I feel very fortunate to have found Raisa as a piano teacher. I am an advanced adult student who has played the piano for many years and studied with many teachers. I am truly convinced that Raisa is an exceptional teacher – she has an in-depth knowledge of all aspects of the music including styles, historic context, technique, and of course, musicianship. And she conveys this knowledge effectively and often with a great sense of humor.
She has shown me how to make difficult technical problems easier (I am playing pieces that I never thought I’d be able to play) and given me a greater understanding of how to analyze a piece of music – always in a manner that makes the knowledge transferable to other pieces of music. What’s most important to me, however, is that I feel that I am always being challenged to reach my personal best. She does not let me settle for “just okay” or “just good”, but encourages me to listen and work out those details in the music that separate the good from the artistic. Because of her, I believe I have really grown as a musician, and even though musically there is so much more for me to learn, each day I know that have achieved my best for the moment – and that is a dream come true. —D.B., Alpharetta, GA
Finding a good piano teacher is very difficult for an adult who is really serious about wanting to learn how to play. Up until now, most teachers that I have encountered seemed only to be trying to make a quick dollar by exposing me to a few popular songs, the extent of their teaching skills being limited to showing me a few scales. And then came Raisa Isaacs. I’ve always dreamed about finding a piano teacher who not only possessed the knowledge that I craved, but also had the skills required to convey that knowledge to others. Raisa has taught me that merely sitting down at the piano is not enough. One has to learn about the composers whose music they are attempting to reproduce. One has to be aware of the many different interpretations of music written by the masters, and how to select the best ones. Her obvious enthusiasm serves only to motivate me to learn. So far, Raisa has provided me with a solution to every problem that I’ve approached her with. I’m sure that had I started lessons with Raisa years ago, I would now be much closer to the level of playing that I am trying to reach! I’d strongly recommend Raisa Isaacs to anyone who is serious about learning to master the piano!
James B., Stone Mountain,GA
Ms. Raisa is a wonderful piano teacher. Her way of teaching is very impressive and her skills are by far the best.
M. W., Snellville, GA
Dr. Isaacs is a fantastic piano teacher. She has taken me from barely being able to play with two hands at the same time to playing Chopin Preludes from memory in a little over a year. She has a depth of knowledge that surpasses most of the professional music educators that I know. I highly recommend that you take lessons from this amazing music educator!
J.T., Cumming, GA
Dr. Isaacs is one of the greatest teachers in my life. She teaches me not only technical skills but also develop my knowledge about background of the compositions and interpretation of music. Since I started lessons with her – my performance greatly improved.
S.H., Japan
It is often said that practice makes perfect. Not quite, only correct practice will allow
you to improve. I have spent years doing the wrong thing and have now with
Raisa, within one year, improved to a level I thought was unattainable. She is
a remarkable teacher and I cannot recommend her highly enough.
Gerald LaFlamme, Marietta, GA
I am an adult learner living in a rural area where good piano instruction is difficult to find. I am so happy to have found Dr. Isaacs! She is an absolute gem and a master of piano pedagogy. I’ve only been studying with her since January 2014, but my weekly Skype lessons with her have brought my playing to a whole new level. I feel improvements with every lesson.
Dr. Isaacs has the extraordinary gift of identifying exactly what I’m doing wrong in each practice and each piece (by measure, almost by individual notes), then coming up with a plan to fix those problems. She breaks down the steps of each fix into digestible parts so I can I understand what to do, and practice the fix. Dr. Isaacs knows the “tricks” to break bad habits, and can identify the weak points in my technique. She helps me understand that elusive thing called “the touch” and devise practices to help me internalize and implement it in my playing. The end result is a musicality that I did not think I even possessed.
What I like most about lessons with Dr. Isaacs is that she teaches me not only how to play piano better, but also how to develop good piano practice methods and habits. I think the latter ability is exceptionally rare, and what separates a good piano teacher from a great piano teacher. Dr. Isaacs is without any doubt from me, a great teacher. I feel very fortunately to have found her and I hope to learn from her for a long time to come, and through Skype I don’t see any reason why not, even if I end up moving across the world.
Hanh, V., Florida
