Here's a five-star review that appeared on Yelp:

5/3/2017

Shelley has been teaching my son piano since he was 9 years old (he's now 14.) Shelley really understands kids and how to teach them. I can't recommend her enough. She's kind, positive and very encouraging. She is great at picking music that suits each of her students and is equally good at teaching classical or rock or jazz.

K. Wolf

METRONOMES AND PIANO PRACTICE

There is no unanimity as to the extent and manner of the metronome's use in the teaching process. It is safe to state that, if used indiscriminately or too frequently, the metronome can become a crutch and hinder the student's developing an instinct for the right tempo. In addition, a relaxed and expressive performance is impossible if one has to adhere closely to a mechanically precise, uniform beat throughout the piece. This would eliminate the subtle rubato, that fine give and take in tempo, which is the very essence of a meaningful performance.

There are numerous instances, however, when a judicious use of the metronome maybe helpful:

• To check tempo markings. Many composers from Beethoven to our time, have given precise metronome markings at the beginning of their compositions.
• To check occasionally whether or not the rhythmic pulse is steady.
• To facilitate and control the practice of technical exercises (scales, arpeggios, études, isolated passages in certain pieces). From Teaching Piano by Denes Agay

Fingerings:

The child who is taught by a method in which every finger is printed or written into the music may rely on the finger numbers alone, without really reading the notes, nor hearing with the inner ear what sounds he or she is going to produce. It is therefore wise to start with an aural approach, to teach note reading next, and to introduce the concept of fingering later, when reading a few notes on the staff at a time is no longer a serious problem.

FINGERINGS IN PRINTED EDITIONS

Composers themselves indicate fingerings only rarely, or not at all, regarding the imposition of their own ideas on a performer as an insult to the pianist's intelligence, as Debussy states in the preface to his Études.

How interesting and how revealing it would be to have Chopin's fingerings, not only for his own compositions, but for the pieces that he assigned to his many students! Even the little that we have of the great masters' fingering indications allows us to gain a deeper insight into their playing style.

~~~From Teaching Piano, edited by Denes Aga

ENCOURAGING YOUR CHILDREN

Young players can often benefit from opportunities to share their musical experiences. The parent or coach who would like to structure this kind of opportunity needs to be creative about it. The possibilities include arranging a weekly family concert, playing at church or in the class recital, or performances at a local nursing or retirement home.

I remember as a child fetching my accordion every time I heard the front door bell ring, in the hopes that I would get a chance to share what I'd learned in my latest practice. When children get the opportunity to share what they have learned with others, it allows them to demonstrate the completion of even a seemingly small task – and we should remember that what seems small to us may be a terrific achievement to the children. When we can acknowledge these achievements with opportunities for children to perform, we are not only encouraging new growth, but also building confidence and trust. ~~~from The Inner Game of Music, by Barry Green