Student Testimonials
Mark is an outstanding pianist and teacher. In his prime, he was one of the best pianists in the world. His playing is really the best and I highly encourage anybody interested in studying with him to listen to his recordings on YouTube. He has really helped me refine my technique and taught me a lot about detailed interpretation. The knowledge he has was passed down from a rich tradition of the great pianists/teachers of the golden age, it is very rare to find this today. I am a professional pianist and teacher myself and my work with Mark has really brought my playing and teaching to the next level. I only wish I could’ve met him years ago.
Mark is a phenomenal pianist and a teacher. Studying with him was one of the most rewarding and enlightening experiences for me. He has a remarkable ability to bring meaning and depth to music. I have seen him teach students of different levels, and it is wonderful to witness how he transforms their playing and the way they feel about their playing in matter of minutes. He is uncompromising in the integrity and quality of teaching and playing. I highly recommend studying with Mark for those who really want to study music they the way it should be studied.
Mark Westcott completely transformed the way I think about, perform, and teach music. I started taking lessons with Mark when I was in high school. Before lessons with Mark it took me years to learn a single piece and I had so many gaps in my fundamentals. Mark filled in the gaps quickly and then proceeded to focus on details within in the music in the most specific, most clear, and most informed way. He made learning music possible for me. Mark has my highest recommendation for anyone wanting to learn or improve their piano playing.
I started studying with Mark in high school and he has remained a guiding force in my piano playing ever since. Not only was Mark a world-class pianist, but he is a dedicated and caring teacher. Very few possess his ability to combine a high level of knowledge and artistry with a successful pedagogical approach. I consider myself lucky to have studied with him!
I was lucky enough to start lessons with Mark in April 2022. My friends and other musicians are amazed at the progress I've made thus far, and all of this is due to Mark's brilliant teaching. I highly recommend him
I was lucky enough to start lessons with Mark in April 2022. My friends and other musicians are amazed at the progress I've made thus far, and all of this is due to Mark's brilliant teaching. I highly recommend him
I was struck by his ability to watch a student struggle with a passage of music and immediately diagnose the issue, whether it be technical, musical, or even mental.
I have never found in any other teacher the ability to address musicality at the level he does. He will go as deep as you are willing to go and push you to go deeper. As a result he makes even his youngest students sound like budding professionals.
Perhaps most impressive to me in his teaching is his ability to help students of any age to develop a vision of what they want for themselves musically, to mold that vision in a way that is appropriate for them personally, and to do this in such a way that they can also learn how to self-generate motivation to make that vision a reality.
He has a treasure trove of recordings on YouTube that I highly recommend perusing with a decent set of speakers or headphones to get a sense of the musicianship that is the basis of his teaching.
Many musicians revere the pianists of the golden age as being among the best players the world has ever known, and there are few alive today who are so well steeped in that tradition that they are capable of passing on the knowledge of how to achieve what made them so great. Mark is one of these rare birds.
It is for all of these reasons and more that I owe a great deal of my own success to his wisdom and mentorship.
As an additional perk, it is inspiring to listen to stories of his friendships, collaborations, and brushing shoulders with famed musicians like Samuel Barber, Vladimir Ashkenazy, Van Cliburn, Leonard Bernstein and more. I only regret that I didn't find him sooner in my piano journey.
Teacher / Pianist / ConsultantPortland is fortunate to have Mark Westcott... Van Cliburn Piano Competition bronze medalist, mentor, and friend... among us. As a supporter of Portland Piano International (PPI) festivals and piano series concerts, where Mark Westcott has appeared in past years, I find his Master Class presentations at Classic Pianos to be ranked right up there with the best workshops of visiting PPI concert artists and clinicians from The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, Peabody Conservatory, New England Conservatory, Eastman, and other world-class institutions. I highly recommend Mark Westcott Master Classes for piano students, teachers, pianists, and anyone wanting an in-depth study of the masters.
Member of Mark Westcott's adult class / Area professionalPlaying the piano well is difficult work, but Mark helps his students take pleasure in the journey of musical progress. Mark personalizes his approach to each student, helping them address their limitations and capitalize on their strengths. He allows students to achieve their personal best by giving them essential technical tools, deepening their musical understanding, and conveying the passion at the heart of each piano masterpiece. By sharing his considerable expertise, he encourages students to go beyond merely playing notes accurately. Mark helps students understand the composer's intent, and to take personal risks when interpreting the score so that the music comes alive.
Portland-area piano teacherI find these master classes to be consistently illuminating and inspiring. Mr. Westcott has an uncanny ability to communicate precisely what needs to happen to take a person's playing to the next level. His teaching has helped clarify for me numerous basic principles of pianism: melodic shaping, stress-free technique, rhythmic structure, memory, balance, pedaling. The classes have profoundly improved both my playing and my teaching and I recommend them highly to anyone wanting to make a similar positive change in their life.
Doctoral Candidate, studying with Dean Kramer at University of OregonMr. Westcott's knowledge of both musical and technical issues is vast, and he has an exceptional ability of communicating his ideas and suggestions in a way that is beneficial to the student. I remember coming into lessons having worked on difficult passages to no avail. Mr. Westcott was quickly able to diagnose the problem, offering suggestions, and the problem was solved. Beyond his expertise in piano technique, however, Mr. Westcott excels in his knowledge and understanding of musical and stylistic issues. In his own playing Mr. Westcott demonstrates a wonderfully expressive sense of rhythm; I believe this to be one of his great strengths as a pianist. Further, Mr. Westcott helped me to develop a professional sound at the piano. His command over his own sound at the piano is stunning, and he is able to produce seemingly endless shades and varieties of tone. These are just some areas in which he is able to offer his students great insight and instruction.
During the years in which I studied with Mr. Westcott he was able to guide and develop my musical inclinations and solidify my technique. After several years of study, under Mr. Westcott's tutelage I was playing not only like a professional, but like an artist. In 2006, as Mr. Westcott's student, I won the MTNA Oregon State Young Artist's Piano Competition. Mr. Westcott had the opportunity of studying with some of the world's greatest teachers. It is this legacy that he brings to his students, and I consider myself fortunate to have studied with him.
Teacher / PianistTo study piano with Mark Westcott is to place oneself under a veritable fountain of unerring musical wisdom, aligned with a deep passion for accuracy in every detail, intelligent use of appropriate stylistic expression, a masterful approach to technique, and an underlying sense of authentic artistry.
In his monthly Master Classes Mark intersperses student performances, and his on-the-spot feedback, with planned and impromptu discourses on a wide range of pianistic and musical topics. Classes, like private lessons are packed with artistic insight, practical development, and personal challenges helping students to rise to rise to their potential
Always planning the student's next step of development, he explains with precise clarity the reasons for each correction needed in a piece, demonstrating when needed, and revising his own advice if necessary, until it "works" for the student. This is the essence of brilliant teaching.
Mark knows exactly what each student needs to work on, and while demanding one's best focus and effort, he also gives his all with patience and good humor. For the dedicated, teachable student of any age, such a Master Teacher is a rare opportunity not to be taken lightly.