Jill Kilzer

With more than three decades of piano teaching, Jill Kilzer brings student-focused, high quality and creative teaching to the piano studio.  The emphasis of the piano lesson is developing expressive playing and building solid technical skills. Additionally, building music notation reading skills plus gaining the discipline of learning how to learn leads to confidence and poise at the piano.  The student enjoys the lesson time with a variety of musical styles and an easy rapport with the teacher.  Jill goal is to see students develop a life-long love of music. She is at ease with students of all ages and ability levels – beginners to advanced.

Jill has a Masters Degree in Performance and Pedagogy from Northwestern University, Evanston IL. Her background includes a Bachelor of Arts degree from the College of St. Benedict, piano pedagogy and teaching internship at the New School for Music Study, Kingston, New Jersey, and extensive post-baccalaureate studies in performance, music history and theory at the University of Minnesota.  

A Nationally Certified Teacher of Music and Music Teachers National Association member since 1981, she is Past President of the Minnesota Music Teachers Association. Jill’s students frequently prepare for MMTA’s annual Piano Contest and Honors Concert and a variety of other local performance festivals and adjudicated events as interest and readiness allow.  She is co-founder and co-director along with concert pianist, Elizabeth Wolff, of Music@10,000Lakes, a retreat for professional pianists at St. John’s University. A curious person and life-long learner, Jill continues learning new repertoire and performs regularly in church and recitals.