Guitar Lessons in Cascade, DC

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I LOVE teaching people how to play the guitar! I have been playing guitar since I was a child and I grew up in a music-loving household. I was in a rock band in high school. In college at UMBC I was also in a band and earned my degree in Music with a concentration in Recording Engineering. I've recorded several self-produced albums of music I wrote and produced myself. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

At fourteen, dismayed at my high school's total lack of musical education, I formed an extracurricular and creatively-titled Music Club. For an hour after school each week, and sometimes biweekly, we'd bring our instruments to an empty classroom and play. I'd float around offering one-on-one guidance, mostly covering fundamentals, sometimes providing more advanced direction to those who were ready. The peers I'd previously thought to be relatively atonal surprised me time and again by bringing in guitars, basses, hand drums, even the occasional trumpet. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar

The most satisfying moment as a teacher is when a student finally "gets it", and for students, I find that lessons are the most fun when the student feels capable and not overwhelmed. I like to challenge my students and encourage them to exceed even their own expectations of their abilities. With this in mind, my overall teaching philosophy emphasizes gaining technical mastery over the student's chosen instrument, strong music reading and theory skills, along with creativity and improvisation to turn them into well rounded players who can hold their own in just about any music setting from the stage to the studio. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginner students who have never held an instrument or don't know anything about music we'll go over basic guitar fundamentals we'll talk about different types of guitars, how to hold the guitar in classical and folk style positions, how to press your fingers on the strings (because there is a way), body parts of the guitar, basic music concepts such as beat and rhythm, how to read music both standard and tabs, basic guitar exercises, and a few fun songs once the fundamentals have been practiced enough. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar

The student is the most important piece of the puzzle. If the student is not happy, then practice and lessons will not be a positive interaction. My goal is to make music as fun as possible. I have done the work of teaching myself and I have the hindsight of mistakes I made along the way; slight areas of wasting time, plateaus, you name it. Therefore, I have the answers to how to avoid some of the same mistakes I made! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

It is great to see any individual move towards growing their abilities for self expression. Learning music can bring the best out of many facets of life, and yield a beautiful way to communicate. I see teaching as assisting someone on that path. To me a teacher should help encourage growth and be open to learning as well. Any student I have will be met with a smile and enthusiasm for their interests and goals. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Synthesizer Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am a composer, pianist, guitarist, and singer. In 2016, I graduated from The Peabody Conservatory of The Johns Hopkins University with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Music Composition. Prior to this, I obtained a Master of Music degree from Peabody in 2007, and a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Arkansas in 2004. I have had performances of my music in Baltimore, New York, Seattle, Cincinnati, and Fayetteville, AR. Read More