Denise Soerens - Piano, Voice

Denise Soerens is a classically trained musician, music educator, and songwriter based in Austin, TX,. Denise has been playing for over 15 years and is nationally awarded as a solo and ensemble performer. During her time at Southwestern Assemblies of God University, she began formally teaching piano and voice part-time, before graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor's degree in Music and an Associate's degree in Education.

Denise's passion for teaching is fueled by her love and deep knowledge of music, and a strong desire to see kids develop that same love and understanding of music. She strives to foster an enjoyable space for students to be excited by learning, tying together practical concepts, like music theory and effective practice techniques, with students' own interests and goals. Her philosophy of teaching centers around educating the "whole" student - building up students' knowledge and skills while encouraging their curiosity around and love for music and their instrument.

Besides teaching, Denise works as a Music Cataloger at the University of Texas Libraries, where she uses knowledge of classical and contemporary music to describe music scores and other materials as they enter the catalog. She also enjoys songwriting and recording, gigging professionally as a classical/jazz/worship pianist, vocalist, and music director.

Teacher Favorites:

Music genre: Jazz/funk, gospel, indie/alt

Composers: Debussy, Chopin, Vivaldi, Rachmaninoff

Class in college: Music Theory

From my repertoire: "Malagueña" by Ernesto Lecuona, "Prelude in C# Minor" by Rachmaninoff