PCDI hosted its second annual PCDI Presents: A Night of the Arts at Chapin School in Princeton in June. This event included nine musical performances and several art pieces created by members of PCDI’s Art Club.
At the end of the evening, we celebrated PCDI’s long-standing partnership with Tom Tallitsch who has provided private piano lessons for several learners over the last 18 years.
Tom is a professional saxophonist, composer, and music educator who first found his way to PCDI in 2006 when giving private lessons to learners at Family Focus, one of PCDI's residential homes. Six months later, he began to teach lessons to students in PCDI’s Education and Adult Programs during their school day.
I didn’t really understand who my students were, what their challenges were, or what they were capable of.
He recalled that PCDI trainer, Meg MacDuff, worked closely with him in his early years at PCDI and provided him with valuable training that helped him better understand learners’ strengths, interests, and modes of communication. “
Coming to PCDI flipped my mind in a good way and brought me to that place where I’ve learned I really like teaching beginners and that I get the most joy out of it.
This August, Tom will teach his final lessons to students at PCDI as he transitions into a full-time position in Princeton Junior School's music program. We wish him all the best in his new endeavors.
When thinking about what he has learned from PCDI’s learners over the years he says
Students tend to not learn piano in a linear fashion and instead I now know to teach to their strengths…to what they do know and add things here and there to build on that.