Piano
James Thomas has been playing the piano since he was ten years old and has been a passionate musician all his life. In 2003 he began taking lessons with Robin Lewis, a renowned piano teacher in South Georgia. He began his performance career early and continued to study and perform throughout high school and college. James has performed with a wide variety of musicians, most frequently with the Korean classical pianist and singer Juchan Kim.
Over the course of his career, James has studied with many excellent piano instructors, but perhaps his most influential teacher thus far has been Dr. Paul Rumrill, the chair of music education at Liberty University. A talented performer and jazz pianist, Dr. Rumrill helped James to hone his talent for keyboard improvisation and always encouraged him to take on new musical challenges. At the same time, Dr. Rumrill was always aware and respectful of the limits of his students’ capabilities, and James strives to emulate that graciousness in his lessons with his own students.
James always knew that he was interested in teaching, even from a young age. During his undergraduate years, he often tutored fellow classmates because he simply loved explaining things to people. In his own words, "There is nothing worse than when teachers overcomplicate simple concepts, which is why I always seek to explain things in the simplest way possible; that way, there is no possibility of my students getting confused." James completed his Bachelor of Science degree at Liberty in 2017 and has been a dedicated educator ever since. He began by teaching piano classes to groups of elementary students at a music school, and now specializes in one-on-one private lessons. This way, he is able to tailor his lesson plans to best fit each individual student, taking into account their personal strengths, needs, goals, and interests.
James's success as an educator stems from his love for both music and people. He offers lessons to students of all ages at beginner through intermediate levels.