Words can hardly express the amount of musical knowledge, piano expertise, and general life skills that I learned from being a student of Jennie’s. She is a fantastic teacher, but also was (and is) a very important mentor in my life. Throughout my 12 years of lessons I grew to love piano more than I ever thought I would, and it is her teaching that inspired me to continue with piano lessons all through college. Not only did my skills develop to a very advanced level, I also learned to persevere and never give up when a piece was extremely challenging. The feeling of accomplishment after mastering a difficult piece is the best reward. She helped me find a passion for music that continues to ground me in life, and I am forever grateful for the time I have spent with Jennie. She is a lifelong friend and teacher!   – Heather

My 15-year-old daughter has been Jennie’s student for nine years. In that time, I’ve learned that Jennie is the best kind of teacher there is. She’s passionate about music, about teaching, and about cultivating a love of music in her students. She gets to know them—their likes, their dislikes, their way of thinking—and tailors her approach accordingly. Her creative ideas never stop flowing. When Jennie learned that my daughter enjoyed art, she coached her to visualize colors, shapes, and textures as she played. She also worked with her to create stories to bring her music to life. She’s kind, funny, and compassionate, but also knows when to push for more. She’s always emphasizes playing with feeling over getting every note right. She’s a great teacher, and a great pianist. We’re so thankful that we found her when we did.  – Betsy

“My 10-year old daughter takes lessons with Jennifer and we have been delighted by her approach. Jennifer is always positive, uplifting and encouraging during lessons, and manages to find ways to inspire. For example, when my daughter was in a bit of a piano-practice slump recently, Jennifer worked with her to find seasonal songs that caught her attention and got her interested in playing again. She’s also intuitive and understanding — on days when the lesson just isn’t thrilling my daughter, Jennifer will see it and change gears on the fly to make sure we are getting the most out of our time. Sometimes this means a conversation about what music means in the world; sometimes it’s a tutorial on how a piano works and the physics of sound (which is really interesting!); sometimes it’s reinforcing posture or note-reading or rhythm ideas. Jennifer is not only flexible and fun, but is also an amazing pianist and teacher. It’s obvious she truly wants her students to be both challenged and satisfied, and her love of the music comes through at every lesson.”  – Kari

“I so cherish the 12 years I spent studying with Jennie, whose talent as an instructor is matched by her compassion for her students.  She has the rare combination of technical expertise and deep-seated ability to foster others’ musicality.  Having Jennie as a mentor and a teacher meant making music for all the right reasons, motivated by self-expression, creativity, joy, and personal growth rather than competition.  I can’t imagine my childhood without Jennie’s weekly lessons — lessons that helped shape me and my musical life into adulthood.”  – Rachel

“We are so pleased with Jennie’s creative and fun teaching style. Our son is not a typical learner and she’s really gone the extra mile to find a way to reach him.”  – Greta

“Jennie is a wonderful person and an amazing teacher. It is hard to describe all that I learned from six years of lessons with her. She pushed me in a multiplicity of ways, all the while maintaining a fun and supportive attitude. She helped me find my voice in music through collaborative interpretation. I learned how to make a piece of music my own, which is a process that brings great joy to my life. She listened to me and guided me, as only an excellent teacher can. Jennie helped me cultivate my lifelong love for piano, for which I will always be grateful. She is a mentor and friend to whom I can always turn.” – Anya

“Our son has been taking lessons with Jennie for almost six years. Playing piano brings him joy and Jennie fuels that with her gentle guidance, which helps him stretch beyond what he thought was possible. He has learned to read music, and his playing continues to get better and better. Jennie offers a choice of pieces to play and provides practice techniques that help him focus his efforts. We recommend her highly.” -Alice

“Jennie has been my piano teacher for over 10 years.  She has helped transform my relationship with music. While I played piano through college, I had gotten disconnected from the piano.  When I first met Jennie  I had thought I would start by revisiting pieces I had played in college. Jenny encouraged me to branch out and learn new pieces which has been transformative.
Besides being an excellent teacher and performer of music, Jennie has a way of inspiring one to play their very best. I’ve appreciated her flexibility with me over the years and meeting me right where I am in the moment. I’ve also gotten to see first hand how she inspires her younger students.
If you’re considering getting back in touch with your musical life or if you are looking for a wonderful piano teacher for your child, I wholeheartedly recommend Jennifer Hammill.  She will change your life for the better.” – Debbie

“I’ve wanted to learn how to play the piano for a very long time and so I was thrilled to find one of the most patient humans around to help me learn this new language.  I’m only in my first term and it feels great to be able to sit and play Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star while reading the music.  I’m in my 40’s and I can tell you it’s never too late to learn a new skill, especially with a talented teacher like Jennie “- Phillipa

“I am the oldest student of Jennifer Hammill. When I turned 60 years old, I thought about the Japanese saying, “start something new when you turn 60”. In Japanese and Chinese culture, sixty years was thought to be one lifespan, so after 60 was the next life. I thought about what to start, seriously, and decided to take up piano. I took some piano lessons when I was young, but I stopped not too long afterward.
It was December, 2004, and studying with Jennie has been one of the best things that happened in my life.  Since then, my progress has been slow with my old brain and arthritic fingers, but Jennie is very patient and gives so much fun and happiness to my life. She is not only my piano teacher, but she is my lifetime mentor. Whenever I have difficult passages, she has a way for me to fix it easily. I love to listen to her play because she plays from her heart and makes her piano talk and sing and touch my heart. Whenever I see Jennie’s young students, I think they are so lucky to have her although they may not know it yet. Thank you for everything you do for me, Jennie!!” – Yoko