It has been my pleasure to know Claudia Cashin-Mack for nearly 40 years, first as an excellent pianist and then as an exceptional teacher. She has always set the highest standards for herself in both of these areas and has also demonstrated remarkable generosity toward her students. I have enjoyed hearing her students play on many occasions and am always impressed by their polished and engaging performances. Her students achieve first-rate results on their RCM exams and many have won awards and scholarships. Claudia has expertise in all levels of study and is a very well-respected teacher in our community.
-Heather Norian , RCM, B. Mus, M.A in Piano Performance
“Claudia absolutely understands the adult learner and has a real knack to motivate and instinctively tailor the lessons to the individual. I had lessons as a child with a number of different instructors but Claudia is the most pedagogically skilled piano teacher as well as a genuinely nice person. No matter how tired or underprepared I am, every lesson leaves me newly inspired”.
– Susanne Liou
Mrs. Cashin-Mack’s quality of teaching is such that my daughter was able to achieve a First Class Honours with Distinction at her RCM Grade 8 Piano examination. After spending only one year with this incredible and engaging teacher, my daughter received an invitation from the Kiwanis Music Festival to perform at the 2015 Peterborough OMFA Provincial Competition where she won the bronze medal. Mrs. Cashin-Mack’s students were also asked to take part in the “Lang Lang: 101 Pianists” production at the National Arts Centre. To our great delight, this dedicated teacher is regularly seeking and welcoming new opportunities to enrich the musical experience of her students.
-Nathalie Chrétien
My son, Jon, has been taking piano lessons with Colin for the past 8 years. He is on the Autism spectrum and finds conversation very challenging, however, he has always loved music and enjoys relaxing and unwinding while listening to music. Now he is able to read music well and plays a wide variety of musical pieces including Disney favorites, popular music and classical pieces. Colin quietly encourages Jon during his lessons and puts a lot of thought into how best to progress technically as well as selection difficulty thus ensuring that my son feels successful. Jon always enjoys going to his piano lessons with Colin.
-Heather Giggey
Colin Mack is an inspiring teacher and is very qualified to teach composition and theory at an advanced level. In the last 5 years, my daughter has learned so much from this resourceful teacher and composer, that she is now writing music for larger works (choral, chamber, art and popular songs and arrangements for a dozen instruments). As a young composer, she has won several awards and received important scholarships in different competitions such as the CFMTA Music Writing Competition, placing 1st three times in a row at the national level. Mr. Mack is one of the rare teachers who will go to extra lengths to adapt his teaching to the student’s aspirations and taste in music.
-Nathalie Chrétien
“We are very lucky to have Claudia Cashin-Mack to be our daughter Angelina’s piano teacher. Claudia was recomended to me by the president at Ottawa Branch of ORMTA (Ontario Registered Music Teachers’ Association) when we first moved here. We noticed Angelina’s solid progress soon and she received two years of First Class Honours with Distinction in Grade 8 and 9 RCM piano exams. To benefit us more, Colin Mack teaches Angelina music theory and this year she got 92 in her RCM Keyboard Harmony exam which not too many students are brave enough to attempt. Most important, with both Mr. Mack and Mrs. Mack’s guidance, my daughter enjoys playing piano and is passionate about music. This is exactly why we wanted our daughter to start her piano journey 10 years ago. For us, Mack Piano Studio is the total solution for our family’s piano/music needs. Mr. Mack even helped us with purchasing and maintaining our grand piano. They also provided other great resources, so we never felt like we were left out. Guess what? My other daughter is with Claudia now and I can see another 10 years of rewarding time for us to stay with Mack Piano Studio.”
-Hao Zheng
I have been with Mrs. Cashin–Mack for around 5 years now and I have always
enjoyed learning new pieces and perfecting them. Mrs. Cashin–Mack gives lots
of helpful tips and shows me many different ways to practice difficult
parts.
-Isabelle
Mrs. Cashin-Mack has been my piano teacher for 4 years, and I have never
wanted another. I really enjoy that she lets me choose songs that I like for
practicing at home. I also enjoy playing duets with my sister. I always look
forward to concerts before summer vacation, as a chance to meet Mrs.
Cashin-Mack’s other students and to hear them play their pieces. I wouldn’t
want to stop taking piano lessons for anything.
-Zoë
Claudia’s great passion for music and for the piano in particular has been a
wonderful influence in the life of our family. She has been an excellent
teacher for my children, always helping them to progress and grow as
musicians while understanding their individual learning styles and
temperaments. My daughters are close in age and Claudia has introduced them
to the joy of playing duets together – this has been an absolute favourite
for us all and our home is filled with beautiful music everyday!
-Jennifer
We were fortunate to be referred to Colin through our previous music teacher. My daughter, Parya, has been taking lessons with him for one year now and it has been a joyful experience. He tailors each session to maximize Parya’s learning ability, I can see a tremendous amount of progress each week. Parya, recently turned 10, is motivated to practise every day and excited to attend each lesson. Colin makes every class both fun and productive through a unique teaching ability.
Parya is already interested in composing music and very keen to explore more with Colin’s guidance in the near future. I recommend Colin to anyone who wishes to take piano lessons. I have now also enrolled my son who is only 7. We are all looking forward to another great year of learning music.
-Marjan Salehi
I have taken lessons with Mrs. Cashin-Mack as long as I can remember and have learnt so much from her! I know that music will always be an important part of my life, and that I could not have done it without her. She is incredibly passionate about music which is so contagious to everyone she teaches. I am so happy to have had this incredible experience. Thank you!
-Rebecca Seale
Claudia has taught our three children from their first introduction to music as pre-schoolers all the way through to Grade 8 Royal Conservatory exams. She always showed patience and expertise to all her students. Our children think the world of Claudia, who has had a strong impact on their development as the young adults they are now.
-Kathryn and Ed Seale
I am thankful and blessed to have been taught by Mrs. Mack for five years during my transition from high school to university. Throughout my lessons with Mrs. Mack I could tell how much she cares for her students and shares her passion for music. She tailors her teaching style to meet the needs and learning styles of every student. She and her husband, Colin Mack, have a cozy and well-used studio space for teaching…..a lovely environment to learn in. Thank you Mrs. Mack for such a memorable five years!!!
-Natalie Du
Mack Piano Studio 