Lessons

Susan Innamorato began her professional career in music at a young age before attending the State University of New York at Fredonia where she received her bachelor’s degree in Music Education and Piano Performance. Not only did she receive training as a classical pianist, but she also continued her endeavors in jazz and rock as both a singer and pianist. During those years she studied with Lucille Richardson at Fredonia, then German Diez in New York and jazz master Kenny Werner. She later received a Masters of Science in Education from Shenandoah University where she presented her thesis on the use of music in language learning. After many years of maintaining a successful performing and teaching career in New York City, she moved to the more tranquil city of Rochester in upstate New York where she presently resides..

Susan has spent much of her teaching career developing early level improvisational materials for people of all ages, including young children and adults. Traditionally, for most music students jazz study is postponed until the student reaches an intermediate or even a fairly advanced level of playing. This is because what is usually thought of as “jazz” often involves knowledge of complicated concepts of harmony and rhythm that most students have not had opportunity to experience before deciding to learn jazz. As a consequence, the student might be overwhelmed by an overly analytical approach that impedes the free flow of ideas. For the learner in this environment, it might take quite a bit of time before he realizes his own creative pinnacle in jazz improvisation. While Susan agrees that certain elements of standard jazz playing are best left for advanced players, she also feels that there are certain basic elements common to standard jazz with which even young children can improvise freely. With these points in mind, she has designed her materials to present these basic concepts at an early level and that continue at a pace that contributes to the creative flow of ideas rather than as hurdles to overcome before engaging the creative process.

Susan currently teaches piano, voice and guitar to students of all ages at her home in Rochester, NY. She bases most of her instruction on the Suzuki approach while including other methods that support sight-reading and a variety of musical genres that include improvisation. Her aim is to help students reach their potential by providing a warm environment that enables them to experience a wide scope of music at their own pace. If you live in the Rochester, NY area and would like to meet with Susan at no charge to discuss the possibility of lessons with her, please contact her at susani@susanijazz.com or at susansmusicschool@gmail.com.