Effinger Music Studio

"Mr. Effinger is an amazing teacher. I studied under Mr. Effinger during my last year of college piano, taking lessons to ensure I was proficient for my exams. I showed more improvement from taking lessons with Mr. Effinger for a few weeks than I got from taking a whole semester of piano class. Mr. Effinger teaches with a deep understanding of music theory and reinforces that knowledge with what he teaches on the piano. My lessons were very personalized to my learning styles and Mr. Effinger helped me learn not only how to play the piano but how to play it with good technique. My lessons were very fun and engaging and brought me from hating piano and dreading my class to enjoying my class and even striving to learn more piano after I finished my required piano for my degree. Mr. Effinger is the only piano teacher I've had that genuinely showed interest in my growth on the piano and my well being outside of lessons. I highly recommend taking piano lessons from Mr. Effinger if you want to excel in your independent study on the piano."

"I highly recommend Effinger Music Studio! Thomas is an excellent teacher and is wonderful with kids. He creates a safe and fun environment for learning and is very knowledgeable and accommodating. If you're looking for excellent piano lessons, look no further!"

"If you are looking for a kind, encouraging, dynamic, and COMPETENT teacher, look no further than hiring Thomas Effinger as your piano (or cello) instructor. I am uniquely positioned to review him from two points of view: as an adult student trying to resuscitate my long-dormant high school piano skills, and as the parent of an eight-year-old student approaching piano for the first time. I enrolled back in March and once I realized what a great teacher Thomas was, I signed up my son in May. I stressed “competent” in the first paragraph because Thomas has a Master’s degree in music and has shown to have a deep understanding of music theory and technique that my previous teachers lacked. My teacher when I was a kid was the piano accompanist at a local Lutheran church who was a lovely person, but let me get away with sunken wrists and stiff fingers, and imitating recordings of pieces instead of paying attention to time signatures and note values. Thomas and I are working on overwriting these bad habits and laying a foundation in music theory that I’ve lacked until now. I think there are a lot of teachers out there that not only lack Thomas’s qualifications, but also don’t have his high teaching standards. He KNOWS HIS STUFF! From history, genres, composers and the many pianists who have brought those composers’ music to life, who to look up on YouTube if you want inspiration or to see different interpretations of a piece you’re working on—he is a geek in the best ways possible. So, Thomas is cerebral, yet passionate about music, slightly manic, eternally optimistic and encouraging about my sporadic progress. But how is he with kids? My son ADORES him. One way I know this is that he comes out of his lessons with more energy than he came in with. We leave Effinger Music Studio feeling joyful about the process of learning music. Over the summer it has been hard to maintain a consistent practice schedule, but I look forward to the progress this fall and beyond will bring. Do not hesitate to schedule a consultation with the young maestro. A delightful and kind person, patient, professional—a real gem!"

"As an older person working a full time job it can be intimidating to think about getting into taking private lessons to learn an instrument. Thomas makes the learning environment very comfortable & I have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a student of Effinger Music Studio. I can see measurable progress on the piano, and I'm so excited to be able to read sheet music thanks to these helpful lessons. I would highly recommend them to all skill levels & ages!"

"When my teacher retired I was pleased to find Thomas. Though a student for many years, Thomas teaches me something new each lesson. He takes time to explain theory and music as well as many techniques. He is a gifted and well-trained musician and his passion for music and teaching makes each lesson exciting. Great for beginners and Advanced students. I highly recommend him as a piano teacher."