Guitar Lessons in Hamden, CT

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Many people remember music lessons in their youth as a time consuming source of frustration, built upon outdated music with no connection to the student's day to day life. This is why I like to divide lessons between fundamentals such as reading and theory, and apply those practices to the students' favorite songs. The greatest thing is to be able to see a student perform the music they love, so the real goal is for the student to build a repertoire of favorite songs to perform for family, friends, on-line or onstage. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar

I do not posses large amounts of formal teaching experience, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? I have taught a few friends a handful of basic concepts on guitar, as well as some basic theory knowledge. I have had experience trying to teach younger children (under 10), and have found that most children that age have a hard time grasping theory concepts, as it involves counting in cycles and can become confusing for them. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Conga Electric Guitar Djembe Acoustic Guitar

I typically start by teaching them the parts of the guitar how to hold a guitar and all the physical fundamentals including fretting notes properly etc... then I ask them what their goals are as a player if they’re interested in learning a lot of theory or just want to sing and play with their friends etc.… Then I teach them the names of the strings and tell them to memorize them as well as the dot markers on the fretboard and then I have them learn some strumming patterns and a few simple chords to get them started and then begin learning the names of the notes from open position to 12th and then learning The major scale up the neck one string at a time… And I also incorporate the use of a Metronome which I find is hugely important… Then we incorporate a simple song that they can play with four chords from there onto learning how to harmonize the major scale and then incorporate more theory… All the while assessing their needs and fixing any trouble spots they’re having… Then on to scales and more theory and More Metronome work...And every couple of lessons I teach them a new song of their choosing to make sure that they’re having fun fun fun Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Organ Synthesizer Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I have taught all ages and skill levels, from absolute beginners to advanced apprenticeships. To me it is extremely rewarding to see a person take their love of music with them into their life. Whether or not a young person decides to pursue a career in music, the skills learned in playing an instrument are helpful in virtually all aspects of life. I have experience with music school's and with teaching privately and have found a delicate balance of hard work and fun that I can tailor to any students needs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Drums Recorder Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion

My teaching experiences go back at least 15 years.  I started when I was in college and have never stopped teaching.  In my lessons I focus on the whole child.  Together we find out where their strengths lie and capitalize on those strengths.  Music is supposed to be fun and that is one of my goals is to keep it fun and exciting for the student.  I find it is best to expose the student to all types of music new and old and everything from classical to hip hop. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice

I cater the lessons towards what the student wants while emphasizing the importance of fundamentals and theory. I incorporate songwriting and improvisation into my lessons, as well as songs the student wants to learn. I believe all students should be encouraged to be creative, while still maintaining a strong emphasis on fundamentals, thus leading to the creation of their unique musical style. I generally tend to split the lessons up into warm up techniques, repertoire, sight reading, listening/dictation, discussing music the student likes/wants to learn, and improvisation and songwriting. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

Some time in 2006 I was asked by the director to become his assistant and began taking on groups of my own. In 2007 I also joined ECMM as a sales associate and apprentice luthier in their shop, selling and working on guitars and other instruments. It was unfortunate that ECMM closed in 2009 after 33 years. Working at East Coast was a great experience for me and something I will always cherish. What I loved most about the ROA program was that as I transitioned from a student to a teacher, I adopted the same teaching style as my mentor: let the students choose what they want to learn and help them to learn and perfect it. Read More