Teacher Profile: Vera Fields

About Vera Fields

Vera Fields is a Maryland based Piano Instructor and a long-time classroom educator. She works with students of all ages and abilities and has a passion for helping families incorporate musical arts into their daily experience. In addition to teaching Piano, Vera also teaches African Hand Drums and hosts Drum Circles.

Vera started Piano Lessons at the age of 5 with a neighborhood instructor, Ms. Goss in Silver Spring. She is local to the Montgomery County area and continued her study for over a decade with Ms. Goss. During that time she studied traditional and Classical Piano, which left her with a love of music and mission to share the joy of learning Piano - or any instrument! After becoming a Special Needs educator in the school setting in 1991, Vera began teaching Piano privately and has continued teaching for decades, even after retiring from the school setting.

Vera loves working with students and the opportunity to support a wide variety of learning styles and abilities. She teaches through traditional curriculums for her Piano students, but believes in tailoring the pace and plan to each individual. She also emphasizes the development of reading and playing independence from the start. Some of her favorite methods are the Bastien and Faber series, as well as material her students select from an array of genres. Her goal is to create a holistic experience that is rewarding and filled with "milestone moments" to celebrate along the way.

Vera places a lot of attention on the interdisciplinary benefits of music study through her approach. She has seen the difference Music makes in advancing communication, math, and creative skills, regardless of a student's original baseline. As a Special Needs educator, Vera first discovered the therapeutic benefits of music study for her students organically in the school setting. She started using Piano and Music study as a teaching tool with students on the Autism Spectrum, with ADD / ADHD, and with varied developmental delays and had amazing results! Now, she is an advocate for Music as a part of school curriculums and providing opportunities for the early exposure and learning experiences it offers. She actively hosts workshops, art events, and Drum Circles featuring African music through her organization "Sounds of My People".

As a patron of the arts, Vera counts one of her great loves as seeing live music and performances. She values the community Music builds, and much of her free time is spent working with families and students. Vera hopes to inspire all her students to make Music a constant and important part of their lives due to the many benefits it brings to both the mind and soul.