William Susman has been teaching students for over twenty years. His passion for teaching began while still a graduate student at Stanford University's Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics (CCRMA). Since then he has developed one of the premiere educational DVD series for teaching musicians of all levels how to play jazz piano. Only through education can music grow and evolve.

The Play Like Me DVDs are a highly structured approach to learning how to build chords and play from a lead sheet based upon popular songs and jazz standards. The student learns contemporary music theory concepts while learning how to play a song. The only requirement is the ability to read treble clef and find the notes on the keyboard.

Playing from a lead sheet is similar to 300 years ago when J.S. Bach and his contemporaries would improvise and play chords based on a Roman Numeral short-hand. Nowadays instead of indicating V7 for a dominant 7th chord we could write G7. The Play Like Me DVD series teaches students how to build rich full sounding open position chords with contemporary arrangements.

A practical knowledge of harmony is the best way to fully understand concepts of music theory. Play Like Me DVDs offer proficiency in the current performance practice of chord symbols i.e., learning to play and voice chords from a lead sheet of a jazz standard or pop song, and as a result, prepares musicians to more readily grasp harmonic concepts from all periods of music. It is no surprise, that musicians with a background in voicing chords can gain an advantage in music theory curriculum.

Learning how to build chords and play from a lead sheet will not only help pianists but also any music student become a more complete musician with the ability to understand and play the music of our time.

To learn more about William Susman's unique and innovative teaching approach please visit Play Like Me.