Clarinet Lessons in Carleton, MI

Instruments: Clarinet

I am a passionate and enthusiastic teacher. My first teaching experience was my junior year of high school where I got up every Friday morning before school to teach a 6th grade clarinetist who needed some extra instruction as she was blind. It was a sort of "aha" moment in my life where I found out that a career in music education was meant for me. I have been playing the clarinet for 11 years now, and have learned to love playing my instrument. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet Music

My teaching style is whatever fits best with the student. I am a high energy, silly, out of the box kind of teacher. I have no shame doing a silly dance to get my students engaged and moving! My main goal is for students to have fun and enjoy making music. My students will quickly learn to love every sound that they make because every note they produce is unique to them. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I choose music that will help students in many different areas. Students need some music that will help them work on fundamentals: long tones, slurs, articulations, and scales. Students also need to play music they enjoy. All of my students, in addition to the fundamentals of good playing, bring in music that is enjoyable to play and that they like. It is a good balance when practicing. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet Drums

I am a firm believer in showing rather than telling. I always have at least one type of saxophone with me during lessons if not more. For example, if I have a student who is taking baritone saxophone lessons, then I will have a baritone saxophone with me. My goal is not to play along with the student during these lessons; rather it is simply there if I need to demonstrate a key concept to my student. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

I base my materials depending on who my student is, what level they are at, their interests, and their goals.  We will focus on building a proper foundation and every aspect of music making including posture, embouchure, breath support, articulation, phrasing, intonation, performances, and more.  Every student will have lessons directly tailored toward their needs. I usually begin with a methods book such as the Rubank Elementary Methods, scales, and a solo matching ability level. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet Music

The short cut to playing the clarinet like a pro is actually the long way done properly. In other words, there are no short cuts. We will work with patience, persistence, and of course, with a metronome. We will set written goals and come up with reward systems. For serious students, in my studio, we will treat playing the clarinet like being an Olympic athlete preparing for a gold medal! Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Flute Clarinet

There are quite a few method books that I like to use with my students. To start, I like to have students use the Beginner Rubank Method Book (the blue book) and work through this to get the basics down. After this, I like to choose some supplemental solo pieces that aren't in this book to help the students grasp the concepts that they have been working on, outside of what is shown in the book. Read More