Jody Brickman

Student Recommendations

• Julia K. April 12, 2012

  "Mrs. Brickman has a tremendous capacity for patience and understanding. She knows how to cater to each individual student in order to motivate them to do their best and fall in love with music. Mrs. Brickman is truly an inspiration and I am so grateful that she has been my teacher for the past seven years. Without her I never would have discovered how full life can be with music or have become so committed to the piano, something that I know will be a life-long passion of mine because of Mrs. Brickman’s incredible teaching capability. We have become great friends and she will always hold a special place in my heart. "

• Amy F. April 26, 2012

  "I have known Jody for 5 years. During that time, she has been my 16 year old daughter’s piano teacher for 5 years, my teacher for 2 years, and my 12 year old son’s teacher for 1 year. My daughter’s great experiences with Jody led me to begin lessons with her myself after a 30+ year hiatus. I cannot speak highly enough of Jody as a teacher and as a person. She takes it upon herself to get to know each of her students; their personalities, likes and dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, etc. She uses this knowledge to tailor her lessons (music selection, motivational techniques, teaching style) to suit each individual student. As an adult student, I love her wonderful sense of humor, her knack for choosing music that I truly enjoy learning and playing, her creative techniques for teaching, her passion for her work, and her great musical knowledge and talent. I would highly recommend her to others searching for a truly outstanding piano teacher. "

• Kimberly J. May 2, 2012

  "My 8 year old daughter G. began lessons at 6 with a very stern teacher, and by the end of three months had already begun to hate the piano. Thank goodness, therefore, that we then found Mrs. Brickman! She helped my girl rediscover the joy in making music, and has since taught her to play better than I could have ever expected by third grade, becoming, along the way, a genuine friend to her as well, having taken the time both to get to know her and the things she cares about, to laugh with her (they each enjoy the other's sense of humor) and to play with her. (Mrs. Brickman has devised lots of musical games.) Perhaps even more than most kids, my daughter does not love to practice. In truth, she doesn't love to do anything she has to do, especially if it isn't easy for her right off the bat! But Mrs. Brickman has always been able to motivate her, if not in the myriad fun ways she has developed, then by gentle yet firm establishment of expectations. As a mom, I also appreciate how organized Mrs. Brickman is, how much feedback she provides, and the effort she puts into developing a sense of camaraderie amongst her students by way of things like piano parties. I also appreciate how--by holding her her recitals in various nursing homes-- she teaches her students that part of the value of a musical education is the joy it can bring those who hear them play. Mrs. Brickman is a truly special teacher, one whom I feel very lucky to have found, and who I am glad has been a part of my child's life."

• Gabriella G. May 5, 2012

  "My family and I have known Mrs. Brickman for a very, very long time, and we could have never found a better piano teacher, or friend. Being one of her students for the past 6 years, I have learned so much more about music than just learning notes and playing pieces. Mrs. Brickman is very understanding and has a good eye for what can be improved in each student. She has a personal relationship with each and every one of her students and focuses on each of their unique abilities with making music. I have become more comfortable at the piano in 6 years, than any of us could have ever imagined. Even as we get older and become busy with lots of other things in life, Mrs. Brickman knows how to motivate her students and keep them playing as much as they can. She is never mean, or too harsh on her students. Instead, she is gentle, loving, personable and understanding towards each one. Her care and commitment towards making music is amazing, and she has become a great role model towards me as I move onto new levels of piano. Mrs. Brickman is an expert with young students, and makes starting piano a piece of cake. She plans a tremendous amount of get-together's for the younger students as well as short recitals for the elderly. Her sense of humor and fun personality is also one of the reasons I love going to her house for lessons every week. She has made playing the piano one of the most important things to me and I have a special place in my heart for her and the piano. Any student who has been taught by her, has fallen in love with the piano and feels special that they found her."

• Becca F. May 19, 2012

  "I have taken piano lessons for a total of 9 years from 6 different teachers. I'd find a teacher, stick with them for a year or maybe two, but nothing really felt right and I had no motivation to practice. I had very strict teachers who scared me, and very easy teachers who let me by without practicing. I was ready to quit piano for good, when I found Jody Brickman. After the first couple of lessons, I knew I had finally found the perfect teacher. I felt comfortable playing for her at lessons, and found I really enjoyed playing the piano. I learned so much; more than I learned from any of my other teachers. One of Mrs. Brickman's best qualities is that she takes the time to get to know her students. She figured out what type of music I liked to play and made sure I got a chance to play it. She had me to focus on the things I struggled with and helped me improve them. I formed such a wonderful relationship with her and looked forward to every lesson. At one point in time, my brother needed a new piano teacher so I immediately recommended Mrs. Brickman. He started taking lessons and loved them. Then, my mother decided that she wanted to start playing the piano again after not taking lessons for 30 years. I again immediately recommended Mrs. Brickman and she loved her as a teacher. Mrs. Brickman has become more than just a piano teacher to me. She is a friend and companion, someone I can trust and look up to. I cannot put into words how sad I am that she is moving to the Cape. I will dearly miss her, but I will never forget all the wonderful experiences I had and all the things I learned. "

• Jennifer B. July 12

  "After taking piano lessons from another teacher for two years, my daughter was ready to quit. The piano studio was a factory. My daughter is also sensitive and did not respond well to the negative feedback she received and the feeling that she was never practicing well enough, or long enough. I had heard over the years about Jody Brickman, but always that it was difficult to get into her studio. Luckily for us, she had an opening, and it was the best change I could have made for my daughter. Jody is a gifted teacher. She genuinely loves teaching, is very professional, organized, and knowledgeable. My daughter has taken lessons for the past 6 years with Jody. I love the way Jody gets to know her students, knows how to push them to do their best, and yet is understanding and backs off when they have had a busy week, or haven't connected with a piece of music. She works collaboratively with each student to find the music that the students love to play (and hear over and over again!). I also appreciate how unique Jody's studio is in that she includes music theory, music parties for students to get to know one another, as well as composition where the students take what they have learned in theory (at any level) and compose a piece of music for the piano. One year the students played their compositions at the annual recital. At each recital, Jody works with her students to help them feel comfortable with public speaking, and asks the students to introduce themselves, talk about the pieces they are playing and why/how they connect with the music. She also incorporates community outreach into her piano studio, connecting her students with the elderly in a nursing home. They visit with the elderly and then perform in a recital at the nursing home. In a nutshell, Jody is not only teaching the piano, but at the same time connecting with youth and teaching them very valuable and important life skills. She is a gem, and Cape Cod is the lucky recipient of her gifted love for music and teaching!"