Guitar Lessons in Cortlandt, NY

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

The most important thing is to engage my students to learn. Inspiration and motivation are very important factors in teaching music. It's very important to go with the student's pace. I always want the best from my students. I have high expectations and I always get excellent results. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

My approach depends completely upon the genre and goals of my students and their skill level. For beginners, I must always take a lesson to explain exactly what each part of the instrument is and how it works. For rock and pop students, the very first thing I will teach them are open chords and the pentatonic scale, and maybe even a simple song depending upon the student. For classical, I like to start out with simple sight reading exercises and move on to material that applies the principles I teach. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am a skilled, diverse, and seasoned guitarist with 30 years of experience performing, touring, and teaching. Always professional, positive, and dedicated. I provide my students a fun and challenging learning environment and motivate them to discover unique inner strengths, abilities, and what truly inspires them. I am a diligent, thoughtful listener, and passionately focused on executing the best possible performance for myself and my students. I have worked with many extraordinary teachers to develop a curriculum that meet the needs of each individual student. Read More

Instruments: Guitar

I think being well rounded is important with music and one thing that I've noticed is building on what the student is interested in. Started off with materials builds important fundamentals, but if my student is nodding off to sleep, then I'm not doing my job. I'll begin by setting a goal and seeing what the student is interested in (i.e. what band/song would they like to learn about?) From there, I'll set a realistic goal (Flight of the Bumblebee can't and shouldn't be the first song on guitar that you learn) and we'll learn the techniques, structure, and music theory that exists in a certain song. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trombone

Manhattan-based jazz trombonist Jimmy has a bachelor's degree in Jazz Studies from the University of Michigan and a Master's Degree from the Manhattan School of Music. While at the University of Michigan, Jimmy studied under Dennis Wilson as well as Geri Allen and Bob Hurst and performed at the Detroit Jazz Festival. Upon moving to New York, Jimmy became a student of SFJazz trombonist Luis Bonilla and has performed at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, The Blue Note, Zinc Bar, Smalls, and Fat Cat as well as many other venues. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

We set goals based on aspirations and ability. That said, my lessons are structured, but flexible, rigorous, but fun. I encourage regular practice times, include practice plans, and talk with students about how to practice. Frequently, students determine the flow of the lessons - what we emphasize or de-emphasize. We also talk quite a bit about what the student finds interesting. Whenever possible, I use this to fine-tune my teaching to keep student progress steady and satisfying. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Viola Ukulele

I typically start violinists with the Suzuki method books and I start my piano and guitar students with the Alfred and Essential Elements books. Once the student has progressed to have a grasp on fundamentals, I will begin to introduce solo repertoire appropriate for their first performance. However, if a student isn't learning effectively from the book they were originally given, I either change the method book or compose my own exercises that I think the student would benefit from. Read More