Teacher Profile: Andy Acosta

About Andy Acosta

At first, Andy wasn’t sure about taking piano lessons. In fact, he refused to listen to his parents and did not practice. Until, one day, his teacher brought him music that he loved. Andy discovered that making music is something exciting, something to look forward to every day after school. Now, even to this day, playing the piano continues to be a part of Andy’s daily life.

Shortly after discovering his passion for music, Andy went on to study at the Conservatory of Music and Dance in Monterrey, Mexico under the guidance of Gerardo Gonzalez, one of the most prestigious teachers in Mexico. In 2009, he moved to Houston and went on to receive an Associates in Arts specialized in piano from HCC. From there, he went on to earn a Bachelor of Music from Texas Southern University in Piano Performance.

Andy has been teaching students of all ages since 2012. He has taught private piano, group piano, and musical theater. Andy believes that music is about self-expression, exploration, discovery, and fun. Therefore, he aims to give his students the skills necessary to not only read music, but also to improvise, compose, arrange, and uniquely express music at the piano. He believes in “playing to learn,” rather than “learning to play”.

Andy loves to continue to educate himself; you can often find him reading information on pedagogy, psychology, and various musical arts. He is passionate about learning and has no plans on stopping his self-education. You may catch Andy performing locally around Houston. Whether it is gala events, weddings, churches, theaters, choir competitions, or other events, Andy has extensive experience performing in different genres with various groups. He recognizes that it is so fulfilling to perform with other musicians and therefore he places utmost importance on the passing down of these skills. That is why in the lessons with Andy, the students learn to improvise, make their own arrangements, and accompany others, in addition to reading music.

Now, it is Andy’s goal to foster that same love of music in his students – to guide people (especially of the little kind) into developing a life-long relationship between them and music. Once that bond is established, the students can reap the countless benefits of learning piano, including better cognitive development, increased focus, and the ability to handle stress. In this way, Andy believes that he can improve people's lives and make the world a little better.