“A good teacher is able to help you understand something, but a great teacher truly inspires you to push yourself and set you on the path to progress; that is what Mr. Snell is: a great teacher.

After taking jazz piano lessons with him for over a year now, I can confidently say that I have never experienced the pleasure of being taught by someone as gifted, humble, and insightful as him. Whatever challenges or roadblocks I felt in my own playing, whether it's developing rigorous piano technique since I am primarily a guitarist, improving jazz vocabulary, and even compositional elements, Mr. Snell is able to put you in the right direction with the most concise yet precise advice.

Mr. Snell is also as great of an accomplished musician/composer as he is a teacher, and with this unique skillset, he has forged a deep musical intuition that, most importantly, helps you identify and develop your own musical voice.

Regardless of the degree of your musical ambition and taste, I highly recommend taking lessons with him since it will open up your ears and will without a doubt improve your overall musicality.”

“In one lesson, Jon gave my son more encouragement than he's received cumulatively [from his previous teachers] over the past 7 years. Literally.”

“My daughter has been studying jazz with Jon Snell for the past year, and we are thankful that he was willing to teach her considering her age and limited exposure to jazz. As a parent, I appreciate how clear a communicator Jon is. He is very organized and sends a weekly email that provides details on what she should work on. In any given week, it could be anything from ear training, listening assignment, transcribing a solo part, working on improvisation, etc. He is also considerate of her time and will adjust the assignment load depending on what is going on at school as well as her other extracurricular activities. Additionally, he is open to spending time on things that she has an interest in. For example, she was having a hard time writing down the rhythm she wanted to incorporate into a piece she was composing, and he made time during the lesson to help her. Yet what I appreciate most about Jon is how patient and positive he is. I wish more teachers had his temperament and can’t say enough good things about Jon!”

“I have been taking Mr. Snell’s instruction online for about five months. I have a strictly classical background and have tried moving into jazz many times in the past, but none of my former instruction ever seemed to stick. There was something about the cross between theory and application that never sat right in my classical, note-oriented, sheet-music-reading brain. I needed somebody with a rounded understanding of both fields to help bridge that gap, and Mr. Snell was exactly the person I was looking for.

Since the start, he always took a friendly, encouraging approach to our lessons, offering praise when earned and not hesitating to point out mistakes when they occured. His friendly manner meant that I could ask as many questions as I had, and he would always have a well-articulated answer that got me exactly what I needed to know. In short, I’ve progressed so much quicker in jazz than I could ever have hoped, and I can attribute most of that to Mr. Snell’s clean, organized teaching style.

The lessons themselves usually progressed in a similar fashion to each other. I would prepare a jazz standard, then Mr. Snell would ask me to vary the piece in a way that hones a certain fundamental of playing. One exercise might drill left hand comping, another bebop or blues scales, another may be line improvisation. Each week I would have a clear, definite idea to practice and master. This concise organization is what has led me so far along my path, and I hope to progress even further in the future.”

“Jon Snell is a very talented and engaging piano teacher. Not only does he have amazing abilities as a player, but he seamlessly translates these abilities into incredible lessons for our kids. From an extensive knowledge about music and the piano, Jon has taught our kids about music theory in such a thorough way that they always end up eager to learn more. Having taken more traditional classical lessons in the past, our kids would easily lose interest, which led to struggles getting them to practice. When we discovered Jon, things changed. Our daughter had just taken a 5-year hiatus from piano lessons, and it wasn’t until she met Jon that she now actually looks forward to the lessons! His demeanor is friendly and welcoming. He is understanding and one of the most patient people I have ever met. His approach is one of positive reinforcement and always allowing the student to ask a question without ever belittling them. He has flexibility with his teaching styles and is able to accommodate both of our kids who have slightly different interests: one more jazz, the other more pop. I always wish I had kept taking lessons in my teens, and I think, if I had a teacher such as Jon when I was a teen, maybe I would not have quit. Our kids lives have benefitted from us finding Jon as their teacher, and we are so happy that they will now have the gift of music with them forever!

(Side Note: Since Jon has been providing lessons via Zoom all along, the COVID-19 pandemic did not interrupt this part of our kids lives. Lessons with Jon actually provide an ongoing, stable routine, while some other norms are being forced into a state of flux due to the virus.)”

“I have been studying piano with Jon Snell for about eight years. I would urge anyone looking for jazz music lessons to strongly consider Jon.

There are several reasons why my study with Jon is so valuable. One is that Jon is easy to work with. He has an unintimidating, approachable manner that makes our lessons something I always look forward to; the lessons are both fun and fulfilling and are the highlight of my week!

Another reason is that Jon has access to and is involved with the New York jazz and music education scenes; this filters into his teaching, thereby affording me exposure to developments in jazz and jazz pedagogy that I, as someone who lives in the Midwest, would otherwise never have access to. I’m grateful that Jon conducts lessons over Zoom as well as in person, which allows me to benefit from his involvement in the New York jazz world.

Moreover, Jon is extremely organized. The assignments he creates for me after each lesson are incredibly detailed and focused; he does an amazing job of pinpointing the areas I need to work on now while still pushing me to stretch for the next level. He has even created custom exercises for me based on my own musical compositions. It’s also valuable to me that Jon is always willing to receive .mp3 recordings I make of my own playing; he then critiques them with me at the next lesson and/or comments on my own evaluation of them.

Finally, Jon is an exceptionally dedicated teacher who is invested in my success, and this means a lot to me.

As with any pursuit, you can only get out of studying jazz what you put into it—but if you’re serious about jazz, I highly recommend Jon Snell.”

“There are many great things about Mr. Snell, and one of them is that he is very patient. Even when I give the wrong answer, he says, "You're so close!" He is also easy to talk to and always makes time to answer my questions both during the lesson and if necessary, by email between lessons. I also appreciate that he sends me my homework the next day after the lesson so that I know what I should do. He is a great teacher!”

“I would definitely recommend Jon Snell to other students. I think that Jon has a great way of teaching all levels of pianists with thoughtful and helpful exercises and instruction. In particular, Jon provides great exercises and techniques to develop language and phrasing to produce the sounds I want to achieve. Jon’s feedback is always very helpful and insightful. He’s particularly good at answering my questions about theory and application.

My regular lessons with Jon have always been over Zoom as we live in different states. The weekly Zoom lessons have been very productive and as effective as in-person lessons.

Something unique about Jon is his organized process for teaching and clear follow-up, including many exercises for practicing new concepts. These exercises have been very helpful to me, as a young jazz musician, in developing a foundation for the sound I want to create with my music. The exercises can vary from Baroque style with both technique and ear training to modern jazz and the techniques that other musicians have used to achieve the unique sounds that they have. Jon’s feedback is always very encouraging which invites curiosity and a desire to learn more. Jon is very accessible, if I have any questions or want to change or add a lesson during the week he is always very flexible and kind.”

“Since I began taking lessons with Jon Snell, I have dramatically improved as a musician, receiving large amounts of positive feedback from my audiences, fellow musicians, and other musical mentors. Much of my progress comes from the fact that as a teacher Jon has been a very good fit for me. His challenging assignments fit the way I like to practice, his flexibility fits my busy lifestyle, and his consistent and helpful feedback keeps me on track to make the progress I want to make as a player.

Jon provides a combination of methodical and fun assignments, with emphasis placed on the methodical side. When I have questions about an exercise or need help he responds quickly, and in rare instances when I need to reschedule a lesson, he is flexible. Much of this flexibility comes from the fact that most of my lessons are over Zoom, which is an effective system for me. I can do a lesson in my home, in a practice room at school, or anywhere else that I have access to my instrument and the internet. Furthermore, since I don’t need to spend time commuting to another location for lessons, it is much easier to schedule one on both ends. (One potential issue with Zoom lessons worth noting is that we both can’t play the piano simultaneously; consequently, to address this potential issue, my assignments are designed in such a way that this type of interaction isn’t necessary.)

A typical lesson consists of a brief overview of what I worked on for the week, a thorough run-through of the assignments to show my progress, specific feedback to help me understand how to improve, and a discussion of next week’s assignment. Jon’s lessons are unique in comparison to other jazz teachers that I have had for a couple main reasons: first, the assignments are specific and challenging and build upon each other to work towards long-term goals of improving specific areas of my playing; second, I receive a recap email after every lesson describing the exercises that I need to work on for that week, ensuring that I don’t miss anything we talked about during the lesson. The workload is heavy, but very achievable!

I’d recommend taking lessons from Jon to any student who is ready for a very challenging yet very rewarding lesson experience. Jon’s assignments call for large amounts of focus; after a heavy practice session I often feel mentally drained, but not without a strong sense of accomplishment and the feeling that I’ve pushed my limits and improved as a player. Furthermore, I’d recommend taking lessons from Jon to even the busiest students due to his flexibility in scheduling lessons. Finally, I’d recommend his lessons to students who are open to a lot of feedback; after each exercise I perform for him, Jon provides suggestions on how to improve it and how the exercise can be applied to my playing in a more general context. If you are looking for a teacher who possesses the qualities I’ve mentioned above, I encourage you to reach out to Jon to begin lessons.”

“I was struggling to understand some concepts in my college-level jazz theory/improvisation class, so I sought out Jon Snell for tutoring help. Jon is a great teacher—not only did his instruction fill in foundational gaps for me, but I also became totally comfortable with the material (which was previously difficult) and received an “A” on the final exam in my class. Thank you for all of your help, Jon! I would have never been able to do it without you.”