かおるちゃんのお母さん ／Kaoru Yanagida
ゆみえ先生のレッスンはすごくお勧めです！音楽の基本、
効率的な練習の仕方は、
薫の母
柳田聖実（元麻酔医）
＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ENGLISH＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿＿
I highly recommend Ms. Yumie’s lessons.
She teaches not only the fundamentals of music, but also what it truly means to learn piano — including the methods, the mindset, and the benefits.
Most importantly, students improve so quickly that parents are often amazed, even without constant supervision at home.
In many cases, progress takes a long time, or requires excessive effort from both the child and the parents (that was certainly my own experience as a child).
However, because she builds such a strong foundation, students naturally become able to play with ease on their own.
She has an incredible ability to sense how much each student truly understands,
and she gently corrects even the smallest gaps — often before the student is even aware of them — preventing future obstacles in their development.
(Of course, review is part of the process as well.)
Because of this, students are able to continue progressing smoothly even as the level increases.
From my own experience, I remember that once I reached a certain level, piano suddenly became difficult and even painful.
Ms. Yumie helped me understand that this was because I had moved forward without fully mastering a key foundational element.
I myself struggled with reading music,
but after about a year, I was surprised to find that I could read fluently.
Now I truly enjoy playing duets with my child.
She also explained advanced musical concepts — the kind typically taught in music schools — in a way that was easy for me as a parent to understand, such as counterpoint.
The efficient practice methods she taught us are still extremely useful today.
My child started at 4 years and 11 months old,
and although there were interruptions (such as returning to Japan during summer breaks),
by age 6, she was able to play Bach with ease.
She can sight-read comfortably, and has developed absolute pitch across a wide range.
From a parent’s perspective, it is truly something to admire.
Most importantly, she continues to practice because she enjoys it.
I had heard that “the first teacher determines a child’s musical future,”
and that the most skilled teacher should teach the fundamentals —
but I never imagined the difference could be this significant.
She has already surpassed what took me six years to achieve.
Honestly, I feel a bit envious.
I especially recommend her lessons to those who value
“maximum results with minimal effort (time and cost).”
Because playing becomes easy, music becomes truly enjoyable.
Even now, she continues to play with great joy.
One more thing — it seems that piano study also stimulated her brain development.
Although her English was very limited at first,
after starting school, her progress was remarkable.
She was even nominated for a gifted and talented program among native speakers.
Her memory is also excellent… I can’t help but feel amazed.
Sincerely,
Satomi Yanagida (former anesthesiologist)
Mother of Kaoru
