Guitar Lessons in Briarcliff, PA

Instruments: Guitar Violin Cello Viola Bass Guitar Electric Violin Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For my string students learning violin, viola or cello I typically use the Suzuki method books. There are times that I might recommend the Essential Elements series for those who are just starting off, but at some point I switch the student over to Suzuki. Another supplemental book I encourage my students to get when they get to a certain level is Essentials for Strings. This is primarily a scale book, but it also contains a number of other helpful exercises and resources. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I began teaching the summer before my last year of my undergrad (summer of 2012) I worked at a few studios outside Pittsburgh (Batavia Studios in Mars, PA and Manella Guitars in Monroeville.) Since moving to NJ I got a couple more gigs as a teacher through recommendations (Westerhoff School of Music and Art in Metuchen and Music Tech in South Brunswick.) I also have a few private students. Last summer I worked at the Rutgers Summer Jazz Institute, a one week summer camp for high school kids. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Violin

My teaching style is defined by a combination of high standards, understanding, nurture and patience. I will set realistic goals for each student based on his/her abilities. I will encourage and try new ways to explain or demonstrate a skill that the student is having difficulty with and I will be extremely enthusiastic about their accomplishments. However, I will assertively make it known if the student shows that they have not been practicing in a supportive way. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Working for a local drum teacher in 2005, I started teaching private music lessons in students' homes. From there, I took up residence at a local music store where I taught guitar, ukulele, bass, harmonica, songwriting, and music theory for the next fifteen years. During the pandemic, I added teaching virtually to my repertoire and have fallen in love with it. Personally, I started playing music because I loved exploring and learning more about the music I I was already listening to--and I desperately wanted to learn how I could create my own sounds. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Clarinet Bass Guitar Double Bass

In regards to teaching style, I am persistant with practice, while understanding of ability. This is a method that is applied by setting goals and following a direction that introduces and builds upon ideas, all while taking the student's progress and aptitude into account. I often try to balance out the harder, sometimes tedious work of technique and theory with songs that the student requests or shows interest in playing. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Bass Guitar

At the start of the first lesson, I give each new student a questionniare to fill out that tells me their musical background, influences, goals for the instrument and what music they are interested in learning. If the new student is a younger child, I begin them with Hal Leonard's Guitar Method Book One. Once they have grasped the simple chords and melodies of the book, I begin to introduce simple songs that they are interested in learning. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Synthesizer Ukulele Keyboard Acoustic Guitar

For children and adult piano students, I like using Piano Adventures from primer to the adult version. For guitar, I like using Hal Leonard Guitar Method books. For ukulele, I like to use Hal Leonard ukulele method books. For my little singers I like to use Blankenbelhers Singing Lessons for Little Singers to get them started. For my adults I like to use Absolute Beginners - Voice to show them vocal warm ups, breathing exercises and more. Read More