Clarinet Lessons in Mc Kees Rocks, PA

Instruments: Clarinet

I consider myself to be a technical musician and I enjoy passing on knowledge about bagpipes to beginners and experienced players alike. I grew up playing pipes in Pennsylvania and began on the practice chanter at 10 years of age. Growing up near Pittsburgh, I happened to be in an area of the U.S. that had many good pipers as well as a successful summer camp program. This allowed me to receive fantastic instruction as a teenager, and I always found it to be very motivating to be around some of the top pipers in the world. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Flute Clarinet

For classical studies, there are some standard saxophone repertoire books I like to go to. For brand new students, I use Essential Elements books, for intermediate students I use Rubank method books, and for advanced students I use the Ferling etude book. For jazz studies, I begin students with Lenny Neihaus' Jazz Conception for Saxophone, which lays a great foundation for jazz and swing playing. After this, I do a lot of ear training and memorization exercises for tunes, and talk about chord-scale theory. Read More

Instruments: Voice Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet Euphonium Tuba

I am a driven player who believes ardently in the practice of fundamentals and the accuracy of intonation. I auditioned for the U.S Army Band in 2004 and spent 10 years traveling with the group. During this time, I played venues all over the world, including Japan, Korea, Germany, and Iraq among others, and learned to play many different styles of music. Since then, I have been studying with several esteemed musicians from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and I hope to impart the lessons I have learned upon my students. Read More

Instruments: Clarinet

For beginning students I typically start with the core concepts of clarinet playing, such as sound production, proper breathing, hand/finger position, and tonguing, as well as proper instrument assembly and care. We will begin with method books such as the Rubank Elementary, Intermediate, and Advanced studies. After the student becomes comfortable with these core concepts of playing the clarinet, we will move on to more complex music including etudes and solo repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Clarinet

I will use whichever book students are using for their band class in addition to Rubank books. I will begin by teaching fundamentals using these books, then I continue to teach solo repertoire. Read More

Instruments: Trumpet Trombone Saxophone Clarinet Ukulele Euphonium French Horn Music

I believe in teaching time management from the start. I will start with a small weekly practice goal, and as the students progress, that goal will increase. Another part of time management is not over- assigning music to practice. At first, I expect the student to practice 2-3 small songs. As they become more confident and comfortable, I will assign 3-4 songs, and so on. Every week should have goals that are achievable and make the student feel accomplished. Read More

Instruments: Saxophone Clarinet

I encourage progress. I love to see students become stronger and more confident musicians. I like to get students as much into "the real world" as possible, so I push for getting students performing as much as they are learning. I separate practice from performance, with an understanding that how a student sheds will be the core of what is possible in a performance setting.  Read More