At the San Francisco Institute of Music, uniquely among music schools, our research into the playing methods of the greatest players— Vladimir Horowitz, Yuja Wang, Martha Argerich and others—gives students a learning advantage from the beginning of their piano lessons

We believe that there is a discoverable musical and technical process used by the greatest pianists, those regarded by professionals as genius players. So did the esteemed cellist Emmanuel Feuermann, who wrote in an unfinished musical treatise:

“It is surprising how few rules and principles there are and still more surprising how completely they change the entire style of playing. Believe it or not….the really outstanding players are similar to each other in the way they use their muscular systems.” 

Many of these transformative rules and principles can be found in Lost Secrets of Master Musicians, written by our director, David Jacobson, and available on Amazon.

Our piano classes teach students these principles from the beginning of their study, giving them a foundation that allows them to improve without limit.