It seems to me that to most really great musicians, music is fun, it's joyful. But most music teachers seem to take it upon themselves to remove all the fun from it. Not so Karta. He manages to make it serious while still keeping it fun. That's a rare skill for any teacher, in any subject. It's what lets him relate so well to kids, but I can testify that it does wonders for adults too (at least this adult).

My experience with Karta started with my children, ages 8 and 11, who have taken lessons from him for about 8 months. Being there with them during their lessons, I started learning in spite of myself, so I began to take lessons on my own a month later. From my perspective, all of us have made amazing progress in that short time, without pressure or pain, enjoying it all the way.

The kids add: he's happy, he's nice, he doesn't act too serious, and he really understands what they're doing and what they need to know.

One of Karta's incredible gifts is knowing just how, and what to teach next. He can talk a blue streak, and give an endlessly entertaining performance as a teacher, but he's always paying great attention to you. He knows exactly what you're getting and what you're missing, and he's endlessly adaptable and creative in tailoring the lesson perfectly to the student. When I teach, I'm happy if I can muster enough creativity to find one good way to present an idea. Karta has enough love of teaching and music (and enough skill, of course) that he'll come up with a new way to look at it on demand.

This all makes it sound as if he has no method, which is not right. He has a method, or a plan, it's like the theme or motif, and he can spin variations on it as needed. My version of the method is that he teaches people to play beautifully before he teaches the technical intricacies, so that you carry that with you as you go, and that beauty carries you forward as you learn the technical stuff. He gets your body moving so the learning doesn't just come from the intellect. And he gets rid of the fear, which always makes us learn faster. I'm sure there's a lot more to it, but that's what I've really comprehended so far.

I can't recommend Karta highly enough. He's a uniquely talented teacher. Although I'm moving to Vermont, I'm planning to make regular pilgrimages back to Ithaca for more lessons. Enough, I hope, to keep alive this feeling that music is an adventure.

David Pearson

Shadowbrook Farm

Bennington, VT 05201

802-447-2173