Guitar Lessons in Rahns, PA

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

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

Through years of experience, I've found the perfect balance of technique and fun! I like to start with a focus on building the proper foundation and the proper relationship. It's important to me that we set achievable goals and make sure we are on a path to learning songs that keep you inspired and motivated. Each student will have different goals, and while there may be an overall structure of what we should know within a certain amount of time, no two lessons are ever the same. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Orchestral Percussion Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginning piano students, I often get them started with the Faber piano series, then incorporate music theory along with their song requests. For beginning fretted string students (guitar/bass/ukelele), I like to start with the Hal Leonard method book to get started with reading notation, so that we cover more than just tabs and chords. For drum/percussion students, I'll have them start with a combination of Syncopation by Ted Reed and Peter Erksine's Drumset Essentials Volume 1. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I continued on to practice regardless, but it was out of duty and not out of passion. Knowing those feelings and where they come from is key for a music educator, because it is important to know strategies to avoid replicating those situations in your own students. I frequently incorporate the student's musical tastes and choices into their lessons. If my student is at an age where they can "jam" with others, we will typically jam together, or if they have friends at a similar age and skill level, I encourage them to have a jam session where I can listen in and participate (and I can spot-check my student for technique and ask critical questions about their performance). Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums

My teaching style relies heavily upon training the ear to dissect what it is hearing. Developing the ear is crucial to being a self-reliant musician. In drums, the visualization how a rhythm works in time is essential to being able to perform that rhythm. Dissection and mapping are the key to furthering one's abilities on the drum kit. In guitar or in piano, being able to isolate frequencies with your ear will lead you to a more accurate understanding for chord structures and progressions than simply looking up tabs, which are often deeply flawed. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Ukulele Music Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar

I am adaptable to what interests and clicks with you as a musician, so if you want to dive deep into music theory, including music notation, harmony, advanced rhythms, awesome. If you would rather learn by ear and reading basic chord charts and lead sheets, no problem. Regardless, I like to start with establishing good form and a basic understanding of musical terms. From there, well look at the music that inspires you and craft a strategy to increase your comfort and proficiency in that area. Read More