“When I started lessons with Chris, I had a very narrow mindset… Immediately, he expanded my very narrow goal… I’m making music! And it’s my own music…that’s more of a goal than I even anticipated…I tell everyone that I am taking piano lessons. I’m actually very proud of it. I am comfortable playing in front of other people, I’m becoming much much more confident in my piano playing, and I am learning more rapidly… It’s not just playing the piano, it’s learning to appreciate the instrument…. Chris gets to know you as a person, not just ‘You’re a student, I’m the teacher, we’re here to learn’… Now I look forward to lessons…. I didn’t think I would be as far as I am in the limited amount of time. I’m now playing in front of friends and family and they REALLY can see a difference, and are very impressed, because I haven’t been at this for very long… I’m very proud of myself!”

–Susan H.

“Chris Goslow has an incredible wealth of knowledge and experience. That is undeniable. However, what sets Chris apart from his peers is a profound love for not only music, but his instrument of choice (the piano). I have never seen an instructor light up the way Chris does when he is explaining some aspect of the piano, playing or music theory. Chris has a great respect for the piano and is an enthusiastic player and teacher, which in turn inspires me as a student. As a teacher I find him very approachable. I am learning piano later in life then some and as a
singer/songwriter my goals are very specific. Chris is very good at tailoring my lessons to those goals and I never feel like I am asking stupid questions or that I am not understanding fast enough. Chris is much more patient with me than I am with myself and takes my aspirations and goals seriously. I also find when I do not understand something, Chris is quick on his feet with alternative ways to present or explain things instead of just glossing over a subject or claiming I will understand it later (as some instructors are apt to do). Chris is great at providing constructive feedback and often checks in with me about my experience regarding his teaching, and my understanding.”

–Marcus D.

“My experience with Chris has been great so far… When I first started taking lessons with Chris, I wasn’t aware that there were other ways to play the piano… It’s great, because I can… get a really well-rounded musical education… I’m a very busy person, working full-time many hours a week, and it’s meant a lot to me to take piano lessons…And for me it’s been valuable because it’s sort of a personal outlet to be able to connect with music, and I can do it on my own time as much or as little as my schedule allows me…. [Chris] is very encouraging and inspirational.. There’s a lot of things to learn that I’ve learned over the past few months that I didn’t know existed or think were possible for myself… I’m really grateful for that, and I look forward to learning more and playing more and increasing my skills.”

–Vanessa G.

“I’ve been working with Chris for over a year now, and came to him as someone who had played a little bit in the past but it was 30 years or more ago and it was for only a short period. So I basically started from scratch.
And over the course of the last year plus, I developed more skill than I actually thought I would, and his guidance has been of course vital in doing that… I started out thinking that I’d try it for six months, and after that I thought,
‘Wow, this is going pretty well,’ so we tried it for a year, and after that, we just kept going, because I felt satisfaction at the progress that was occurring and still do and feel very pleased with the skills I’ve been able
to develop as a result of our interaction… Chris’s approach is mainly that of a mentor: a skilled musician who is encouraging me to work towards becoming a more skilled maker of music… It’s been an enjoyable experience and will continue for sometime.”

–Bill S.

“My husband signed me up for piano lessons because he heard me say that I always wanted to learn how to play… I think I needed a little bit of a push because I didn’t know that I could do it… Once I started playing I realized I can actually do this! It’s definitely challenging, but it’s a good challenging. So far I love it. Ever since my first session I felt very comfortable… I was kind of nervous before I started taking lessons… It’s nice to see that an adult like me can come in and have no history of playing music and really enjoy playing piano. It’s nice because I don’t feel overwhelmed… I really like the way that the piano lessons are set up… It’s just been a very pleasurable experience. I would say if you are interested at all in playing piano, do it. You don’t ever want to regret not at least trying. I think you would find a lot of value and I think you would really love coming and playing piano with Chris.”

–Stephanie S.

“I’ve been taking lessons on piano keyboard from Chris for the past year, and it’ s been an exciting and highly satisfying endeavor. If you are motivated and determined, there is nobody better to guide you
in being a better keyboard player. He is a thoroughly trained
and dedicated musician… He has a mastery and he can demonstrate his mastery on the keyboard I think every single mode of Western music…. He constantly wows me with his ability to cross genres in his compositions….
He has always impressed me, and so many times I finish the lesson being amazed
at the guidance he’s given me into my expanding my own approach to music… he’s thoroughly versed in chord theory, in different styles and interpretation. He’s capable of conveying that, he can show you the
chord structure of any piece of music that is in front of him, and he can relate it historically to what it is typical of, whether it’s classical or modern rock. So I would like to recommend Chris in the most glowing terms
possible. If you want someone to guide you into what you want to do with the keyboard and do it with more confidence and knowledge, he’s definitely the teacher.”

–Michael G.

“Taking the lessons… has made [playing piano] more enjoyable because I’ve learned new ways to approach the music and not get discouraged, to keep trying… I’m enjoying it more because it’s sounding better when I play. I think I do have more of a confidence to play other pieces. I’ll work on a piece, and Chris will come listen, and he quickly zeroes in on the parts I have to work on… Now that I have started piano lessons on my own, I can see the value of taking lessons, in that you can get lots of corrections on what you are doing, better ways to handle problems that you are having… I think Chris is very encouraging but demanding as well, and has a positive attitude, which I appreciate. I think certainly having someone telling you, ‘You can do this, you just have to work at it a little more” is very encouraging. I expect I’m gonna be in more situations where I will have a chance to play for other people, and will have more confidence in doing that now.”

–Denise P.

“When I first came to Chris I was a sporadic composer… I had been looking to get more productive, to write more and write better pieces… Over the last five months I have nine new pieces, they’re definitely the best things I’ve composed… Probably one of the biggest things that Chris has done is to get me to appreciate that I’m an actual musician… that’s given me a lot of confidence. He encouraged me to share the music with others, and that has been very gratifying… I never started sharing music like that until I started working with Chris…My biggest problem I have is that I got too much new stuff that I like!… [Chris] is definitely… getting me back on focus.. I need that… I would encourage you to come and give it a shot…Chris will listen to your story and give you pointers you can use right away, you’ll notice things happening. I noticed them happening in the first two weeks… So go for it!”

–Jim F. (composition student)

“I took piano lessons when I was younger… I inherited a piano from my grandmother, and had it sitting at my house. I stopped playing piano when I was 19, and now I’m 64…
I’ve been playing now for about a year [with Chris], and I’m so thrilled because I’ve really been able to hook into my past piano acquisition.
And I’m playing at a level I really never thought possible after all that huge period of time. So I’m very grateful. It’s been a wonderful experience.”

–Thomasina T.

“Before coming to Chris for piano lessons I thought that I could teach myself via Youtube… but one thing that Chris was able to help me with was just by keeping me accountable… by having that structure it really forces me to make sure I put in the time and practice… In my professional life I work in a very high stress environment… through this creative process I’ve actually found that it’s very therapeutic, and it allows me to escape from some of the pressures and responsibilities I have in my normal life… I cut [music] out of my life completely for almost 10 years, and it’s been really a pleasant experience to recognize that… you can have a successful and fruitful professional life as well as enjoy musicality in your life… If you have that desire Chris is a great mechanism to capitalize on that and help you see the fruits of your labor.”

–Sheridan G.

“I personally cannot thank Chris Goslow enough…. For so many years I had put my voice aside… he has helped me tremendously in my life… being much more confident… and positive about what music has to offer… It’s been a magical journey for me over a year to get my voice back in shape… Being that he is such a great performer himself, he’s wonderful to work with, and has a keen sense of what it is like to be a performer and an artist and a songwriter… It has helped me focus on what is truly important… as a result I am a happier person… I didn’t believe I could ever find a coach that was this multi-talented… it’s not something that you find every day, so to have access to someone like this is really a gift… right here in Sacramento, it’s wonderful.”

–Danielle W. (voice student)

“I’ve been playing piano off and on for perhaps the past twenty years… but I often felt kind of stuck in terms of my confidence… I am very hopeful now in being able to enjoy the piano and be spontaneous and be able to express myself like I have in other ways in my life… As I’ve focused I’ve gotten increased confidence and fluidity in my playing. Chris has encouraged me to be expressive, expressing my musicality. With the other teachers there’s a tendency to reign in someone who’s a bit of a wild amateur… his approach has been to encourage me, which he has in my improvisation… I’m enjoying the process. I would encourage anyone who is interested in playing the piano, improving at the piano, and enjoying the process, and having a chance to enhance their appreciation and love for music would do well to work with Chris.”

–Chuck A.

“In my initial session with Chris, he made sure he understood about me completely… I felt very comfortable talking about my musical background…He was very inspiring, and he encouraged me to give it a try. In fact, he was more confident on me than I was. And he said, ‘You can do it’… He motivated me to be more confident, which I feel is very important for me in my music career… I feel happy and proud at the end of the day, after each class is over, that I have learned so much. There is so much more to learn…. There’s always an opportunity with Chris to improve more.”

–Gowri S. (Improvisation Student)

“Working with Chris has been really great… I had been so frustrated for so long, not really knowing where to begin.. and working with Chris..really got me to just start playing more often, not only the things we were practicing in class, but also the things I wanted to play personally at home. And it got me back in the motions. So that was a huge thing for me, having been frustrated for many years and now finding myself at home excited to play.”

—Chris B. (Improvisation Student)

“I can’t recommend Chris Goslow highly enough as a music teacher not just a piano teacher! He has an excellent ability in catering to your individual needs and ability in learning to play and understand music and the piano.  I have been producing music for a number of years, however I wanted to increase my musical knowledge and abilities to further myself as a producer… Chris has proven to be excellent in showing me how to use his knowledge of playing the piano to increase my skills and abilities… Chris Goslow’s teaching has been incredibly valuable to me!

–Martin L.

It was a pleasure taking lessons from Chris Goslow. I came to Chris as a vocalist who had taken some lessons as a child but had never played without sheet music. I was looking for someone who could help me understand how to play chords and more by ear. Chris listened to what I wanted to do musically and then set about working with me. He was able to help me have some light bulb moments and in a short time I am putting what he has shown me and I am playing and singing. I would recommend Chris to anyone who has a desire to create and play music! Thank-you for your expertise!”

–Teresa B.