Mr. Freedman began his musical studies at age 7, with Philadelphia Pianist Susan Starr, a student of Rudolph Serkin, and a second place winner in the International Tchaikovsky competition in Moscow. At age 12, he went on to study with Eleanor Sokoloff of the Curtis Institute of Music and continued studying with Ms. Sokoloff at the Presser School of Music at Temple University. He completed his training with Victor Friedman at The Philadelphia Musical Academy, now the University of the Arts. The Pianist Victor Friedman had emigrated to the U.S. at that time and had been a Professor of Piano at the Moscow Conservatory.

Mr. Freedman was at the head of the piano faculty of the Settlement Music School, and is currently teaching at Temple University, and privately. He has also been a solo recitalist, accompanist for Students and Faculty at the New School of Music, participated in International Piano Competitions, founded various Chamber Concert Series as well as a Musicians' Collective in Philadelphia.

PHILOSOPHY

Learning the Piano should be a joy. I see no other good reason to do the work that is required to learn to play a musical instrument. My students enjoy coming to their lessons and I love teaching them. It is very rewarding for me to watch them grow in ability from week to week, month to month, and in many cases, year to year.

I subscribe to the philosophy that there are no bad students, just bad teachers. As long as a student applies him or herself, to any degree, there is no reason why they should not succeed. The other element that is needed for success is a professional and experienced teacher who can give sensible and knowledgeable direction from week to week. Teaching is an art in and of itself, and I personally, have over thirty years of professional teaching experience. If you read the student testimonials below, you will get a little window into my approach.

I try to take the mystery out of learning to play a musical instrument. It is a very logical step by step process and as a teacher, you have to know the steps. You have to know what step each individual student is ready for, and when. No matter if a student is a beginner, intermediate or advanced, I always make sure that they can master the material at hand. This builds confidence and the feeling that one “can do.” It also makes my students want to continue!

My students are children and adults, beginner, intermediate and advanced. No matter what your goals are, whether they are those of the dedicated hobbyist, or the goals of the student with semi-professional or professional ambitions, I teach one thing in common. This is that music is a form of artistic expression. All the technical things we work on are a means to this end, and all of my students learn how to express themselves through music no matter what age or what level they are on. This is what makes music important, meaningful, and exciting!

You should never hesitate to take lessons because you believe that you do not possess the highly overrated quality know as musical talent. It is my experience after teaching professionally for many years, that most people possess a measure of natural musical talent. They just need a means to discover it.

I hold two student recitals per year in center city Philadelphia for those students who wish to perform or just join the audience to hear what other students are doing. I have a new Steinway B in my studio and everyone is sounding great on it! References are always available upon request.

TESTEMONIALS

"Thank you for awakening in me and helping me discover what is turning out to be a true passion." -- J. Sevillano

"Hal Freedman is an outstanding teacher and pianist--dedicated to sharing his time and talents with his students and to help them develop their own musical gifts. Hal has been teaching my son since the age of 4. He is now 13. Hal's teaching style is professional, patient, and empowering. No doubt he has had a lasting influence on my son through the years as a role model and friend. I would highly recommend him to anyone considering piano lessons for their children or, themselves." -- L. McQuilkin

"Hal Freedman, an accomplished pianist and intuitive teacher, possesses masterful instructional techniques and a personable manner, making every lesson valuable and enjoyable." -- Jamie Van Buskirk

"Hal, I just finished making a recording of the first movement of the Beethoven and when I compared it to an old recording I made 3 years ago when I polished it up myself, it sounded way more musical. Thanks for all the help:)" -- Mark Hensley

"I can't wait to get those other two music books . So much to learn, it's exciting everyday for me. Guess there's no way I can escape from music. I THINK I'VE GOT THE MUSIC VIRUS!" -- Savath Thai

"I like your analogy of acting and playing music. As I mentioned to a friend the other day, I feel as if I am getting an extraordinary education in music appreciation in tandem with Domenic's piano lessons. He and I talked, last week, about how you teach not just music as such, but its intellectual and aesthetic content -- its ideas, as you explained. Really transformed the way I listen to music and particularly piano these days." -- V. Ross (Head of the Writing Department of the University of Pennsylvania and mother of student, Domenic)