Clarinet Lessons in Fieldston, NY

Instruments: Clarinet

I aim to push students to prepare them for a realistic career within a safe environment for failure. I talk to each student about their hopes and expectations regarding lesson structure and career plans as well as their personal struggles with and without the instrument. Critique is a necessary part of this field, but I try to state things as objectively as possible and use discretion as necessary. Each student and I will continually check in to ensure lessons are meeting their professional and emotional needs in regards to their musical experience. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Clarinet Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For my teaching goals I like to help my students learn the instrument from the basic fundamentals. I believe music is like building a house and it is important to start with fundamentals in order to construct a strong foundation for musical knowledge. I like to teach proper technique and playing standards so my students will learn correctly and not have to go back and relearn things and relearn their technique. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

My philosphy for all my students is that any student can achieve any goal if they believe in themselves and put in steady effort. One of my major teaching methods involves learning music the student listens to regularly. So much is learned from this process be it technique, time, rhythm, theory, but the most important part is that the students love and understanding of music grows, not just their knowledge. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet Acoustic Guitar

I like to be completely transparent about the lessons no matter what age the student is. Giving them a big picture is important. Letting them know what you want to accomplish and what you will achieve with them is important. But it is also vital they understand how much practice it will actually take to accomplish our goals. I will absolutely cover all the basics, challenging the student incrementally as I learn more about where they are at. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

There is nothing more gratifying for me than watching my students grow over time. I believe that success is achieved with a healthy balance of slow methodical practice and frequently playing fun and challenging music. I believe that every student is different and there is no right way to teach an instrument. I try to tailor my lessons to the student's special way of learning to ensure that our time together is well spent. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Piccolo

Dependent on the instrument, I generally use essential musical workbooks as well as my own scales and exercises that create a better base to suppliment the workbooks.  I find that these general books are useful to keep the student's growth on track, however, my own sound exercises alllow wind players to usually progress at a quicker rate.  For more advanced students, once we have discussed what each student hopes to get out of their lessons and what they generally see themselves doing with their instruments in the next few years, we can decide what pieces to work on and what skills to develop. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet

My first love is jazz, and as such I have a strong love of improvisation and aural skills, which I believe are relevant in all forms of music (even Bach improvised!). Once some fundamental skills and theoretical knowledge is ascertained, I like to build on more advanced musical skills like learning songs by ear, being able to identify certain common chord progressions, helpful tips for memorizing pieces, and learning to personalize music through expressive techniques and improvisational application where appropriate. Read More