arrival taught me the very useful life skill of simply being on time. Overall, David offers really great quality lessons at a relatively low price. If given the opportunity, I’d definitely sign up for lessons!"

Skylar C.