“In my professional capacity, I routinely observe instruction in settings across the country. I can say with confidence that Adam is one of the best teachers I have ever observed! Adam creates an environment where it is safe to fail, while holding high expectations for quality. He gives clear and precise feedback that helps our son correct his mistakes, but in a way that never puts him on the defensive. Adam expects honesty from his students, but gives advice about the power of discipline and commitment without ever seeming to judge." Doannie Tran
“I’ve played piano on and off for over 30 years, but I wasn’t able to comfortably play some more advanced pieces I’ve been interested in. I had also tried a bit of jazz improvisation in the past and wanted to pick that back up in a less daunting manner. Adam gave me many insightful ideas and structure for working through my difficulties in the pieces. He also presented a method for getting started with improvisation that was approachable and fun. I feel I’ve advanced in both of these areas in ways I’ve found very rewarding.” Melinda Withers
“I wanted a vocal coach because I had absolutely no confidence in my singing voice. I do both jazz and voice, but I did only voice for roughly the first year. Mr. Cole is very good at explaining things, better than most of or all of my teachers at school. This is a feat especially in the context of jazz, which includes very confusing and strange content, or voice, which (since you can’t see or hold it), is hard to describe. He is patient and encouraging as well. At the end of most lessons I ask him unrelated questions, usually about some strange compositional device, and he typically answers it well, completely off the cuff. The results I’ve seen are day and night, honestly. My singing voice has improved tremendously, and I now sing confidently with my band. My piano skills also shot through the roof from where they were. Before I started lessons, I could only play written music on piano, but now I can improvise confidently while playing improvised basslines or playing chords underneath my solos.” Harrison Halicki