Reuben Allen Music

Based in New York City and Los Angeles, I am a jazz pianist, composer, and music educator originally from Chicago with over fourteen years of teaching experience. Currently, I teach Jazz Piano and Jazz Arranging courses at Juilliard Evening Division, where I have been for the past three years. My approach as an educator is to meet my students wherever they are at in their musical journey and give them the necessary tools to create and explore music in a deeper and more joyous manner from their very first lesson. I am a firm believer in teaching by ear and helping my students understand how music works rather than simply having them read notes. This philosophy applies whether we are examining a piece by Mozart, Duke Ellington, or Stevie Wonder. Therefore, I make sure to incorporate theory, harmony, ear training, and improvisation into most of my lessons.

I hold a degree from the prestigious Juilliard School (Artist Diploma, Jazz Studies) and the Eastman School of Music (M.M., Jazz Composition/Arranging + B.M, Jazz Piano). With a strong classical background in piano, I can help classical pianists discover jazz for the first time. I have created numerous original handouts, exercises, and transcriptions of jazz instrumental solos and compositions/arrangements that I share with my students to illustrate concepts with the most clarity and excitement. My own teaching and playing have been heavily influenced by renowned jazz musicians like Kenny Barron, Frank Kimbrough, Harold Danko, and Bill Dobbins whom I have had the privilege to study under.