Jon Batiste
Virtuoso Pianist, Bandleader, Composer, Record Producer
“When Daghlian gives his opinion, musicians listen. He is blessed with keen psychological insight that instinctively grasps what the student is about, what are his or her strengths, limitations and works within those possibilities to develop and enhance their growth. Few understand the piano and how to produce a singing tone as well as he does. He is a sublime musician. His focus is on form, harmonic function and tension, yet none of his students play alike. His teaching is imaginative, flexible, unpretentious and informed by an immense cultural background. William Daghlian has been my devoted classical music teacher and mentor since 2006. I have taken hundreds of lessons with him and we have spent countless hours listening to music. I would not be the musician I am today without his guidance. He knows how to assess the music with a profound and piercing level of understanding, no matter what the genre of music is. He has the rare gift of being able to interpret music purely and express his insights with great clarity. He does not get distracted by style, instead focusing on pure musical intention and execution.
This kind of clarity makes him one of the most rare musicians I have ever met and certainly one of the best piano teachers on the planet.”

Aleck Karis
Pianist, Professor
University of California, San Diego
“William Daghlian has a passion for teaching and an absolute commitment to his craft.  He possesses an uncanny ability to perceive each student’s potential, and help him or her reach it.  Both musically and technically he has always been an inspiring mentor to me.  He knows how to make the piano sing and how to impart that knowledge.  Keenly perceptive and analytical, his approach is at the same time natural and intuitive.  He brings a broad cultural background to his work, along with large reserves of patience and humor.  Imaginative and flexible in his methods, full of rigor, enthusiasm, and love for music and his work, William Daghlian is a wonderful, masterful teacher.”

Maria Soledad Rojas MM, DMA
The Juilliard School College, Pre-College Faculty
“For many years, I was aware of William Daghlian’s reputation as an exceptional piano teacher, so when I decided to recommence my piano studies after years of concentrating on the harpsichord, he was the logical choice for me.  As my lessons with him progressed, it became clear that he was all I had expected and more.
Mr. Daghlian is a very complete piano teacher, his extensive musical knowledge and his personal qualities combine to provide the student with a rich musical experience that goes well beyond the piano lessons.
His instruction is clear and thorough, with emphasis on technique while never forgetting that the music comes first.  He teaches the student how to practice, how to perform in front of an audience and most important of all, how to make music with every note.
He is a perfectionist and demands a lot from a student both technically and musically, but thanks to his warm and encouraging personality the learning process is always positive and rewarding.”

Polly Ferman
Pianist
“Fate has placed William Daghlian in my life so that I could learn more about the difference between playing the piano and making music.
I was introduced to this wonderful piano teacher more than two decades ago and since then, he has been not only my teacher but my record producer and beloved friend as well.
When we make a recording I know I can trust his fertile mind  I know that all the details, from the concept of the project and selection of the repertoire, to the advice in the choice of an appropriate instrument, the sound quality, and specially, creating the right mood during the recording session and consequent quality of the performance, will be taken care of.
Daghlian is a cultivated, sensitive and refined artist.  I continue to seek the wise advise of this great teacher.  He has the authority to simply point out a small detail that will bring an unimagined dimension to the music.  It is pure magic!!”

João Kouyoumdjian
Classical Guitarist
“The guidance I have been receiving from maestro Daghlian has been a truly transformative experience. Through his lessons and the additional opportunity to play for him and his students every Sunday in performance class, he imparts the rigors of a great conductor with the warmth of a trustful mentor. His perceptive listening, superior artistic taste and revealing insights have been spectacularly reshaping my performances, notably concerning rhythmic control and harmonic understanding. His vision entails long term results, pushing performers of any instrument to break free from their own glass ceilings, without ever yielding to petty shortcuts. Mr. Daghlian also tailors lessons to address the needs of each student, preserving personalities and stimulating individual creativity.”

Randy Klein
Composer, Pianist, Educator, Author
President of Jazzheads Music Group
“William Daghlian saved my musical life. Sometimes I think our meeting was meant to be. I had read a piece in the New York Times about Jon Batiste which mentioned that on Sunday’s he went to Daghlian’s piano master class. I was in a period where my playing had hit a wall. I didn’t sound good, I knew it, and what I was hearing in my head I couldn’t articulate on the instrument. I had been searching for the right person to study piano with, so I took it as a sign. I immediately wrote to ask if I could study with him. He responded that I would have to play for him. A few days later, I went to his apartment and nervously improvised while he listened. At a certain point, he asked me to stop playing. His reaction was polite and kind. He said that I was musical, and my technique was a mess. He then firmly stated that I would have much work to do if I wanted to be a better pianist. He indicated that I had many many bad habits that would have to be worked on. He started me off with very basic piano finger building exercises. Basically, starting from scratch.
I left that first meeting walking down the street yelling loudly at my hands, ‘You know nothing!’. But I had a strong desire to be a better pianist, and knew I had found the right teacher, who I immediately trusted working with my technique. Looking back at those first six months of study, I can only thank him from the bottom of my heart for his extreme patience. I wouldn’t have wanted to listen to me. But over time, my playing went through a major overhaul and Daghlian with his profound knowledge of piano pedagogy clearly led the way.
During the four years that I have worked with Daghlian: He taught me how to hear and expand my listening skills. He taught me to connect to the sound of the musical line. He taught me how to hear rhythm, particularly sub-division and feel time. He taught me how to slow myself down, and to slow down to hear the infinite nuances of the music. He taught me to be more patient with myself. He taught me how to substitute sloppy habits with a skill set which has allowed me to play what I hear.
Daghlian’s love for all things beautiful has influenced me to be a better musician, but more important, a better person.
Daghlian is a master musician with the best ears in the business. He became my mentor. He is my Yoda of piano.”