Joy Morin Piano Studio

My daughter had the pleasure of studying with Joy for over 5 years. Joy is unfailingly kind and patient, and my daughter grew so much as a musician under her instruction. Joy found lots of performance opportunities in the community and encouraged her students to participate. She was a great support for my daughter and helped foster her deep love of music.

My two children and I took piano lessons with Ms. Joy from 2014 to 2019, when she relocated to Michigan. We had such a wonderful experience with her. I wholeheartedly recommend her to anyone wishing to learn piano and pass on the love for piano to the next generations. I would highlight three qualities of Ms. Joy.nnFirst, Ms. Joy takes the student’s interests and characteristics at heart. She is attentive and listens. She adapts her teaching style to the student. In talking with other parents, we were amazed at how, despite the similar level of our children, they were doing remarkably different books and types of songs. Our kids enjoyed classes with her and when they had some spells of disinterest, Ms Joy was understanding and tried different ways to reengage them. She always listened to parents and (more importantly) kept lines of communication open with the kids. For my older son, she emphasized the classics he loves, for my younger daughter she brought some jazzy songs, and for me she spent a lot of time helping me figure out the chords and theory behind the songs I liked.nnSecond, Ms. Joy is deeply engaged in the pedagogy of piano. I relished the moment when she came back from a teachers’ conference and came with a new idea for practice or teaching: a way to feel the beats, an app to keep tabs on practicing, techniques to practice more effectively by isolating passages, etc…. As a teacher myself, I found great inspiration in Ms Joy’s approach and quite a few times I applied some of her insights to my own teaching. Also of note, Ms. Joy has earned as well quite a reputation among teachers, as she is active in associations, and facilitates a summer retreat that draws piano teachers from the region and beyond.nnThird, both my children and I made tremendous progress under her direction. My son obtained, twice, the highest mark for his level in the Royal Conservatory’s testing location, and my daughter not only obtained a high score in the RCM exam, but received high praise by adjudicators in a performance of a technically complex song. Ms. Joy encourages her students to perform in public venues and adjudicated events. In the recitals of her students I was amazed at how her students progress from year to year.nnI highly recommend Ms. Joy to anybody considering passing the gift of piano playing to the new generations or to any adult who would like to get into a new musical adventure. Ms. Joy is very intentional in her teaching approach, cares about her students and helps them reach high levels of piano playing.

My daughter took piano lessons from Ms. Joy from ages 10 to 12 and absolutely loved her teaching style and enthusiasm with teaching piano. Ms. Joy is sweet, firm, and clear. Her lessons are well-planned and well-organized. She is great at having her students engaged in the process of learning, asking them questions, encouraging them to tell her what they think about the pieces they are practicing, and explaining what she would suggest to improve and why. She is an active member of professional associations for piano teachers, and constantly updating her knowledge and teaching skills. She applies new teaching techniques (e.g., group lessons) and tools (e.g., smartphone apps) to motivate her students to enjoy practicing the piano. She is a wonderful teacher and mentor.