Gretchen Sterling
Director
Gretchen Sterling studied at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff, Wales, and was one of the youngest students ever accepted into the undergraduate program, auditioning at age 15. She went on to complete her Master's in piano performance from the London College of Music by age 20. Following her studies, she built a reputation for her innovative methods for teaching piano technique and has been teaching for over 20 years. Gretchen studied with prominent artists such as Vivien Harvey Slater, Fazliddin Husanov, Dr. Michael Schreider, Irina Morozova, and participated in Masterclasses with Bernard Roberts, Boris Berman, Martin Jones, Irina Osipova, Julian Jacobson, and Robert Sholl. Having worked closely with these artists allowed Gretchen to experience a unique tradition in Classical training that can directly be traced back to Russian Composer Nikolai Medtner and Ludwig van Beethoven; her pianistic lineage dates from Slater back to Eisenberger to Leschetizky to Liszt to Czerny to Beethoven.
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Gretchen has performed in Wales, England, Germany, India, and along the US East Coast. She has been recorded for WCNY radio, TV, and received prizes for her performances of Beethoven (Eric Hodges Beethoven Prize: 1st Place), Mozart (B# and Etude 3rd Prize and RWCMD Concerto Semi-Finalist), and Chopin (B# and Etude 1st Prize). She is also an avid improviser and has been known to spontaneously compose complex, genre-bending works on the spot. Her interest in music's effects on the brain led her to complete scientific studies on Music and the Brain through Berklee College of Music, and additionally, she holds certificates in audio engineering and electronic music production.​
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Gretchen specializes in teaching students of any age who tend to suffer from performance anxiety, adults whose prior training was spotty at best, and those who tend to veer off the Classical path in favor of unbridled creativity. She believes in a multi-layered approach to teaching any student that must be rooted in a thorough understanding of the student's individual qualities and goals. Whilst Gretchen is Classically trained and heavily integrates Classical study into most lessons, she works with students to embolden their creative spark and break the rules.
Teaching Philosophy
Gretchen's passion for teaching is fully realized through the understanding and connection she builds with each individual student. Her teaching philosophy is epitomized by the symbiosis of mind, body, and soul: "Learning an instrument is akin to learning about oneself. As human beings, there are many things we all typically struggle with, and yet there are so many nuances and inner differences in how we learn. Excelling in the Art of Music is very much a process of understanding our own inner nature, strengths and weaknesses, and how our mind/body are one complex unit of hardwired characteristics and other, more unique nuances. Especially for artists who are practicing musicians, the psychology of performance plays a major role in how one learns and experiences music. Whether you're interested in performing or not, the fact that music creation channels a physical motion into an abstract art, it's a potent lesson in self-realization. I am most interested in developing this understanding in a student so they may blossom in all areas of life, not just music."
Further Info
Gretchen is Currently only Accepting New Students through the Master Mentorship Program.
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