Guitar Lessons in Manor, PA

Instruments: Piano Guitar Trumpet Bass Guitar

It is equally important to learn music from method books and through sonic exploration; I have personally learned a lot from books and while "noodling."When teaching trumpet (all skill levels), I use books including Arban's Complete Conservatory Method, Clarke's Technical Studies, and Schlossber's Daily Drills and Technical Studies.For guitar and bass guitar (beginner through intermediate), I start with Hal Leonard's Play Bass Today series. I teach beginner piano with the Bastien series and Alfred's Basic Adult Piano Course.I also have a library of alternate method books and additional materials including excerpts, solos, duets, and play-alongs. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Trumpet

I am a fun but tough teacher that holds high expectations for the learner as well as myself. My goal is to make sure the learner is exceeding his/her goals as a musician. I graduated from Westminster Choir College with a BM in Music Education, a minor in Musical Theater, and a Masters of Arts in Teaching. I am in my 4th year teaching, and currently work as a middle school band director. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Lute Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I don't think there is any one method book or instructional DVD that will give you everything you need. Even if an educational resource is extremely well done, it will still need to be tailored and digested in a certain way for each student. I generally use Mel Bay's Guitar 1 - expanded edition. While working with this book, there are additional materials such as exercises, concepts, and musical ideas often inserted at key moments. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Saxophone Organ Double Bass Keyboard

My own mentor was a tough guy... He would stand behind me, yell, shout and pound my shoulder. For sure, it is not for everyone. With most students, I take a calm and relaxed approach. As a child studying the classics, I remember teachers hitting my hand with rulers when I made mistakes. Jazz; however, is a creative art. It also requires making things up on the spot, so the most important skill is not to avoid mistakes, but to be able to recover from them. 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: Guitar Drums

My methods are in service of the cultivation of interest. Mainly I want the student to focus on learning how to play the music they want to play. The key to cultivating interest is to nurture the social, communicative and fun elements of playing music; associating the laughter and exhilaration with learning. I'm a self taught musician - I know that music is intuitive enough to learn without getting overly text-book about it, and I think focusing too much on the book at an early age can turn away potential musicians. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I knew that I wanted to be a teacher before I ever touched a guitar. Growing up in a family of school teachers allowed me to see the broad spectrum of the educaGonal process, from designing lesson plans to filing report cards, and I quickly realized that a teacher doesn’t stop working when the bell rings. Teaching history out of a textbook is one thing...teaching a student to hear the color of an altered dominant chord is a totally different beast. Read More